Living on Purpose
Deepak Chopra comments on a lesson his mother taught him as a child;
Chopra says his mother told her two sons that they both had two girlfriends - the goddess of wisdom and the goddess of wealth If they wooed the goddess of wisdom, she told them, the goddess of wealth would get jealous and pursue them. “Since that day, I have not forgotten this important lesson.” (Read entire story here)
This is a great lesson. This is a difficult lesson. In fact, I am writing about it now because I personally need to remember it. I reflected on why it is that sometimes I feel filled with purpose and other times the same tasks are tainted with drudgery and take on the energy of “work”. Logic would say that I should feel more “on purpose” doing tasks that involve a purpose “larger” than myself, but often times this is not the case. Sometimes I feel more “on purpose” learning a new song on my guitar alone in my basement than I do serving food at our local parish dinner or donating money to our catholic school’s cause. Sometimes, I feel the least “on purpose” doing my income producing work. Now I find this last disovery the most disturbing because my newfound spiritual path tends toward having the courage to do what we love and let the “money follow”, so to speak. So of course my first impulse is to beat myself up and tell my self that I don’thave the courage to follow my bliss, oh woe is me, I must not die with my song unsung!
So from this lowly place, I started to let my mind wander and find the truth. And it did. I discovered the truth resides in a simple realestate axiom; “Location, Location, Location”. (Thanks Neale Donald Walsch) - What I mean by this is that the degree of which I feel “on purpose” is directly proportional to the degree that I’m “coming from” the right location. The “right” location for me is being of service, doing my best, and working as a member of a team or leading a team. So this discovery explains MUCH more clearly why I feel more on purpose doing volunteer work than working in my business. NOT so much becuase it’s a “higher cause” but because my focus is on being of service vs. focusing on the Goddess of Wealth.
In my business, my focus invariably comes back to finances. Maybe I want to spend an extra hour really tweaking a landscape or flower bed, but I see that my budget will go overtime if I do and I convice myself that it’s “good enough”. When I’m doing volunteer work, it’s almost IMPOSSIBLE to pay her any mind because she’s simply not around. I don’t get paid so it’s easy to ignore the jealous Goddess of wealth.
But that doesn’t explain my music. I am a guitar player, been playing for 30 plus years, and I’m in a band but we only play occasionally and the pay doesn’t even cover gas, let alone babysitting or musical supplies. But It’s what I do best, and I’m a natural. When I have it in my hands, I feel more on purpose than any other time in my life, regardless of what I’m doing with it. Maybe that’s the answer again. I’m not focusing on the Goddess of wealth, but I’m not focusing on being of service either. With my music I’m transcending. There is no “mind” involved. I can surrender and go away and empty myself of all burden.
So from here I can assume the following;
1. Living on purpose has more to do with your mindset and context (where you’re coming from) than with what you’re doing
2. Living on purpose can be accomplished easier if we “intend” wealth, but then surrender the intention to God and then go about the business of doing our best and being of service and … yes … “following our bliss”.
I’ve recently found, or come reasonably close to finding, my purpose; It is as follows; (this is my general purpose as defined by Steve Pavlina vs. my specific purpose, or ‘vocation’)
To love, trust and believe in myself, have the courage to be who I really want to be, live the life I want to live and move others to do the same through my character and creation.
