A month ago, I shared a post about how we most often aren’t encouraged as kids, to ask some of our innermost questions about the world and us. Perhaps the biggest of those questions is – Why are we here? What’s our purpose?
My friend Jodi wrote me this morn, upset about a friend from her home town she’d heard had just passed by suicide. 42 yrs young, we’re hearing these stories too often. I offered my comfort, & she shared that she’s told her boss at work, that MH has to become more of a priority. When I told her I was proud of her, she responded- yeah, but unlike those of us who are talking about it, you’re actually doing something about it.
And that shook me bc…I don’t think we each realize, how much of an impact we can make, how much purpose we can derive, out of what might seem like “small” actions. So what if I have an org or social pages that address this topic. Jodi was making an impact & finding purpose by telling her boss they needed to address it more. That’s HUGE.
Purpose can be diff things to each of us. Working in sports all those yrs, I loved what I did every day. Who doesn’t have fun being a part of team building, going on playoff runs, running concerts at your venue? It felt great to wake up every morn & attack the day. Here’s the however – I’m enjoying what I do now, more than anything I ever did in sports, bc it’s filled w PURPOSE.
Fun/excitement/challenge, they’re all diff than purpose. When we can create meaning – whether out of our own struggles or the struggles of others, & go on to help ppl, THAT’s purpose. And so what might seem like a world of questions & uncertainties, becomes much clearer, when you find purpose.
Jodi’s example – & the serendipity of the timing (as I was gonna write this post before she even wrote me) is not lost on me. I think we’re made to believe that creating purpose requires us to change the world thousands of ppl at a time. It does not.
A comment on a SM thread that brightens someone’s tough day….A sharing of a story of your struggle w a friend/fam member…A hug you provide to someone who needs your strength – these are ALL examples of purpose. We can create it!
