We all have the question run through our minds at some point in our lives. What am I doing here!? What is the purpose of my existence and what is my purpose in life? We often feel disconnected or even annoyingly idle in our lives if we don’t feel some deep meaning or purpose. Or if we aren’t on track with our higher calling or purpose. I can tell you that I am no stranger to this feeling. I often scream to myself sometimes, ‘WHAT AM I DOING HERE!?’. Almost as if the universe or God is going to give me a straight answer. And I never got one until recently.
Lately I have been watching a lot of TEDtalks and I stumbled upon one where Rick Warren, the author of The purpose driven life, and in his book as well as his lecture on the TEDtalk: A life of purpose, he talks about our need for a purpose in this life. We think to ourselves ‘There’s got to be more than life to this.’ and how our lives matter. We matter to the world, the Universe, and God. Even if we don’t feel like it most of the time. We matter. I know all kinds of people all over the world and they’re all unhappy with their jobs, relationships, financial situations, etc.. And I’m not saying that once you find your purpose that’s all going to disappear, because it won’t. Even people who are living their purpose in life have stress. It just comes with the territory, accept it and move on. Everyone thinks that we as humans are wired to consume, and acquire. And of course we’re constantly inundated by the media and television ads saying we need more. BUY MORE! A new t.v. will fix it all! But at the end of all that consuming and buying, are we really happier? Or do you feel buyer’s remorse and torture yourself over buying and acquiring a bunch of useless shit that, let’s face it, probably didn’t do much to improve your well-being or quality of life? My guess is the latter. I know because I am just as guilty of it as the next person. I want to look good, feel good and have the goods. But I still don’t need any of that stuff. And it only serves as a distraction from the question of ‘What am I doing here!?’ We are not wired to consume and acquire. If that were the case, the people with all the money in the world would be the happiest people on the planet, but they’re not. Money can’t buy you happiness. That’s why you continue to buy more even though you know it won’t help. We are wired to serve. And I don’t mean that some of us are wired to be slaves or anything like that. We are here to contribute to the planet! We are here to serve the greatest good possible. By this, I don’t mean that you don’t matter individually either. Quite the opposite actually. The greatest contribution you can give, and truly, your one obligation on this planet is to be the unique individual you were created to be.
You may be thinking, what’s so special about me? I’m no different from most people. I have nothing special or unique about me. But that’s not true. In this TEDtalk Rick Warren talks about how God asked Moses in the Bible, “What’s in your hand?”. In Moses’ hand was a staff. A Shepard’s staff. And God told him “Lay it down.” And in the movie version the staff turns into a snake. And with that staff Moses performed the miracles in Egypt. That staff just wasn’t some talisman for Moses to do tricks with. God has better things to do than to go around showing how powerful he is by causing parlor tricks. Moses’ staff was a symbol of his identity, income, and influence. When God asked “What’s in your hand?”, he already knew the answer. He was saying I’m going to take who you are, what you are good at, what makes you, uniquely you, and ask you to lay it down so that I can make it come alive.
Every one of us is wired from the time we are born to do something. If you are a carver, you carve. If you’re good at making deals, make deals. If you inspire people, inspire people. If you’re a singer, you sing. If you’re wired to be a scientist, you’re a scientist. There is something you are good at that makes you who you are. It’s your identity. It jazzes you up! And to answer a possible next question as to what your gift might be, it’s something you enjoy doing because you enjoy it. It’s not something you use to glorify yourself or further yourself to acquire more. It’s what makes you feel happy and alive. What serves the higher purpose. What drives you. If you think your gift is helping others for instance, and you do it for a while and then get upset because no one is thanking you or acknowledging you in all your helpful glory; helping others is not your gift. You’re looking for affirmation, not helping others. If helping others is your gift you will do it, just to do it, without any expectation.
