It occurs to me that perhaps there are those who don’t live a life of intention, mainly due to lack of purpose (Lord knows that was me right after college), and not so much due to excess clutter. This is a much bigger issue than clutter itself, as a person without a self defined purpose is looking for a purpose (even if they don’t know it), and will be easily swayed by the pressures of the society, the culture we live in.
Of course this is a culture that covets material possessions, and a “bigger” lifestyle, so it’s neigh inevitable that a person without a self defined purpose will turn to a life of excess, and get a false sense of purpose in that; A sense of emotional security. But I think we know that is just filler, or a place holder, where real fulfillment should be.
For those people, I wish I had an fool proof formula for finding their purpose; I really do.
However being a person of purpose and intention myself, and knowing many others with purpose/intention, I believe I can point them in the right direction:
- Serve Others – No matter what we are driven to do, we will only get long term fulfillment out of it, if it is in the service of others. This comes from an instinctual need as we grow older to contribute to the world.
- It feels good – The actual act of carrying out our purpose must be in some way pleasurable to us, not just the result. Otherwise it will just feel like work, and in time we will burn out; then our passion for it will fade.
- We have a way to put our own signature on it – A lot of people do what we are gonna do. How are we going to do it in such a way that we can make our own personal mark.
- We are motivated to do it – We must have the internal drive, the spark that keeps us moving forward.
- We can surround ourselves with people that fuel our fire. – No matter how much we are motivated, we all need support. Keep people around that believe in our passion, and give support. Also, eject from our life those who drag us down. Get rid of all negativity keeping us from moving forward.
All these criterion must be met in order for one to have a passion worthy enough to be their life’s purpose, their intention. After that, just look to where our talents and humanity meet. We will find our purpose somewhere in that intersection.