A Move Toward Purpose
I. Confession
I wasted so much time.
I misled myself in my pursuit. Repeatedly asked myself these questions, blindly hoping to find my purpose:
What is your passion?
What are you curious about?
What do you love to do?
Years passed. Failing to find my purpose, I felt a deep void and directionless. I prayed. Something meaningful was missing. I believed my inability to find it was a matter of time, rather than the result of the questions I was asking and my approach.
Firmly and foolishly, I convinced myself my approach was right. My hubris, vanity, and stubbornness were blinding. Unwilling to seek guidance, I moved quickly, desperately, in many directions.
Years lost at high-speed and scattered.
II. Reflection
Reflection is what turns experience into insight. - John Maxwell
At the age of forty-three, I began to reflect. With reflection arrived revelation.
It became clear that pursuing “passions” and “curiosities” disabled me from discovering my purpose. Chasing the fleeting and ever-changing distracted me from uncovering the ever-present and inherent.
It also became clear that discovering my purpose would demand a different set of questions and approach.
III. Illumination
In 2020, The Grand hosted a group coaching event with Cat Lee. Cat shared this article, which opened my mind to a different set of questions and altered my approach.
First, I began asking myself questions designed to discover my purpose, rather than passions. Second, I sought guidance. Unlike my prior solitary approach, I reached out to close family and lifelong friends. I asked them specific questions to see myself from their perspective. Third, I reflected on their deep insights. With time, my natural talents were revealed.
The revelation of my natural talents was the first time I clearly saw myself through time. Who I was, and how I showed up, regardless of circumstance. The fundamental and inherent elements of my authentic self.
Seeing my natural talents for the first time helped me understand what to let go, what to avoid, served as the foundation for developing my personal flywheel, and ultimately uncovered my purpose: To pass my knowledge forward to help others become who they are meant to be.
In short, my purpose was illuminated by those around me - my treasured friends at The Grand, close family members, and lifelong friends. Their invaluable perspective guided me away from the draining cyclical pattern I lived for so long, and helped light the path to who I was meant to be.
IV. The Work
If, like me, the questions focused on passion and curiosity fail to uncover your purpose, here are three alternative questions to start your reflection:
What is effortless for me?
Even if I were lazy, what could I do easily and well?
What is easy for me that is unteachable?
While our passions, curiosities, and what we love wane, what is effortless and easy for us - who we are regardless of circumstance - is readily available to us and timeless.
At the same time, what is effortless, easy and natural for us may be elusive. It may be unnoticeable to us - we may be blind to our own gifts. And, our gifts may be buried beneath layers of the past (prior conditioning, old beliefs, others’ expectations, etc.).
May these alternative questions invite you to reflect more deeply, and step outside yourself. To seek treasured guidance from trusted individuals, so you may begin to more clearly see your inherent gifts and move toward your purpose.