DISCOVER YOUR TRUE PURPOSE
DISCOVERING YOUR TRUE PURPOSE
The premise of this exercise is that we all come to the planet in a particular place and at a particular time for a particular reason. I’m laying out something that I believe will help you start the process of discovering that purpose and where to aim it at. We live in a world where there are an overwhelming wealth of options. The range of choice is often so paralyzing that we don’t even realize it, and most of us live our lives without ever manifesting our true purpose.
I’m not claiming that this idea of a true purpose is TRUE, and I certainly can’t prove it. But I believe that this is a common indigenous belief and is also useful for us.
I’m going to lay this out as if it is done in a group. If you are doing it by yourself, see if you can find someone to share it with once you are complete.
Grab a piece of paper, your phone, a new document on your computer and make a list with two columns. One column is titled REALLY GOOD AT and the second column is titled LIGHTS ME UP. Like this (I’ve filled it in with how I think about myself)—Note that the website doesn’t formulate tables, so imagine it’s a table.
REALLY GOOD AT LIGHTS ME UP
Budgets, numbers, big financial picture Feeling loved
Running organizations Heat of the sun on my skin
Connecting in small groups Cows grazing on pastures
Philosophical/hermeneutical thinking People being real
Writing—persuasively and as self-exploration People responding deeply to what I have to say
Shamanic journeying/Active imagination
Being honest with myself
Connecting with worked land
Teaching
Once you complete the table turn to your partner and share it. You can make changes or additions to either column.
You are looking for the intersection of the two columns. What shows up in both places? In the table above, which is my case, what do you see that shows up in both places? This has something to do with your true purpose. If it only shows up in one column, it probably doesn’t have much to do with your true purpose. For instance, I am really good at running organizations, but it doesn’t really light me up—so not my true purpose.
Note that this is just a start. For instance, I have connecting with worked land as something I’m really good at and cows grazing on pastures as something that lights me up. Does that mean I should be raising cattle? I used to think so, but there were parts of it that I didn’t like or wasn’t good at that meant it wasn’t my true purpose. I’m mediocre at best on equipment and don’t enjoy it at all. I’m good at selling the meat but didn’t enjoy it at all.
Now, we are going to make a third column. WHAT DO YOU REALLY CARE ABOUT? Take a few minutes, do this column and share it with your partner back and forth. This is your target audience. Here’s my care about column.
CARE ABOUT
Jewish people
Family
Agricultural land
Spiritual self development
Connecting to the more than human world
So let’s put this all together. I look at my true purpose as being a teacher and writer of earth based Torah (Jewish instruction). See if you can see how that works the nexus of the two green columns and then aimed at Jews interested in earth based spiritual development.
Don’t beat yourself up if the answers don’t jump out at you; this is meant to be a helpful tool in discovering your true purpose. And it is hard to think of something more personally important.
