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By: Jeff Singh
FINDING PURPOSE THROUGH EVERYDAY LIFE! How can we live with authentic purpose through our everyday lives?
Well, first let’ s examine the popularized notions of purpose.
There is this persistence from society that our purpose has to be something grand, that we have to do something grand and achieve something grand- to be considered a success in some way or another.
This system sets us up to constantly compare our lives with others and see how we measure up. We compare ourselves to friends, heroes, leaders, rock-stars, and celebrities.
But this constant comparison and trying to measure up just breeds an inward insecurity because we think our life is just not what it could be. And how come we don’ t get all that applause?
It is from this root insecurity we set out to find, what our family and society could possibly want from us? How can we fit in? How can
we be accepted, and appreciated?
From notions of what is admired, we formulate what we should do and become in the world and strive desperately to live up to that dream life.
We read countless selfhelp, productivity, and manifestation books encouraging us,‘ you can be anything you want to
be, so visualize what you want and work like crazy to chase your dream.’
We feel, if we can just do something great, become something great, have money and fame,
than perhaps finally, our family, friends and society would accept and love us.
Ultimately isn’ t it just a mad chase for acceptance and love?
Now, even if we do achieve some success, gain some accolades of respect, and appreciation, are we ever satisfied?
Just know there is no small purpose and there is no small relationship. In fact sometimes it’ s the simplest actions, honoring body and home, fully being with loved ones, connecting with friends and collaborators that create the greatest ripple effects we may not even be aware of. It’ s like the old adage says,“ wherever you go, there you are”- just with new clothes and new paint on the walls.
Yet underneath the new clothes and walls, that
shadow of insecurity seems to follow us relentlessly.
There seems to be an ever-nagging feeling that we need to be more than what we already are. So it becomes a life-long chase for fulfillment through new careers, new friends, new styles, rituals, or even new religions.
What’ s the loophole out of this madness, man!?
Get Present to Your Life Through all this dream chasing, we’ ve found a clever way to escape our lives, to get lost in building some grand future design.
But what happens when we fall back into our lives?
It’ s like traveling for a while and returning home- only to find all kinds of things that need to be addressed.
Things need to get organized, plants need some water, the pets need to be fed, and relationships need some love.
Perhaps these things always need to be taken care of; except now in a
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new light of awareness, they take on a new urgency.
Certainly you could sit back and visualize how things should be or plan a strategy for accomplishing these tasks.
But radical action begins through that present moment awareness.
At that point, you’ re not doing things for what you could become out of it. Your awareness simply sees a need and demands action.
Action Follows Awareness When you become aware of what your life and world needs, your focus shifts and actions follow naturally.
For example, if you’ ve felt the benefit of movement and exercise in your life, you’ re naturally acclimated to take those walks and make time for daily practice.
If you’ ve read about the impact of your purchases on your health and the environment, you naturally become more conscious about your purchases.
If you’ ve seen the need for sustainability efforts, you naturally find ways to make your own life and home more sustainable and environmentally friendly.
If you’ ve felt the need
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for equality and social justice in this world, you naturally express equality through your own relationships and social outreach.
A Greater Purpose Now, think of the people we consider truly great- the everyday heroes and legendary heroes.
Does a fireman think about the medals and honors when the moment demands jumping into a fire to save lives?
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Was Buddha, Jesus, Joan of Arc, Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr. or any of these icons sitting around thinking how they could be great? Were they seeking approval from family or society?
No; they simply saw that life did not match what they knew to be true. They saw a need and what needed to be done. Their clarity of awareness, required of them, radical action.
That authentic action, that purpose, which leads to true fulfillment- well, that has nothing to do with what we should be, or what we want out of life. It has everything to do with what the world needs from us.
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The Big Secret The big secret is you are already grand by design, just like everyone else. So the real question is how can you bring your inherent grandness into your life, relationships, and the world?
When your awareness shifts to being of service to your life and the world, your natural intelligence, talents, and skills are called into action.
So how about we rest trying to prove our grandness, trying to control the world into meeting our grand plans; how about we come back into our present life.
Look and listen … what does your world, your circumstance need right now?
Just know there is no small purpose and there is no small relationship. In fact sometimes it’ s the simplest actions, honoring body and home, fully being with loved ones, connecting with friends and collaborators that create the greatest ripple effects we may not even be aware of.
Guess what, these everyday actions naturally build, extend, and express a life worth living.
Without any fanfare, that’ s how grand purpose is found, every day.
Jeff Singh writes and creates through AwakeFree. com to inspire insights for personal, social, and global change. Subscribe at AwakeFree. com for more articles, videos, and books on awakened living.
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