PURPOSE. Getcha Some.

PASSION a couple weeks back.?ARBITRARY… three weeks ago.?Is this a judgment free zone??I hope so because, no I did not post this last week as anticipated.????????

This week of catching us up then is an attempt to pull these two concepts together with PURPOSE.?Once we minimize focus, time, and energy on that which is arbitrary and understand our passion or what we’re willing to suffering for, the components of living with PURPOSE begin to materialize.??And I think most of us would agree that if we can find PURPOSE or at least pieces of our PURPOSE, we can experience a level of meaning and fulfillment that often feels elusive.?

Heck, it probably doesn’t just feel elusive, in today’s competing priorities, information overload, social-media-driven, faster, harder, stronger world, it can be difficult to find fulfillment.?When we get pulled in eight directions, if seven of them are not in-line with our passion or PURPOSE, that is the epitome of being distracted.??That is where vigilance and making the right time for the right stuff come in.???

If you want to find PURPOSE, you have to continue to self-reflect.?You must ask yourself tough questions.?That is exactly what this week is intended to do.?Provide us all with a few simply asked, more difficult to answer, honest questions.?And since we are being honest, if these questions are too much for any of us to answer, then we need to be 100% accepting of:

…just getting by,

…just putting in time,

…just doing what it takes to get to the weekend.?

That doesn’t have be a permanent state, but we should at least be truthful with that person in the mirror, even if you don’t like your current answers. ????????

What drives you?

She was characterized as being a quiet girl.?Fifteen.?Traditionally awkward.?It was odd to some that she’d try out for the high-school dance team, but she did.??She begrudgingly pushed through the early morning practices.?She shrugged off the incessant popularity contest from the upper classmen ensuring their brand of schmoozing was top notch.??She did the work.?Learning advanced dance moves was part of the journey.?She pushed herself out of a comfort zone for her love of dance.?While she earned the title of most improved and the team voted her into Most Spirit by her second year.?She never made the front row with the other classic-trained dancers, but she was doing far better than expected.?That is until her opportunity to dance was stripped from her.?Anxiety was now in control.

During football games, dance contests, and even more strenuous practices, she’d developed a sense of dread that something bad was going to happen mid-routine.?Maybe it was after that hot October morning where she passed out last year.?Maybe it was a combination of changing hormones and nerves.?It wasn’t logical, but that didn’t matter.?Her anxiety had taken on a life of its own and was weaking havoc.??She chose to start sitting out the moments her and her team had worked tirelessly to perfect.??She finally came to terms that something was not right and finally asked to speak with a psychologist that she was able to recognize this mental struggle.?She began developing ways to combat these nervous thoughts.??It was in her learned ability to work through her own anxiety that she realized other kids faced similar struggles with their own debilitating, self-restrictive thoughts.??

She became a sounding board other friends and family reached out to regularly.?She began sharing positive thoughts with perfect strangers through social media and received a mountain of useful feedback.??What crippled this young lady mentally had manifested in what drove her.?From her own struggle to helping others, she found her PURPOSE.?Today this woman is one of the most sought-after psychologists in her field.??

This example highlights that our drive can come from anywhere.?It can begin with something very difficult in life.??It doesn’t have to, but often does.?Are we driven by fear, success, money, or recognition, helping others, or living a certain lifestyle??It’s your question to answer.????

What are you passionate about??

The answer to this question lies in what you’re willing to suffer for in order to complete or protect. ??If our idea of sacrifice stops short of personal strife, wavering somewhere between nuisance and inconvenience, we should look deeper.??

Let me share two of the stories from 11 Stories of Self-Discovery That Will Inspire You to Find Your Passion by Marina Khidekel at www.thriveglobal.com.?Not all 11 of the stories are the level of passion mentioned two weeks ago, but these two are close.??

A life-long goal served as career guidance

“My unexpected career stemmed from my childhood. When I was a little girl, I had a close bond with my grandmother, who was not well. All I wanted to do was to take her pain away. I remember saying to my mum, ‘When I grow up I want to become a doctor and make my grandmother better.’ Later on in life, I volunteered for two organizations: The Multiple Sclerosis Society and St. Vincent De Paul, a program coordinated for people with mental illness. I loved the rewarding and satisfying feeling of giving and helping others. My childhood experience led me to pursue my current career as a mindset and holistic coach. Even today, I carry my grandmother’s photo in my wallet.”?

—Christine Lee, mindset and holistic coach, Sydney, Australia

Hitting rock bottom inspired a new love

“Decades ago, my life was in shambles. I hit my bottom and crawled into a support group, looking for understanding and peace. I’d tell my story in a group, and people would say, ‘Wow. You should write a book.’ So I decided to write a book. It was a long journey, but my memoir, To the Moon and Back, was published last September, and along the way I discovered that I love to write. I love to write, edit, revise, rewrite. I love it all, and I had no idea. (I also love spreading messages of hope and love with my story!)”?

—Lisa Kohn, author and executive coach, Wayne, PA

Where does your energy come from??

It was a Tuesday in the dog days of Summer.?I don’t pretend to know exactly what that means.?I also am not willing to go look it up—not now anyway—to find that it’s some literal reference to over-heating, Blue Tick Hounds finding the stale shade of a dusty, Texas porch.?Assuming that’s close, picture a seasonably warm Tuesday in August of any year.??

Early summer vacations done.?Holidays an eternity away.?In the “dog days” where hours blend to days to weeks to months, while the hands of a clock circle out-of-focus minutes droning along.?The parade of emails march in and out of my inbox as to-dos transform into checked boxes.??Blah.?Boring.?Plodding along on tasks, spread sheets and deliverables.?Poor Tuesdays get no love, this day is no different.

The calendar is meeting light, but administrative heavy.?And the phone rings.?A problem cloaked in the disguise of a co-worker I enjoy talking to is on the other end.??We get caught up on life, family, personal stuff and then dive together into another need, adding two more empty boxes to the to-do list as the “end call” button is pushed and I find myself energized for the last three hours of the day.??

This is where, if I’m paying attention, I learn that my PURPOSE involves other people.?I could never pack a few suitcases or nap-sack, string either over my shoulder and head for a yurt in the hills.?

Yup, a yurt.?Look it up.?Or don’t.?Just know it’s a place that can be synonymous with isolation.??

Instead, I know enough about what energizes me to know those days that feel like trudging through wet concrete are immediately made better when I get the chance to work with someone else.??????

I think that’s why a quote I’ve shared in the past drives deep into my psyche…

“How you make others feel, says a lot about yourself” – Anon.

Finding our PURPOSE rarely happens on accident.?We need to piece together the answers from these questions and others to get there.?We need to be intentional to answer our “Why?”?If we’re honest with ourselves, even if we don’t necessarily like the answer.?If we do the work to discover the significance of any component of any day to our intent to live a meaningful, rewarding life, we can become unstoppable.?

?Enjoy your long weekend.?You have earned it.?

?Joe