Hey, y'all Hivers👋 Wassup!
So yesterday in my post I did promise more insights on How To Find Our Purpose, and so here I am honoring that promise.
So here we go,
The thing is while some of us are fortunate enough to know what we want to do from a very early age, the majority are uncertain about what they are passionate about and struggle to find their calling.
What are things to keep in mind when we find ourselves in a similar situation of lack of a sense of direction?
Firstly, it is important to note that one's purpose does not necessarily stay static over the course of one's life. Often it will change or evolve as time goes by. We may accomplish all that we desire in one field and so shift our attention to something else. Or perhaps in the pursuit of our initial goal, we are introduced to a great opportunity we had up to that point not even considered. Realizing that our purpose is never set in stone is important as too often people obsess over, and delay in making an initial choice, as they think it must define the rest of their life.
The second thing to keep in mind for those who don't know what they are passionate about is that you will probably not discover your purpose just by sitting around and contemplating the question. One must go out into the world and try out different things, the Greek poet Pindar further emphasizes this writing:
Become who you are by learning who you are.
Pindar
In other words, you are most likely to discover what you would like to devote your life to accomplishing by actually experimenting with different activities.
In making our choice, however, it is crucial that we bear full responsibility. We must not gravitate toward something merely due to familial or societal pressures. If we are doing something to please others or primarily because we think it will lead to a life of great wealth, status or fame, over time we will likely regret our decision.
Whatever we choose it must be intrinsically rewarding - we must derive enjoyment from the process and not just from the end rewards that may or may not come as a result. If we do something solely for the end rewards, if such rewards do not come quickly, as is usually the case, we will soon tire of what we are doing, cease to put in the required daily effort, and thus struggle to remain on a purposeful path.
A final point to emphasize with respect to finding a purpose is that very often we don't become passionate about something until we have developed a modicum of proficiency. Therefore, when searching for a purpose, given the brevity of life we should not forestall in making a decision for too long, but rather as Richard Taylor in his book Restoring Pride:
our task is simply to find the one or few things that you can excel in and then make it your primary business in life to excel in those ways.
Richard Taylor
Finding a purpose is not overly complicated and usually, if we are honest with ourselves what holds us back is not a lack of options, but Fear and Laziness.
I know this all too well. Fear once had more control in my life and those days were full of nothing but pain and self-hatred. But the storm does pass.
So there goes, I will see y'all in my next one.
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