Can you imagine a world where everyone just gets it?
Where everyone just gets everyone else? Where everyone.. even gets themselves! Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Let’s not get too carried away here. I got rid of my Dashiki and suede fringe vest a while ago (just kidding, I’m still waiting for someone to buy them from me on ebay) but that doesn’t mean this isn’t a topic worth discussing.
Purpose. It’s what everybody wants to talk about. Purpose. It’s (apparently) what everyone is looking for. But I have one question: Why? Let’s be honest, this life and this world is pretty surreal. If we haven’t figured out the meaning of it when we were drawing on caves, we probably won’t figure it out now.
Some people feel like they’ve been gifted with a purpose, others feel like God or the Universe forgot to give them a call, or write a letter or send an SMS.
There is no particular formula to life, other than the obviously biological one that we are all well versed in: Eat, meet, procreate. “But, wait!,” your passionate mind declares. “There’s got to be more to life than just.. that.” And I couldn’t agree more but have you ever noticed that the people that are constantly looking for their purpose, happen to be the ones that are the most lost? The most confused. The most indecisive. Yes, I know, this is where you throw your pillow that has JRR Tolkien’s quote on it that reads, “Not all those who wander are lost.” But are you sure?
I am all for exploration (of the world and self) but here’s the thing, how much exploration can you possibly do, before you actually tire of it? Why can’t we make things simpler for ourselves? It seems like us humans have grown bored of trying to answer the same archaic questions: “Why are we here? How did we get here? Does God exist? If so, is he a man, woman, or an it?”
We are blessed that when it comes to our reality, we have an array of choices to pick from. But these options also easily leave us paralyzed. You don’t have to like, or do, or pick, just one thing that you feel is ‘right’ for you. No one has it all figured out and most people who talk about their life, or their work, with passion, have just picked something they (really) liked and ran with it. Even if they look liked they’ve got it all figured out, like you, they are still probably asking themselves the same questions you are. Even they don’t know why we’re here or how we got here but I come to you today to deliver a message of hope!
If you’re still trying to figure it out, figure yourself out, that’s okay.
Of course, not all those who wander are lost but you can wander forever and just as easily lose yourself.
Despite society’s desperate desire to want to compartmentalize everything and everyone, you don’t have to build your entire life around one concept, one idea, one topic. There are ways to throw everything you like into the blender of life and come up with something that genuinely pleases you. It’s okay to assign yourself a purpose. It’s okay if the thought doesn’t come as a grand epiphany. Not all decisions can be driven by mass moments of revelation. Sometimes, we just need to decide.
Imagine the life of an architect. Not every tree can be moved and you can’t build on top of buildings that aren’t your own. Go around the tree and create your design, in conjunction with the stuff that’s already there.
Life is like a smoothie. Not everyone will know how to make it the way you want it and not even you will know how you like it until you try to figure it out.
While you’re searching, wondering, planning or guessing, just remember, life is here with you, right now in this very moment. It hasn’t come and gone. It’s not 100 steps ahead or reading a self-help book in a waiting room and tapping it’s foot impatiently. Life is here. So go and live it.
