So I am going to try to take a slice at this and see what
flies, mixing metaphors along the way.
What is our purpose? I am going
to side step the age old question about all of humanity and focus on just one
person – you. Well, actually you are
going to focus on you, I’m going to focus on me, but the process is the same.
We all have a purpose.
An individual, specialized, specific purpose for ourselves and only
ourselves. In a general sense, we all
have the same purpose, but I’m focusing more on what we have to do as
work. As a Catholic, I understand our
universal purpose is to seek God in all things and live for our eternal life,
not for our earthly life. But how do we
do that? That is where it is unique to
ourselves.
I believe that something is happiest when it is used for the
purpose it was intended. So a hammer
would be happiest hammering nails, not scribbling a shopping list. Well,
that’s dumb. Hammers don’t have
feelings. OK, consider this: would an accountant be fulfilled laying
bricks? If he were a true accountant
(like if it was some celestial designation) he would not. He would be fulfilled ticking and tying numbers. But if he was fulfilled laying bricks, then he
is actually a bricklayer in disguise as an accountant. Why he would, I have no idea!
I had this sort of a realization late last year. I am an actuary, but I am not fulfilled as an
actuary. Ergo, I’m not an actuary. I only play one on TV. Well in real life. Fortunately for me, I had glimpses of fulfillment while doing other “stuff” that people call hobbies. I wake up early and I work on my novel. I write music from tunes in my head. If left to my own devices, I would not wonder
about the actuarial soundness of the social security system (or its ilk), but
rather doodle on paper. I see things
that aren’t there. I know untold
stories. I hear unplayed music. And I want to bring it to life.
I think that is another part of purpose. What is its natural inclination? Back to the hammer: a hammer looks like it is
meant to pummel something. But hammers are dumb. Yeah, yeah, OK I get it. Back to the accountant: what would be the
natural inclination of an accountant? I
wouldn’t know ‘cause I ain’t one. But I
would surmise that they would wonder about systematic cataloging of financial
data into some meaningful format. Maybe
do taxes. Play with a calculator and
figure out financial pot holes. I’m
spit-ballin’ here, but you get the point.
Think about your work, whatever that might be. Whether it is a salesman, a corporate
executive, karate instructor, teacher, stay at home mom, student, retired –
just whatever. Think about what that
“job” does (even if you don’t get paid monetarily). If left to your own devices, would you do
that? Would you want to do that if you
didn’t have to?
To answer is deceptively hard. One problem is that we have been conditioned
from years of doing that thing, whatever it is, that we are that thing. We haven’t thought about anything else. Secondly, for most of us, we answer the
question of what we would do if left to our own devices with some form of
leisure. I can’t get paid for watchin’ ESPN.
I’m guessing that you haven’t found your purpose yet. I really feel that for each of us, there is a
deep down flame that can burn into an inferno in our lives when we live that
purpose. You’ll know when you’ve found
it.
And purpose doesn’t have to be tied to a type of work – it
could be the motivation for work. Some
people genuinely couldn’t care less about what they do, but want to give the
best life for their children. That’s
purpose.
If we don’t know our purpose, it is a hard journey to find
it. The easiest way that I know to find
even a clue is to look back at your childhood.
That’s where I found the clues about writing. I loved making stories about my Lego
people. Epic stories of the grandest
proportions. And I could do that all day
as a kid. Now if I did it, people would
think that I was nuts!
Parting picture: who better to fix a contraption than its
inventor? And who would work the hardest
to fix the contraption than its inventor?
The Creator made you and wants you fulfilled. If something is not right, ask Him to fix
it. Because He, more than anyone (including
you), wants you to be fulfilled.
God bless,
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