Rumi said “It would be as if a king sent you to a village on a specific mission. If you went and performed a hundred other tasks, but neglected to accomplish the task for which you were sent, it would be as though you had done nothing.”
At first glance, it would appear this is contradictory to the premise of your essay. I don’t believe it is. I think you address a key point in that people get hung up on thinking their purpose is this one big thing they must get right. I think it’s more a role in the story to play . When we discover our true desire paired with our unique design, empowers our dreams, then we can fulfill our destiny, our role on earth.
Wayne, that's such a unique and lovely perspective! I entirely agree, it's more the pressure and obsession with purpose I think we must lift from our minds. Having a purpose, that is not a stress but a motivator, something that gives your strength and inspiration, is a truly beautiful thing!
Yes! 🙌🏻 I discovered this same truth several years ago. And I’ve come to see “purpose” as the combination of personality, skills, preferences, and experiences that each of us brings to whatever we do. It’s about using our unique mix of these to serve something beyond ourselves.
Have you ever heard of the website, Sloww.co ? If not, I think (based on this post) that you’d love it! 😊
Oh I really like that perspective - I've never thought of it as a combination of those aspects, how interesting! Not I haven't, thanks for the recommendation, I'll check it out!
Hey Ava, thank you for writing this beautiful post and I completely agree with you, purpose is not something to be looked for outside. It is something to be shift inside to feel joy in mundane moments of life!
I started my life doing what I loved which was technology.
I made millions.
Then just recently my passion stopped. Maybe because I crested at the top. Maybe because I feel it doesn't provide value any more. Maybe because I'm. Not learning. Maybe all of these factors.
Now what I'm doing is back to the start.
Doing what I love which is financial and life writing. Trying to reduce my Outgoings so I can take more risks trying things and networking more.
Meditating and time alone to hopefully get a glimpse of who I am next
Sometimes losing our passion is such an indication that our interests can lie elsewhere - the bravest thing is being able to recognize that and actually make the conscious move to explore new avenues for both joy and purpose! Your story is amazing and I wish you all the luck!
This is good stuff, Sis! I needed this perspective and am thankful for you sharing it!
Also, I think our purpose is such a broad range of “things” but ultimately it’s kind of to positively impact those around us. We carry that out in multiple ways and trying to classify it as one specific thing really can limit our potential. Thanks for making me really reflect on this! 🩷
I have a somewhat unusual perspective on purpose. While many believe it to be a grand, overarching theme that we are meant to define or discover, I think it's more about looking backward and "connecting the dots" as Steve Jobs put it. Each day, we make countless decisions, and these decisions shape who we are. They are like data points that, when accumulated, reveal a clearer picture of ourselves. This aligns with the idea that our lives are constantly evolving. As we grow older and gather more experiences, our sense of self also evolves, but I believe it doesn't truly change; rather, it becomes clearer. So my take is that purpose is highly related to "self" and who we are. Finding purpose for me means getting to know myself.
Dennis this is a brilliant comment, I love this idea! I really relate to the idea of incremental change, and connecting the dots backwards - I think by doing so it's a great opportunity for reflection and to meditate on how we may act in the present too! Thanks for engaging 🤗
It's something that's fairly new to me too, but it's allowed me to live life a lot more freely and without the internal pressure of uniformity or singularity when it comes to purpose!
Rumi said “It would be as if a king sent you to a village on a specific mission. If you went and performed a hundred other tasks, but neglected to accomplish the task for which you were sent, it would be as though you had done nothing.”
At first glance, it would appear this is contradictory to the premise of your essay. I don’t believe it is. I think you address a key point in that people get hung up on thinking their purpose is this one big thing they must get right. I think it’s more a role in the story to play . When we discover our true desire paired with our unique design, empowers our dreams, then we can fulfill our destiny, our role on earth.
Thank you for your thought-provoking, writing 🙏
And thank you so much for engaging, I really appreciate it 🙏💛
Wayne, that's such a unique and lovely perspective! I entirely agree, it's more the pressure and obsession with purpose I think we must lift from our minds. Having a purpose, that is not a stress but a motivator, something that gives your strength and inspiration, is a truly beautiful thing!
Yes! 🙌🏻 I discovered this same truth several years ago. And I’ve come to see “purpose” as the combination of personality, skills, preferences, and experiences that each of us brings to whatever we do. It’s about using our unique mix of these to serve something beyond ourselves.
Have you ever heard of the website, Sloww.co ? If not, I think (based on this post) that you’d love it! 😊
Oh I really like that perspective - I've never thought of it as a combination of those aspects, how interesting! Not I haven't, thanks for the recommendation, I'll check it out!
This is a fantastic post, Ava! I think many feel exactly like you! Beautifully written! 👏👏👏
Thank you so so much!!
Hey Ava, thank you for writing this beautiful post and I completely agree with you, purpose is not something to be looked for outside. It is something to be shift inside to feel joy in mundane moments of life!
Thanks Harneek, totally agree, and thank you for always engaging :)
I'm in the same boat.
I started my life doing what I loved which was technology.
I made millions.
Then just recently my passion stopped. Maybe because I crested at the top. Maybe because I feel it doesn't provide value any more. Maybe because I'm. Not learning. Maybe all of these factors.
Now what I'm doing is back to the start.
Doing what I love which is financial and life writing. Trying to reduce my Outgoings so I can take more risks trying things and networking more.
Meditating and time alone to hopefully get a glimpse of who I am next
Sometimes losing our passion is such an indication that our interests can lie elsewhere - the bravest thing is being able to recognize that and actually make the conscious move to explore new avenues for both joy and purpose! Your story is amazing and I wish you all the luck!
This is good stuff, Sis! I needed this perspective and am thankful for you sharing it!
Also, I think our purpose is such a broad range of “things” but ultimately it’s kind of to positively impact those around us. We carry that out in multiple ways and trying to classify it as one specific thing really can limit our potential. Thanks for making me really reflect on this! 🩷
Thanks for sharing Megan, I totally agree! ❤️ Purpose truly comes in so many different many forms and flavours!
I have a somewhat unusual perspective on purpose. While many believe it to be a grand, overarching theme that we are meant to define or discover, I think it's more about looking backward and "connecting the dots" as Steve Jobs put it. Each day, we make countless decisions, and these decisions shape who we are. They are like data points that, when accumulated, reveal a clearer picture of ourselves. This aligns with the idea that our lives are constantly evolving. As we grow older and gather more experiences, our sense of self also evolves, but I believe it doesn't truly change; rather, it becomes clearer. So my take is that purpose is highly related to "self" and who we are. Finding purpose for me means getting to know myself.
Dennis this is a brilliant comment, I love this idea! I really relate to the idea of incremental change, and connecting the dots backwards - I think by doing so it's a great opportunity for reflection and to meditate on how we may act in the present too! Thanks for engaging 🤗
It's something that's fairly new to me too, but it's allowed me to live life a lot more freely and without the internal pressure of uniformity or singularity when it comes to purpose!