“If you can’t figure out your purpose, figure out your passion. For your passion will lead you right into your purpose.” – T.D. Jakes***
I once knew an older woman, Etta, who was under my committee leadership, and who was trying to discover her gifts and what she wanted to do in church. It was challenging for me as a young woman in my late 20’s, respecting Etta but watching her try to find a satisfying area of service. She was a kind, attractive, married woman with grown children; definitely someone who was my senior, yet I was responsible for guiding her through ministry and placement. Every time we spoke, she was trying another area of ministry. Other ministry leaders tired of her ministry hopping, and few, if any took her intent seriously but I felt it necessary to let her explore, in the hopes that she would discover her gifts and discern her passion. Many of the attempted areas of service proved not to be her forté. After about seven years of exploration I think she found her niche. I didn’t get to speak with her as often or as in depth then as I previously had but she seemed happy and had finally maintained a long term commitment to an area of ministry. She had begun working in an area where she came in contact with a variety of people, in different settings and could volunteer for special events while doing what she did best… encouraging and inspiring others. I was thrilled for her!
For many, if not most people, finding our purpose in life is not obvious but it is an essential need that we all possess. Unfortunately, everyday life has a way of distracting and derailing us from our life’s goals and intentions, making it even harder to clearly contemplate and define our purpose in life. Sometimes we stumble into it, sometimes we run straight towards it and sometimes we question it. Wondering what it is and whether it is attainable is a start. Ultimately we need to begin moving in the right direction lest we begin to exasperate others and undermine ourselves because we’re doing deep dives in shallow waters every day… like Etta was doing initially.
What Does it Mean to Have Purpose?
Purpose is doing something that is more stable and far-reaching than your typical day to day activities. It has an external aspect that involves reaching beyond self and involves progress, achievement and/or completion.
With Baby Boomers transitioning to retirement in record numbers and embarking on the second half of their lives, the pursuit of purpose has become an even greater topic of compelling relevance. It is therefore quite possible that we should expect to see leisurely retirement turn into meaningful retirement.
Benefits of Purpose
When we have purpose, we are more likely to become less focused on ourselves and our own issues. We feel a part of something bigger, and being less focused on ourselves makes us less likely to struggle with becoming worried or full of anxiety. Our problems seem less significant, and we spend less time thinking about them. We therefore find our sense of well-being increases.
Purpose can also help to increase our self-esteem. Knowing that we have a goal and are working through strategies and methods to get closer to that goal gives us a sense of accomplishment. This leads to an increased sense of competence and achievement and ultimately an enhanced ability to deal with future challenges. That gives us hope.
A study entitled “Well-Being Assessment: An Evaluation of Well-Being Scales for Public Health and Population Estimates of Well-Being among US Adults,” was published in 2010 in Applied Psychology and found that individuals with high levels of purpose, a sense of control and a feeling that what one does is worthwhile—tend to live longer. Other researchers found that this feeling of well-being, also referred to as eudemonic well-being, might also be defensive in health maintenance. It can also help you live longer according to a study published on May 24, 2019 in JAMA Network Open.
A 2016 study published in the Journal of Research and Personality also found that individuals with a sense of purpose tend to make more money than those who feel their work lacks meaning.
How to Find Your Purpose
The most profound suggestion I have ever heard for figuring out one’s purpose is to think about what makes you angry. To further contemplate your purpose, consider what gets you going?
- What makes you want to spring into action?
- What need do you feel compelled to fill?
- What makes you feel accomplished after you’ve done it?
These are preliminary questions to ponder as you try to figure out what you need to be doing on a regular basis as opposed to what you are doing or even what you think you want to be doing. The three are not necessarily the same thing. Bear in mind that when we lack that sense of well-being, we won’t really be satisfied until we are doing what we most need to be doing.
Why This Subject?
I am writing this for you, because you need to know whether you are living and producing at an optimal level to bring benefit to someone other than yourself. I did not use the word altruistic in this post because we’ve already established that to be living out our purpose, one of the criteria is that what we are doing benefits someone other than ourselves. I have spent so many years serving others through ministry and ministries at church that I have often felt very fulfilled. Covid lock downs and the onslaught of virtual living caused many, including myself, to have less and less involvement in any altruistic outreach due to limited contact with those outside the home, and the church universal’s inability to operate as they have in the past. I therefore have been forced to think about what I have been doing and what I am doing then ask myself the question, “Am I living out my purpose?”
I most definitely felt, at one point, that I was living out “a” purpose, but am I now living out “the” purpose, for which I am here to carry out? Since I’m asking myself the question, I am taking the liberty of prompting you with the same question so we can move in the right direction together. When we are serving in leadership roles but feeling a lack of purpose, it could be a disaster for those people we are trying to lead. Why? Because we may take our frustrations and anxieties out on them. That sense of well-being that comes from the pursuit of purpose, can lead to sound, leadership excellence as we apply our leadership skills in the amended area of our divine purpose. We might even discover that we need not be in a leadership role… although good leaders will eventually find themselves back in leadership.
Closing Thoughts
I’ve given you food for thought. I’ve actually given myself food for thought as well (LOL). Here’s a final tidbit that I picked up…
According to research, our sense of purpose actually changes as we move through different stages of life. Purpose is not a destination. It is a passage and a practice. It’s a journey. That means it’s accessible at any age. We just have to be willing to explore what matters to us and what kind of person we would like to be – then doing what it takes to become that person in that pursuit. If we can sort it all out and set proper goals our aim will become a little straighter. Why? Tony Robbins answers this best: “Activity without purpose is the drain of your life.”