The Search For Life Purpose

"You do not belong to you. You belong to the universe."n~ Buckminster Fuller

I've been finding myself in frequent conversations on the topic of life purpose, so it seems timely to address the subject here.

Every one is looking for their purpose. Must have a purpose! A story I often hear from motivational speakers is the story of Alice in Wonderland and Cheshire Cat. Alice stands at a crossroads and asks the cat which path she should take. He asks "Where are you going?" She says she doesn't know. "Well then, it doesn't really matter which path you take."

This story is cited as an example of why you need to know where you're going. I have a different take. It doesn't really matter! You don't have to know where you're going at the start of your journey. Your life has its purpose, and you'll figure it out along the way. The act of finding intermediary goals and getting into action will put you on the path of your larger purpose.

The only thing more painful than not knowing your life purpose is beating your self up for not knowing your life purpose.
Here's what I think:
This is your only job in life: be happy. If you can learn to be happy, then you will be a model and a teacher for others to be happy. And they will be models and teachers for others to be happy. If we could all be Buddhas for happiness and fulfillment, imagine the possibilities for the world. It doesn't really matter if you get an MBA or paint flower pots. Where is your joy? That is your purpose.

Goals and accomplishments are important. They give our lives direction, support us in our happiness. Like a finger that points to the moon but isn’t the moon itself, our goals point to something bigger: our desire to be fully realized, loved, valued, happy beings. The big cheese.

Here’s my challenge to you:
Ask yourself what do you desire? What would it take for you to be fully happy?

Notice what naysayer thoughts pop into your head when you think about getting your dreams fulfilled. We'll call those thoughts your demons. Things to know about demons:
* Your demons show up when you care about something, so their presence can be a good clue that you're on the right track.
* Demons represent a point of view, not THE TRUTH.
* If what they say doesn't empower you, say "Thank you for sharing." (Then give your demon a pat on the head and some apple juice and graham crackers--quiets them down. Sit him in a corner. Go back to your life. Repeat as necessary.)

Get back to what you love. Pursue goals. Pay attention to clues from the universe. That's how you live on purpose.