Since I launched Start3Things, my goal has been to post once per week minimum. It’s been over three weeks since I’ve posted. I picked “purpose” as the next topic and started this article two weeks ago. And still no posting. The topic itself is daunting which may explain the delay. It’s lofty, mushy and oh so important. This won’t be my last posting on this topic but here goes.
When we dare to find our passions – which are personal, we can transcend into our purpose which is communal, serving the whole. And right now, amidst the desert and oasis of a pandemic, we need both passion and purpose. Self-actualization transforms individual becoming into worldly goodness. This is exactly what the heart of Start3Things is all about – action to move passion into purpose. Sparking the flame to ignite to serve the greater good. Individual gift to communal higher good.
“Many seem to believe that purpose arises from your special gifts and sets you apart from other people—but that’s only part of the truth. It also grows from our connection to others, which is why a crisis of purpose is often a symptom of isolation. Once you find your path, you’ll almost certainly find others traveling along with you, hoping to reach the same destination—a community,” – JEREMY ADAM SMITH
According to a study by the American Psychological Association, COVID-19 has not led to an uptick in loneliness among Americans as one might expect. “We were surprised by the overall remarkable resilience in response to COVID-19,” said Martina Luchetti, PhD, an assistant professor at the Florida State University College of Medicine and lead author of the study. “The pandemic is something that everyone is going through, and just knowing that you are not alone and that everyone is going through the same restrictions and difficulties may be enough in the short term to keep feelings of loneliness down.” Even before the pandemic, loneliness was widespread and considered a public health issue in the United States, according to Luchetti.
As we remain stuck in uncertainty of this moment, we can create certainty and focus by transforming our passions into purpose. Smith suggests six ways to discover your purpose in life:
Read – our world expands when we go beyond our thoughts;
Turn hurts into healing for others – take the hard-earned lessons and share with others to smooth the path;
Cultivate awe, gratitude and altruism - Several studies have shown that awe makes us feel connected to something larger than ourselves and provide the emotional foundation for a sense of purpose;
Listen to what other people appreciate about you – see the patterns and gain insights on yourself by what others see in you;
Find and build community – the company we keep makes a difference. Find a new community if your current one isn’t serving you well;
Tell Your Story – writing ties experiences into a narrative. A 2008 study found that those who see meaning and purpose in their lives are able to tell a story of change and growth by overcoming obstacles.
In Finding Your Life Purpose: 10 Deep Questions to Help You Create a Wildly Fulfilling and Meaningful Life, Nick Seneca Jankel offers some key questions we should ask and answer:
Over the last seven days, what moments have given you feelings of great love, deep satisfaction, or purpose?
Over the last month, when have you felt most switched on? What were you doing? Who were you being?
Over the last six months, when have you felt most alive and electrified? What were you doing? Who were you being?
What are the greatest problems you have encountered in your life? In overcoming them, what talents, gifts, and ideas have you developed?
Letting go of any shoulds or musts, thinking across an average day, what activities most inspire you?
If I never had to work again and everybody adored me as I am, what would I spend my days doing to feel most fulfilled and most alive
In her article Shannon Kaiser offers 3 Unexpected Ways to Find Your Life Purpose:
Take more action – trying helps us understand what we like and what we don’t like. Clarity comes from the process of exploration;
Drop from your head to your heart – what do you love? Do more of it!
Break up with the “ONE” – we are made for more than one thing, one purpose.
We can have multiple purposes in our life in different stages of life as well. Be open to finding those activities that you get absorbed in and that flow naturally, where you lose a sense of time when you are doing them.
In Emilie Wpnick’s Ted Talk, she talks about why some people don’t have one true calling but multiple ones. She states: “If you're a specialist at heart, then by all means, specialize. That is where you'll do your best work. But to the multipotentialites in the room, including those of you who may have just realized in the last 12 minutes that you are one -- to you I say: embrace your many passions. Follow your curiosity down those rabbit holes. Explore your intersections. Embracing our inner wiring leads to a happier, more authentic life. And perhaps more importantly -- multipotentialites, the world needs us.”
Read, write, explore, be curious and listen for answers that lie within and be open to finding more than one passion and purpose in your life.
In 20 Ways to Find Your Calling, Jessica Hagy offers great reminders to find your calling
Ignore the future, deal with the present;
Shop around – try different things;
Say yes to odd opportunities;
Find a problem to solve;
Burn your plans;
Do not follow someone else’s dream;
Blend your talents;
Seek out people you actually like;
Give yourself permission to change your mind;
Ask the elderly for advice - hindsight can be foresight if we are wise enough to accept insight from the wise;
Roam a library;
Seek support, not tolerance;
Spend time before you spend money;
Don’t confuse a job with a purpose;
Consider your epitaph, not your resume;
There’s no need to be the best;
Don’t keep score;
Change course if you find yourself coasting;
Be authentically uncool;
Relax - good advise!
Purpose can be found if searched for through reflection, curiosity and inquiry. The world has changed and perhaps the most important question that we can ask ourselves, are we willing to change and live our passions and on purpose? Choose well.