“The sole purpose of education is to help you find out what you, with all your heart, must love to do,” wrote Jiddu Krishnamurti, an India born 20th-century philosopher.
When making that choice, it’s important to reflect, take a long look inside yourself, and answer some hard questions about who you are and what you want. The key to purpose lies within you.
You have to look for the key to purpose where it lies – within you – and not where it’s more convenient or less painful to look.
You can help identify your purpose by asking two questions:
- “If I were to die today, what would be written on my tombstone?”
- “If I had six months to live, how would I spend my remaining days?”
These questions put things in perspective. To answer them, you need to form a vision of what you want to be and identify your mission in life.
A mission statement can help you to remove the dust from the mirror so you can see clearly. You must separate truth and reality from the illusionary. You need a great deal of courage to challenge your beliefs and reach out to reality. If you are too caught up with the mundane, illusionary things of life, it will be difficult to get clarity.
Whenever you are confused about a course of action you need to take, you can go back to your mission statement and find the clarity of purpose there.
When you are clear about your vision, and believe in your ability, you invite help from the Universe. A thousand unseen hands come to your assistance. The universe conspires to help you.
So sing the song that you have come here to sing; do not just string and unstring your instrument. Work in areas of your calling. Keep your eye on your goal, and see how energized and motivated you become.
When considering a career you have to start by asking, “What are my strengths and weaknesses?” Once you have the answer, it will be easier to focus on your strengths and manage your weaknesses. When you find yourself doing purposeful work, in your area of interest, it will energize you. Michael Jordan was a great basketball player, but he did not do nearly as well in baseball.
“A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write if he is ultimately at peace with himself,” said Abraham Maslow, a 20th-century American psychologist.