22
Jul
2018
Yogi Assignment: Purpose
There are periods when I feel lost and confused, desperate to know myself. I doubt, question and sometimes want to quit. I know in those moments I am looking for purpose.
If someone could just tell me! But the answers are never external. There is no one on this Earth that can stamp out your purpose like a cookie cutter stamps out a perfect shape. Purpose is fluid and unique.
One thing that has thrown me off course is the belief that in order for purpose to be meaningful it has to be huge. It’s like I used to think purpose meant changing the world and that more was better. I wanted to prove that I mattered, that I was here for a reason. I can see now that I was chasing external validation and looking for my purpose in metrics of achievement. But true purpose can not be measured and it certainly isn’t hierarchical or competitive.
True purpose is internal. It’s like the light in the darkness that shines and beckons you forward in moments of loss and failure. True purpose is a call home. Purpose is also accountability, a sense of reckoning with your inner being.
External purpose is not bad. We spend time on goals and projects, needs and desires. We use this as motivation to action. It’s good and necessary. But when external purpose replaces true or internal purpose then all those “things” become hollow and draining, devoid of meaning. A life lived with a true sense of purpose is fulfilling and energizing.
And here’s the secret. Your purpose is intrinsic to who you are. You don’t need to go out and get it anywhere. You also can’t avoid it or mess it up. Don’t worry about being less than because your purpose is in fact huge, bigger than you could imagine. You are an infinite being capable of changing the universe just by being who you are. Your purpose is written into the code of your soul and there is no way you can escape it, deny it or hide from it too long.
Even if you aren’t aware of it your purpose is happening through even. You make a difference in the world. You have a reason for being. Once you see that for yourself, the magic happens.
This week’s Yogi Assignment is Purpose. If you’re following me on Instagram you already read this in yesterday’s caption. These reflections were so powerful that I chose to use them for a full week of reflection.
1. Define Purpose for Yourself—Whether you seek to be impactful, kind or loving, notice the metric by which you feel purpose and you’ll find a key to unlock meaning in your life.
2. Notice Purpose in Life Others—Seeing someone else’s purpose is like seeing into their soul. When you acknowledge the purpose that someone has it’s one of the deepest forms of validation.
3. Inherent Purpose—Very much like worthiness, your purpose is intimately tied to your beingness. Search for ways that you fulfill your life mission just being the person you are.
