Roadmap to Defining Your Purpose

Finding ones path can be a tricky task at best. The world changes. Priorities change. Even you change. Your "purpose" in life can be an ever shifting goal which makes it so annoying thing to chase. Probably you don't even have a single purpose but a set of different goals you're striving towards. Still it would be easier if we would have some kind of road map which we could use so we wouldn't stray away from the things we hold dear.

One of the best maps so far I've found is the diagram below:

Diagram from: http://www.smartrecruiters.com/blog/32-quotes-about-workplace-culture/

1. Passion

Let's start with you. Everyone is constantly bombarded with outside influences of what to do and how to do it. These influences can take very direct form like the "advice" (sounds like it comes from the words "add" + "vice") from parents, friends or colleagues or more subtle form like articles titled as "6 Habits Highly Successful People Do" or "These Are The Dream Jobs Of The Today". People are easily swayed from the things they love to things that are supposed to be valuable for their lives. Or how else would you explain the popularity of golf?

Also the array of possibilities that is laid upon the tiny shoulders of young people today is immense. How am I going to decide which profession, career or business I ought to choose when I have zero experience from any of them and all the information I have is second hand data. Yes this and that sounds fabulous but is that the reality of it and even more important would it be fabulous for me?

Yup it might look silly but I have a dream goddamit!

The only thing you can be certain of is you. You know your skills and you know what you like and what you don't like. If you don't know these you ought to take a step back and really scrutinize your life to find out what these things are. That which you are good at plus you that which you love creates your passion. This is the stepping stone to defining ones purpose.

2. Mission

World only reciprocates to what you give it. You need to give to get. This is true in business and in social relationships. Family might be the only exception to this rule and that's only sometimes. If you don't contribute to your job and you just leech from the fruits of other peoples labor don't act surprised if your not invited to after works or if you get laid off. But of course it can't be this "cold" when it comes to friendship? But it is. How often do you spend time with people who have absolutely nothing to give? If they don't share stories or wisdom? If they don't make you smile? If they don't make you feel safe and appreciated? If they don't bring anything to a potluck party and still eat their fair share? You reap what you sow. No way around it. You give. You get.

Passion is a fine place to start but it's not enough. Passion is for you. Mission is for the world. When you combine that which you love and that which the world needs you can find your mission. You need to observe the world and find the problems and troubles which need to be solved and which you want to solve. The first is as imperative as the second. The problem needs to be worth solving or otherwise you will feel unappreciated and your efforts will be in vain. People just won't care enough about it. The second one is also important because otherwise you won't be committed and you will be doing it only because you feel it's your obligation to help. You will get tired, maybe even cynical and after awhile you might feel like a martyr giving everything and receiving none. Mission without passion is a fools errand.

3. Vocation

Some people choose their jobs on the basis of what they're good at. And some people choose their job on the basis what the world needs. Doctors, nurses, police, some people working for non-profits, catastrophe aid workers, etc... If you're lucky or if you observe the world enough you can combine these. Helping others is a wonderful feeling and it does give certain sense of meaning to your work. Of course many times it is hard to see this while your changing diapers for an old granny for the third time that day but in the bigger picture you're making a difference to her life. 

"The measure of a civilization is how it treats its weakest members"

Pic from: homeiswhereyourblogis.com

It's peculiar to see how these people are of vital importance to the society and yet still they're in one of the lowest salary brackets. I think there are couple of reasons to this. If it REALLY needs to be done I'm sure someone will take care of it. Pay or no pay. Some one will take care of the elderly and the young. Some one will save the sick. There's always enough people to take one for the team. Second most of these jobs are low skill high attendance kind-of jobs. I could take care of children or the elderly. Don't have any education for it but I would manage and they would survive. This leads to the third conclusion that these jobs don't scale. One person can only take care of so many people. One engineer on the other hand can make millions of phones.

When the needs of the world is combined with that which you can be paid for you have found your vocation. I think one of the highest aspects of my life is that I can be of service to others. When I teach I learn. When I host a party I receive the smiles of my friends. When I serve my life has a meaning.

4. Profession

Most people need money to survive. It's how our society is constructed. Most professional and white-collar workers spend most of their time and energy in this sphere. They ponder the world in sets of skills they ought to learn to make more money. I should use every opportunity to network. These six tricks can really improve my productivity. Never really been interested in this or that but if I am to compete in this rat race I ought to learn these fast.

I'm gonna sell them rocks. Ingenius!

When you bring together that which you can be paid for and that which you are good at you can discover you profession. Most people have the potential to learn anything and funny enough almost anything can be sold in this world. So if you're told that your passion is a waste of time you can show them the picture of the guy who invented pet stones or the person who has become a professional lip stick reader (http://www.insidermonkey.com/blog/weirdest-jobs-270130/5/). So the point is, that what ever your passion might be if you're good enough and figure out an angle how to sell it, it can be done.

5. Purpose

In the epicenter of these four elements you will find the missing piece of the puzzle - The Fifth Element! Phew that sounded grand. If you have a feeling that something is missing in your life take a look at the things listed above. Study them in the context of your life and see which parts are in order and which parts you still have work to do. Which parts have you've consciously chosen for yourself and which ones have been decided for you? Finding ones purpose is tricky and usually a life long process but I can guarantee you it is worth it!