So what’s in your hand? What makes you jazzed up on the inside? What is it that makes your color blend so beautifully with the tapestry of the world, that without it, the tapestry just isn’t the same? Whatever it is, lay it down. Use it for the greater good of all. That’s how the world works, by the way. Many leaves, one tree. What you do and who you are makes the world a better place and without it, it just wouldn’t work the same way. All of our singular uniqueness contributes to the whole. And don’t you know that when you do what you are wired to do, the Universe and God smile and say ‘That’s my Girl! or That’s my Boy!’ You don’t have to be doing something spiritual to make God happy. God is happy when you be YOU! When you are doing what you were born to do. If you have many talents, use them all! But I guarantee that there is something you do that makes you who you are. So lay it down and watch it come alive.
I feel like when we do this we find more meaning and significance in our lives. The stress doesn’t seem so bad and things just sort of fall into place. And we lose our way in this world sometimes because we are being programmed to not follow what makes us unique. Instead of appreciating the different we view it as dangerous and something to be feared. That we aren’t important because we are apart of the whole. But it’s the variable of each of us that makes this equation work. What would the world be like without you? A great lesson from It’s A Wonderful Life! It just wouldn’t be the same! We also tend to notice our loneliness and disconnectedness from the whole when we feel no great purpose or significance in our lives. So we engulf ourselves in another person hoping that will give us purpose and we won’t feel so alone. Well darlings, I have news for you, if you aren’t being you, you will always feel lost and alone, no matter who you engulf yourself in. It’s yet another extreme to acquire when you get into a relationship trying to find meaning. Because yet again, we are told that if you are married and have children you’ll be happy and have meaning. I’m not going to lie, my daughter is a big part of my purpose in life. I am good at being a Mom. Not all the time, but I do it because it makes me feel good to be her Mom. But losing yourself in another individual is just going to further you away from your purpose or what’s in your hand. It’s another distraction from what you’re supposed to be doing. That’s why people become idle and cheat. What makes you who you are also helps you not be dependant or co-dependant on others for your happiness. For some it’s a fine existence. I’m not knocking those who participate in it. The same thing, day in and day out. Same routine. It works for some people. But you wouldn’t be on my blog about what’s your purpose in life, if you were content with just existing. You’re asking yourself ‘WHAT AM I DOING HERE!?’. And again, the answer isn’t in buying more shit, acquiring a hot girlfriend, or getting all the money you can get your hands on. It’s what’s in your hand. What your wired to do. And when we get into these dependant or co-dependant relationships, we tend to neglect what makes us unique and what makes us come alive. We all do it. You get into a relationship, and you stop going to the gym, stop cutting your hair, eating unhealthy, drinking, becoming reclusive, etc.. The point is all of this happens because you aren’t fulfilling your higher calling or purpose. You no longer make time to do what makes you come alive because you are too engulfed in the thrill of another person. But then it starts to fade and get boring and you wonder why all of a sudden there’s no more romance, you’re getting fat, and you feel bored and frustrated. Because you are not fulfilling your purpose. You are not being you. You are attached at the hip to another person and can’t even remember, if you ever knew at all, how to be happy and do things that make you happy on your own. If you look for meaning in another person or thing, you will not find it. All you’ll find is another distraction from what’s really wrong. If you are being you and doing what makes you come alive, you are more likely to find another person who is being who they are and doing what makes them come alive. You have purpose on your own, you are happy on your own, and the same goes for them. You will be two equally independent people, who, when brought together make an even better couple, but are still amazing on their own.
You want meaning in your life? You want to know what you are doing here? The answer is in your hand. What is in your hand? What can you do with what’s in your hand? If you’re a basketball player there is a basketball in your hand. With that, come a lot of money, power, respect and influence. What will you use those things for? To buy more needless shit that you’ll regret later? Or use it to improve the quality of the life on this planet. Even if it means being as miniscule as only helping those less fortunate than yourself. Lay it down, so it can come alive. Don’t use it for selfishness, use it to contribute what you were uniquely born to contribute to this world. I guarantee you’ll know your purpose immediately. Because you will feel so happy by doing it, that you’ll want to do it all the time. What’s in your hand?
mylifewithzoe 