The question of purpose...
We may think about purpose in relation to our jobs, but so much of our true purpose is something that we are doing on the periphery of our 9-5. I don’t believe we all came here with one purpose only. I believe we came here with many, many purposes.
So, how do we know our purposes, or find our purpose?
Your purposes can change over time. A new purpose can also become apparent as we end one chapter of our lives, and begin another. Sometimes there’s a thread, a calling, that carries all the way through from when we were little that draws us to one of our purposes.
So, what exactly is purpose?
For me, the answer to the question of purpose, is twofold. There is the calling within myself that feels like an overarching storyline arc, or perhaps a few different arcs... those things that I am here to do, that I am called to do. Those things that feel bigger than this moment and part of my whole reason for being.
And then, there are the agreements or contracts that I made before coming into human form, that I am continually fulfilling along the way, knowingly or unknowingly. Those are also very much a part of my purpose... to honor my agreements. That's my job... all of that, is my job here.
Searching for a fully aligned life
For a long time, I searched and searched, wanting my purpose, to be my job. In other words, I wanted my career to be fully aligned with my purpose, that arc of my entire storyline kind of purpose.
That sounds amazing right?
The only thing was I had to understand what my purpose was first. So how do you find that thing you are meant to do? And if life has shifted and changed, and you find that you are out of alignment with the things that you had been doing, how do you find your newly aligned purpose?
Led by passion
Well, I believe it has a lot to do with passion. If you follow the threads of things that light you up, of things that excite you, you are heading in the right direction of, and beginning to fall into alignment with, your overarching purpose.
Think of it another way. The exact opposite way... have you ever had a job in your life, that you hated? Not because of the people you worked with, but because of the actual job. Something that, in the doing of it, time seemed to slow, and you thought it would never end... I don’t mean doing the dishes, or taking out the trash. I mean a job you had that felt like it wasn’t a good fit at all. This is what it feels like to be out of alignment with your purpose.
So what if you consider the opposite to be true? What if you thought about things that you were passionate about. What if you consider that THAT is you being in full alignment with your purpose?
We are each born with a unique set of gifts, a unique set of likes and dislikes, we are energetically attuned to love some things, and have no interest in others... and if we looked at them all as clues, or points of navigation, we would find our way naturally to living our purpose.
Try this exercise...
Take a moment and write down 5-10 things you are inspired by, that light you up, that you feel magnetized to. Do this before reading any more...
Now, look at your list. This list is probably not a list of your purposes... but, consider that this list is a navigational tool, or an emotional barometer, for being in full alignment with who you really are... where you are drawn, choices you want to make. Being in full alignment with your purpose here on earth at this time.
I truly believe that everything in life is cyclical, and that our passions are no exception to this. They have a way of pointing us in the direction of our various purposes over the course of our lifetimes. We may give something more focus at certain times during our lives, and less during others. An event or an image that we see might spark our interest again in an old passion. Pay attention to those things and those times because that is a sign that that particular cycle is coming around again.
On the other side of pain
I also believe that these passions that we have in life, and our pulls to purpose, are so strong for another very particular reason. They are the thing that is placed on the other side of life‘s roadblocks. So when you feel a creative block has settled in, but your pull to be creative is so strong, you will do anything to find your way to the other side of that block.
Sometimes it is the pain of being without that passion, that moves us in the direction of healing and growth.
Without a reason for that healing and growth, we would stay exactly where we are. There’s no reason for me to be uncomfortable, if on the other side of that discomfort isn’t a reward of some kind. We are, after-all, very reward-based creatures.
So if dealing with my pain means that I can be at peace when I’m done, then I will grudgingly, deal with my pain. If dealing with my block, means that I will be in full alignment with my passion, and I can experience joy, then I will tackle my block. But either the pain or the reward must be large enough for me to want to change, or grow, or heal.
Follow your passion and your pain
It just makes sense, that when we follow our passions, or what lights us up, the place we want to go, that we are drawn to, the flow we wish to be in… it naturally leads us in the direction of exactly what we are here to do.
Conversely, walking through, rather than in the opposite direction of, the painful parts of our lives that need healing is one of the surest ways to move toward our purpose. On the other side of our pain, is an open road and a clarity about who we are and why we had to go through whatever it was that we went through.
This kind of healing leaves us with the knowing that fear isn't in charge or our decisions, and an inner knowing of what to do next in this area of our lives.
Our innate need for comfort
Humans want more than anything else to be comfortable. Comfort, or the lack of it, I believe is one of our biggest reasons, if not the biggest reason for us doing or not doing anything in our lives.
You see it isn’t a bad thing for us to want to be comfortable. It is built into the design of who we are. I believe it is this inclination in us, that will propel us to move mountains, to shift the very fabric of our existence, and finally change in the ways that we could only dream about. You see, our purpose isn’t always fun. It certainly isn’t always easy. But we are pulled to it, magnetized to it, it is ours in such an intimate way, so that when we find it, it feels like coming home.
If you're ready to walk through some of your pain, I'd be honored to walk beside you. You can book your session with me here.
Angela Hed Vincent (she/her), owner of True You Tapping, is an EFT Master and Energy Medicine Practitioner for people at their emotional and spiritual breaking point.
She helps her clients honor and release the emotional traumas of their past, using their biggest challenges as catalysts for transformation, so they can more fully embody the truth of who they are, even in they don't truly know the cause of their issue.
Angela introduces something new to the world of healing and transformation. She has developed a unique approach to burnout recovery and intuitive development, and continues to create innovative programs to help people find their balance in various aspects of life.