What Is My Life Purpose?
6 STEPS to uncovering your reason for being here.
Whether it’s the boredom of no foot traffic or a sudden mad-rush lineup of waiting customers, psychic expos are exhausting. Days later, I am still recovering from this past weekend’s event.
If I were a tennis pro (not a so-called “psychic reader”), I’d liken these “fairs” to a weekend tennis tournament: a rush to prepare (often inadequately, in my case) followed by three days of trying to get to the finals without cramping.
I wouldn’t do readings (whatsoever!) if I felt I couldn’t help people—at least somewhat.
Life isn’t easy. People are troubled. And although some habitually consult psychics as a way of passing off the mediocrity of life to some outside expert, many have genuine, pressing problems and questions.
I’d say the common denominator of far too many readings, however, is this:
What is my purpose?
(and how do I get there?)
The question itself is a MIND TRAP.
I am not calling anyone a victim. But we are all (or many of us), at some level, victims of the mind-control game called Life.
It is my job in this world—for me—to try to remove the shackles of my own trance-induced, self-limiting mind traps. If I’m able, along the way, to help another with removing his—bonus.
But to reiterate, the question—“What is my purpose?”—begins with chains and ends with handcuffs.
Life is a stage... play your part (or else)
What is my role in life? What is my cosmic contract? What did I sign up for?
The foundational belief underpinning these questions is that Life Is A Stage.
And if life is indeed a stage—by default, you are already a member of the “cast.” You have unwittingly been CAST IN A ROLE.
In childhood, it starts with, “What do you want to be when you grow up?—which is followed by far more aggressive spellbinding, which includes (but is not limited to) the following: the education system, advertising, children’s programs, media trends, video games, peer pressure... and of course, our wonderful parents and siblings.
To be cast in a ROLE in a drama is to be immediately trapped under a stockpile of paradigms.
—“Yeah, but that’s how the world works, so stop pretending you can change it!”
—Fine. Maybe it is how the world works. But don’t pretend that it diminishes the fact that this ROLE PLAYING crap is not only foundational—it is highly problematic.
Am I suggesting that if little Johnny says, “I wanna be a Girl!”—that you, as his parent, thinking he wants to bust free of the role-playing paradigm, should sign him up for hormone treatments in his teens?
Of course not!
What could be more limiting than a life sentence of screwed-up body chemistry in your twenties? Your uber-“support” of your child’s vivid imagination might be the very thing that entraps the young-adult version of your child in a prison called Fantasy Gone Off The Rails.
Well then, what is the solution to being CAST IN A ROLE?
Answer: To know that it exists—and to understand that it is EXTREMELY powerful.
If you were cast in the role of “the good wife,” like so many women of the previous century, it stands to reason that at least some of your energy was probably hijacked by June Cleaver (or worse, Carol Brady).
The modern version of femininity might be far more elaborate and complex. Which might be a good thing. But then again, mixed messaging can easily lead to mixed-up personalities.
How can you undue being CAST as a CHARACTER by society?
I’m not sure.
But being Madonna (or any celebrity)—supposedly busting holes through the taboos of womanhood—may sound good on paper, but don’t be seduced (especially by her!). Celebrities are a VERY BIZARRE subset of society. And emulating celebrities is a modern social ill.
You don’t BECOME your purpose.
Before you get depressed that you might actually need to do some work (even though you do), it is not as simple as asking an outside know-it-all (say, a “psychic”) what your life purpose is…And Shazam!—You’re it!
BECOMING “your purpose” is not only unrealistic—it is truly the wrong way to look at things.
A “psychic” or “image consultant” can tell you: “Your purpose is to be a modern-day Buddha.” But shaving your head, gaining a ton of weight, and going topless isn’t Buddha.
Being Buddha means you ARE Buddha—and you’re not.
You’re YOU.
—Which is the place from which you begin:
“Purpose-finding” Step 1: Don’t go changing
I’m thinking of writing an article with the working title Esoteric Julie Andrews, but here’s a preview: “Let’s start at the very beginning... A very good place to start.”
The first step starts with YOU.
It MUST always start with you and, most importantly—EXACTLY where you find yourself NOW.
And if you think YOU are the problem? Think again. You are the one and only SOLUTION. So…
Where I am NOW is where I start.
If you don’t like yourself, OK, but you’ll need to start seriously cutting yourself some slack. You are NOT your diagnosis. You are NOT the put-downs your teachers or parents pinned on your chest. You are NOT your so-called inadequacies. And you WILL NOT find yourself by running somewhere far away to FIND YOURSELF.
SCIENTIFICALLY SPEAKING, you are not even the thing you see staring back at yourself in the mirror. If you zoom in to beyond-the-microscopic parts of yourself, you will find a whole lot of NOTHING and a ton of EVERYTHING ELSE (the EVERYTHING that is the stuff of all of reality).
Start telling that person you see in the mirror (which isn’t really you): Not bad! Good job at navigating this week’s swamp! Send yourself timed text messages (apparently it’s possible) like: Ha!... Still at it?! Good for you. Take a deep breath and smile.
In other words, the first essential step is undoing—through new habits that write over old habits—the destructive, self-limiting characterizations that Life has saddled you with thus far.
Your so-called purpose starts NOW (not in the past trying to fix something).
“Purpose-finding” Step 2: Meditate (every day)
I don’t know how to put it any other way. Something special happens when you practice regular meditation. There are lots of books and videos and courses. Find a way to calm your mind and involve your heart.
“Purpose-finding” Step 3: Ask for directions
In your meditation (or by FEELING with your eyes closed)—ask, evoke, and sense that you have (with more on the way) directions. Directions, clues, and guidance moving forward.
“Purpose-finding” Step 4: Do the things you enjoy
Your purpose will never be something that somebody else loves doing. Why should you expect to become a world-class chef if you hate cooking?
Your purpose isn’t OUT THERE.
If you can’t start doing more of the things that you ENJOY but are trying to will yourself to (somehow?) start enjoying the things you hate (or the things you have no interest in)—you might as well forget the whole thing and see what’s on TV.
“Purpose-finding” Step 5: The solution is a PROCESS, not a result
The way this works, in my opinion (check other sources, please!), is that you continue doing the many things you enjoy doing—and start doing them even more.
It’s not about BECOMING your purpose. It’s about DOING your purpose. And doing MORE OF IT.
“Purpose-finding” Step 6: Don’t label yourself with “My Purpose Is...”
During the process of doing your purpose, resist the temptation to look at yourself and label yourself. If others want to call you a Painter, a Shoemaker, or a Spiritual Guru, or a Whatever, let them. But ignore it anyway.
...Defining ourselves is how we got here in the first place!
