FIND YOUR PURPOSE BUT ENJOY THE JOURNEY TOO

I would like you to start keeping a journal. I want you to start your journal by writing a list of things that you love doing or that you are passionate about. Once you have done this – and I don’t expect that you’ll cover everything in your first go – I want you to try and write down an indication of the direction you want your life to take – where do you want to go with it?

Finding your Purpose is one of the most important and critical aspects of seeking to live an Authentic Life. Finding and following your purpose is the best way that you can utilise all your unique gifts, talents and abilities to improve your place in the world – and to improve the world around you. So it is essential that you take a sharp focus on the direction you are headed, utilise your tremendous passion, and use your precious energy wisely to pursue your life’s purpose.

You will find that happiness doesn’t just reside in the ‘end point’ of achieving your purpose; it also and mostly lies in the enjoyment of the journey you take on the way to that destination. In other words, our the beauty of our purpose is not just about the goal we have set for ourselves; it is also about the journey we take to get there.

Along that journey there are things that we must accept, face or endure. These fit generally into three categories:

1. Accepting that we are responsible for our own creations. This is about owning the things we do, including those things we do wrong.
2. Facing Life’s challenges. I refer you back to my earlier post about How to be Authentic: First Steps. There I talk about the barriers of repression, projection, delusion and denial.
3. Enduring our suffering. In particular, the type of suffering that occurs because we have resisted the challenges that have been presented to us. 

In short, we need to learn how to realise and accept that both positive and negative experiences are there to help us grow and therefore feel more alive.

The path of least resistance is the path we must consciously choose to pursue growth. This will mean that we take on all the challenges that confront us head-on, doing so without fear and by living on the edge. My good friend John Ryan of the Savita Education Trust refers to this as “Flow”.