Life Turnaround to Purpose
The journey of the last two decades has been a wild, roller
coaster of a ride, filled with slow climbs up and exciting, even
scary descents. It's what I affectionately term my purposeful
path. Before my near-suicide, I traveled the path mostly asleep,
unaware that I was even on a journey. Then came ten years of
awakening, with a few long naps mixed in. And for the last
decade as I've continued my awakening process, I've also done my
best to assist others along their own purposeful path. What
follows are some key insights I've discerned along the way. It
is my intention and desire that within these points you will
find a few nuggets of gold that will assist you along your own
journey.
As I reflect on that time in Greensboro, trying to distinguish
some of the significant changes that needed to take place, I
realize that one of the most important was changing the way I
think about life purpose. Over the past decade, I've asked
thousands of people the question, "In your view, what is a life
purpose?" Not what \their\ life purpose is but what \a\ life
purpose is. In the vast number of responses, the common thread
goes like this: "A life purpose is what I'm meant to do while
I'm alive." Or, "It's what I'm meant to accomplish that only I
can accomplish. " Or "It's what I'm here to do that will give me
joy and satisfaction." The answers generally focus around doing.
I've come to take a different view. What if a life purpose isn't
what you do? What if, instead, it's the context or vessel into
which you pour your life, which then shapes your life and all
you do in each moment?
Your life purpose is like a cup into which you pour the water
known as your life, and that water is composed of three basic
components: you, a conscious, living person; time, since all of
our lives exist in moments of time; and what you're doing in
those moments in time. There's a close relationship between what
we do and our life purpose, just like there's a close
relationship between a cup and the water within it. Yet they are
both distinct. This subtle difference can make all the
difference in how satisfying and fulfilling our lives can be. It
also makes a huge difference in helping us bring clarity to our
life purpose.
You've probably heard the old joke about the man who loses his
keys in a dark alley but searches for them under a streetlight
because the light is better there. Are you like that man,
looking for your life purpose under the street lamp of "doing"
simply because it's easier? If so, you may want to start looking
in a different arena of life--the arena of "being," because
that's one of the components of someone's life purpose. Let's go
back to our analogy of the cup and the water. The real question
isn't about the composition of the water but about the
composition of the cup. What are the basic components of a life
purpose that creates a powerful, shaping force for your life;
one that's long-lasting and enduring, and which allows you
plenty of room to play and express yourself?