It gets harder and harder to identify the moment when the idea of individual purpose appeared in the mind. Throughout youth I kind of floated through school with no deep and convicted idea of why I wanted to do much of anything (other than the basic idea that it sounded fun). Fearfully, this seems to be true of a lot of kids.
I went to college because that is what you were supposed to do after high school. That was the basic arithmetic. Not much else to it. Going through college, there was no clear sense of why a particular class mattered. What was the end game other than having to fulfill the required credit load to graduate? I went to college to graduate and get a degree because that is what you do. Then you get a good job because a good job is what you get with a college degree. How many kids are currently doing things only because that is what they have been instructed to do?
Thank goodness for student activities. Stumbling into active involvement with multiple student organizations, I think, helped me begin to think more critically about the future and what I should be doing with it. Finding my purpose became a full blown must have thanks to one of thee most watched TED talks of all time. Simon Sinek and his "Golden Circle" was an absolute revelation to me. We need to focus considerably less on what we do (and how we do it) and focus more on why we do what we do. If you can express why you do what you do, that is an absolute blessing that will provide concise meaning to your life.
Crafting a "Why Statement" is something I can say I have done thanks to Simon's methods.
"To curate moments of wonder and growth so that people realize their world is a more magical place"
That is my Why Statement and I love it. I teach the Sinek methods, which led me to this statement, to others if they want to hear about them. What is discovered sometimes is that people go through this with less enthusiasm than I did. There have also been articles, blog posts, and podcasts that argue that finding your purpose is overrated and can be detrimental to one's success.
Such things sounded sacrilegious. How could this be? Upon listening and reading further. What I can glean is that too many people have thought that being able to articulate your why, your purpose, mission, etc etc. will allow them to "arrive" and become a success. When they discover that that is not the case, they have been let down terribly.
So is finding one's purpose overrated? The clear line of distinction is if you view this journey as finding a magical destination or not. If you think you will "arrive" at "easy street" by being able to articulate your why, you have missed the mark. Life is not about reaching a finite destination. It's about going down an infinite road. Going down a road that makes the journey very enjoyable. We stay on that road thanks to our Why statement/purpose/mission statement etc. It isn't a destination, it's a compass. So no. Finding one's purpose is not overrated. It is sometimes misunderstood. It has been absolutely worthwhile finding my compass. It doesn't make things easier overnight, but it lets me know if I am going down the path that is right for me and it reminds me if I have strayed. That is like magic. I wish I would have discovered this sooner in life, but I'm glad I discovered it at all. Some people well into their 90s never have and there are too many kids who don't have a clue where to begin. If we can help them, and anyone of any age, for that matter, start searching for this compass sooner than later, then I think that is a days work well spent.
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