I see it often written, quoted, taught, preached that we must find our purpose. As the result of being shown a different perspective I’ve concluded that my mission isn’t to find my purpose. My mission is to FEEL on purpose.
The wording differences may seem subtle however the outcome for me has been hugely impactful. This idea of feeling on purpose vs. trying to find my purpose came in as a download while I was huddled away in a hotel bathroom praying for Divine inspiration for a presentation I was about to do at a friends’ event.
I had been asked to speak on the topic of purpose and my presentation was going to start with the following quote.
“Where talents and the needs of the world cross, therein lies your vocation.”
Aristotle (384 – 322 BC)
However right there in the bathroom stall the inspired thought came in that I was to loosely translate that quote to better suit my message.
“Where your gifts and a need in the world cross, therein lies your purpose.”
Monique (1958 – AC)
This new slant on an old quote caused me to realize that there had been many times in my life where one of my gifts had been coupled with a need and that in the experience of that combination I had felt completely on purpose. That activity was not what I was doing anymore however I did recall that I had felt on purpose at that time. I then remembered an earlier time in my nursing career when another of my innate gifts had met up with a need at my work and in bringing those two aspects together I had also felt completely on purpose then as well. In looking over my life in just a few moments I identified many many times in my life where I had felt joyously on purpose. Sometimes these experiences lasted months, sometimes years and sometimes only days or even moments.
All these thoughts were tumbling in fast, as I huddled in my toilet chapel…whilst I was being introduced to speak. By the time my presentation started an equation was born which for me now has been a guiding force in my life and based on feedback apparently in the lives of others.
Here’s the equation: G + N = FP
When you combine one of your GIFTS with a meaningful NEED at your job, in your family, in your community, in the world at large you will FEEL on PURPOSE.
Like any simple math addition equation, if you know what two numbers to add together you can get the answer. Same is true here. If you know what your gifts are and you identify a need that is meaningful to you and bring them together you will feel on purpose. Having said that I know that I’ve had the experience of using one of my gifts and bringing it to something that was meaningful to me and feeling totally on purpose only to find after a few years that the purposefulness of what I was doing wasn’t feeling juicy to me any more.
This is easily explained when you see the GIFTS and the NEED as variables. You have more than one gift and there are many needs that you can identify that are meaningful to you. Feeling on Purpose however is the constant when the previous 2 aspects are combined.
Here’s a very simple example from my own life as a nurse that may make this concept easier to understand.
1983 – Teaching (one of my GIFTS) + lack of easy to understand information pamphlets for patients (NEED at my job) equals (=) my feeling totally on purpose as I went about over the course of 6 months creating teaching pamphlets for patients to prepare them for all the investigational tests they would be undergoing during their hospital stay. These pamphlets are still in use today and I recall how excited, on purpose and fulfilled I felt in being of contribution in this way. (FEELING ON PURPOSE)
Maybe not a big deal in the scheme of things on this planet however a big deal to the patients who felt more at ease and better prepared to face medical procedures and a big deal to me in experiencing the joy and fulfillment it brought to me. Is that still what I’m doing today? NO. Would I still feel on purpose 28 years later if that was all I was still doing? Not likely because what is meaningful to me now is being of contribution to others by helping them shift from where they are to where they want to be.
Each person has access to and is innately equipped with several very sacred “gifts”. Find out what yours are. This is valuable beyond words.
The needs in the world, at your job, in your community are many and change with time. The needs that are deeply meaningful to YOU are what you want to be aware of. The result doesn’t change when you bring these two factors together.
If you are currently not feeling on purpose then one of these two factors or perhaps both need to be re-evaluated. Which gift in you is being called out and which need in your world is calling to you. Bring them together and discover the power of living your life feeling on purpose at all times vs. trying to find your purpose.
Click here to watch a short video on this on our YouTube Channel
Feeling on purpose is way better than not!