A lot of religions talk about each human being having a higher purpose in life. This is a nice thought, and it’s pretty much impossible to prove. Do we have a purpose? Is there a purpose behind the madness life sometimes is?
I once thought I could take that which I excel at in life, and that which I don’t excel at, put it in a list, and be able to determine what my life purpose was. My list looked something like this:
- I have always excelled at reading, writing and researching, creative/artistic pursuits, and my compassion for others is the number one thing people always say about me when describing me, creativity being second. I’m also highly logical and analytical, which is sometimes a rarity in highly creative people.
- I have never excelled at anything athletic, or scientific, and I’m not really competitive at all. I suck at sales, and my memory is either really good or really bad.
So, I put these things together on a list, and decided, “Hey, I should become a lawyer – that must be my life purpose!” Lawyers read, research and write – and lawyers that work with helping low-income people or children, are really doing compassionate work.
So, I studied for the LSAT, did surprisingly well on it, and got a seat in law school. But I didn’t go. There were a lot of life circumstances of why, but another reason I didn’t go is that I read a ton of books about law school, and the “toughen up” process and the amount of competition really didn’t appeal to me on any level. Was it worth 3 years of hell to get into huge amounts of debt in order to possibly help people? Would I even have been the same person? At the end of it, would I just have needed to take any job at all in order just to pay back the debts accrued? I had also asked lawyers I knew if they were happy in their job. All of them said No. That really spoke to me. So, today, I’m not a lawyer, but a writer.
So, do you have a purpose in life, and do you know what it is? Do you yearn for something that helps others in a positive way but also leads you to have a better life? I would suggest making a similar list and really thinking about the qualities that you have that are innately you. Each of us have our own unique and special gifts, and maybe it’s those gifts that will help lead us to our ultimate goal – happiness in ourselves and in our lives, and just possibly, a way to benefit others at the same time.
No one else can tell you what your life purpose is, but I hope you never give up looking for it.
All best on your journeys,
Rose
