Have you ever wondered what your purpose is? That is a question that gives life meaning. In my full time job as a social worker, I encounter people daily who feel lost and as if they are spinning their wheels and going nowhere fast. At times, I sense, we all go there and yet, I also know for certain that once we find a reason that we incarnated, life is a whole lot more joyful. So, are you willing to come along for a ride with me, as we explore just what your purpose might be?
Discovering purpose requires personal inquiry and creativity, so put on your ‘curiosity cap’. What does yours look like? Mine is a baseball cap with all of the colors of the rainbow, embellished with translucent wings that flutter when I get a cool idea. I have to tell you that they are pretty busy wings, since I am never bored and frequently fascinated…ideas are always churning in my oh so busy brain.
The first question I would ask is: What lights you up from the inside? What is it that you just can’t wait to do upon awakening (after you pee, of course:)? For me, it is writing. When I can’t sleep, it becomes my soporific. When I am having an experience that I can’t wait to share, out comes the laptop and the words pour forth.
The next query: Is there something that you knew you were born to do, but then repressed because well meaning adults may have told you that it just wasn’t practical or lucrative? When I stand before a group of people, sharing things I have learned, goosebumps pop up and there is an absolute sense of YES! It is what athletes refer to as ‘being in the zone’.
And then: Is there a talent you possess that people comment on….like you put so much love into food that becoming a cook/chef/caterer would be a lovely profession?
I have always known that my purpose is to be a communicator. Of course, some of that comes from being a voraciously verbal little kid. My mom told me that “You began speaking at 6 months and haven’t stopped since.” I was never shy and loved being center stage. It has served me well as a presenter, facilitator and writer.
Purpose is not always career/professional in nature. It may come in the form of being a good friend, a force for good in the world, a healer, a Lorax who ‘speaks for the trees’.
Recently, I had the great pleasure of hearing a folk music impresario Gene Shay-presented concert with three singer-songwriters named Joe Jencks, Pat Wictor and Greg Greenway at PSALM Salon in Philadelphia. Together, they are a vocal group called Brother Sun whose soaring vocals and wafting in the air harmonies had the audience of Baby Boomers singing along and tapping our feet. Spiritual, clever, funny, quirky, reverently irreverent at times, these three ‘brothers from other mothers’ create such music that at turns, feels like popcorn tossed out to a waiting audience, spicy hot sauce on tortilla chips and sweet caramel melting on the tip of your tongue. (Where are these food metaphors coming from?) Their song called “What Must Be Done, reminded me that each of us has a Divine Purpose and it is up to us to decide how to use it. My sense is that the world awaits your gifts and talents to heal what would otherwise be unmended if you didn’t step forth. See the day beyond the horizon..
Listen and sing along.
http://youtu.be/-P6r1fgiUcU and perhaps your purpose will reveal itself.
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