The Power of Purpose

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This post won't be for everybody, these words for them either being redundant or otherwise not seeming applicable to them.

However if you find that you are somewhat dissatisfied with life then it may be the case that you have simply lost your way.

And most people who find themselves lost find also that a few directions can prove helpful.

Persons can lose their way upon multiple levels.

Today I shall be focusing upon one's direction when it comes to personal purpose.

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A Crisis of Purpose

This is the kind of crisis that can hit you at an age.

Of course the "mid-life crisis" is the best known variant of this.

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Yet this is not just about a stereotype of middle-aged accounts clerks taking an extended leave from work to buy a cool motorcycle, grow a beard and cruise motorways on a soul-searching quest.

Neither is it necessarily about capturing echoes of a youth not sufficiently lived.

It can be those things but lets think more broadly.

It is about a person stopping in the middle of eating a burrito while watching the World Cup to ask themselves "What do I want to do with my life?".

Well... and any person who is... not necessarily... eating a burrito... It could be Italian cuisine. Or a leaf of lettuce.

And... not necessarily watching the World Cup. Game of Thrones perhaps. Or fish in an aquarium.

Anyway... a person who suddenly realizes that they aren't sure why they've really been up to what they've been up to since they first got a job, or started school.

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Such a person may be forgiven for having a bit of an identity crisis... and may also have trouble determining what their purpose in life is.

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Must One Have a Purpose?

The truth is that many people live their entire lives just moving from one day to the next, going through the motions of what might seem a perfectly unremarkable life.

And you know what?

There is nothing wrong with that.

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Besides noting that what one person might consider unremarkable may be highly remarkable to the next, the truth is that we do not have to be so. It is perfectly alright to be ordinary if one finds peace with such - and don't let anybody tell you otherwise.

In fact I, for one, have caught myself envying such people.

Perhaps the true fundamental purpose of life is simply to experience it. To immerse oneself within it and allow it to fill one's every pore - and to send postcards back to the source when all is said and done.

And in the context of such - simply 'being' is fine.

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Finding A Better Direction

However that has not thus-far been my path (and thats OK) - and if you find yourself walking the path of the ordinary and find yourself sinking into depths of unhappiness then that path may not be for you either.

It is easy to suggest that you find a better direction.

It is difficult to suggest 'what' better direction to take on.

This is thanks to the beautiful complexity of the universe within which we live.

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Is a clown who visits hospital wards to make terminally children smile less important than the medical researcher conducting experiments in a laboratory to try and defeat such an ailment?

They each have their role and it would be foolish to suggest one path to be better than the other. Its tough to get into medicine but learning humor is no laughing matter either...

OK well maybe it is - but you get the punchline.

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Choose Your Altitude

There has been a story going around that there once was a young man who wished to change the World.

When he found that he could not, he resorted to trying to change his nation.

When he found that he could not, he resorted to trying to change his town.

When he found that he could not, he resorted to trying to change his family.

When he found that he could not, he resorted to try and change himself...

And become a monk... apparently.

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Old and made wise by virtue of loosely fitting clothing, the man felt that he had gone about things the wrong way.

Had he first tried to change himself then he might have been able to change his family.

His family may then have succeeded in changing his town and his town may have changed his nation.

And as a result he might indeed have been able to change the World. Perhaps.

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Where you come in within this story is that there are different ways that you can make a difference - and can seek to act upon different levels.

The monk had a point. Its fine to have lofty ambitions but it is important to determine at what level one can make the most significant difference - and the answer to that question could be more homily than one expects. Touching a single heart or improving the lot of a single life might have a more profound effect in the grand scheme of things.

What do you want to achieve in your life?

How is this of importance, to yourself first and foremost, but also to others?

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Take your time with this process, especially if up until this point you would have had a hard time determining what your purpose is.

So... What 'is' the Power of Purpose?

A sense of purpose is what gives you a sense of determination.

Knowing why one is, and why one is doing what one is doing is what motivates us to be or do anything more than necessary for our short-term gratification and existence.

For our ancestors, survival was far from assured and thus life itself offered them a sense of purpose. Cheating death was a part of it. While death and misery are no strangers to our World, we live in a time when a person's level of activity is not necessarily linked to one's survival chances. In some welfare systems people at the bottom of the socio-economic strata are actually disincentivated from being anything more than welfare cases - it not making economic sense to take the next step and jeopardize their welfare status.

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One will perceive problems everywhere if one lives life with eyes open - but one could be a disgruntled observer or one could aspire to be a part of the solution. This too could inspire purpose.

And purpose is what motivates you to get out of bed in the morning, certainly at less than optimal hours.

Purpose is what makes a person go out of his or her way to help another - or to put aside their personal gain potential in the name of that which is right (such as depositing a found wallet at a police station).

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Purpose is what drives one's creative spirit.

Yes - that even applies when baking a butterscotch cinnamon pie or when adding that little extra flaire when making the bed. Even a table has purpose - which it gets to serve whenever it is used.

Purpose is everywhere that one looks - but it is not necessarily 'your' purpose.

Do you want to make the World a better place?

Thats great if you do and its fine if you don't (purpose can be found upon other levels).

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Choose a single aspect that you would like to make better. Something that means something to you.

And then take the first step.

Yes - its fine to choose a 'starter purpose' - especially if you have been feeling down. Such is good practice and it may turn out to be your main source of sense of purpose after all (which, again, is fine!).

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Have you experienced a revelation of purpose in the past?

Did it have a significant impact on how you live your life?

Feel free to share such in the comments below.

Also if you found this post interesting and would like to share this with your friends then a resteem couldn't hurt.

If you 'didn't' like this then feel free to share your views in comments. A civil conversation can go a long way.

Sincerely,

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