Purpose is the reason for existence. Everybody needs one, but few have it and even fewer pursue it. As each one of us has a DNA, our purpose should also be authentic and distinguishable. When people who have common purpose come together, they create a product or service of utility.
The purpose of life doesn’t always have to be charitable to qualify as meaningful. Look around you and you will find that people who really make a name for themselves, experience joy and fall in the top bracket of wealth, are the ones who have created something not just for themselves, but for a larger demography. It is not a coincidence that passion and purpose go hand in hand. It is equally nice to have something on hand until the purpose is found or pursued.
The world is changing every moment. Machines are now doing both manual and intellectual work. If things keep progressing at the present rate, large scale employment opportunities will become extinct. Sooner than later, it will be everyone for themselves.
Before its too late, a side vocation or sustainable self-employment should be given a through thought. As we get more accustomed with the gig economy, the doers and thinkers will get reduced to bare minimum. Spoiler alert: you are a commodity for the organisation that presently employs you or seeks to employ you in the future.
Another Brick in the Wall
Most humans are on autopilot. Mentors and team leaders do the necessary hand-holding, while some just follow standard operating procedures and manuals. The absence of thought is designed to use a person in such a way that they lose the sense of ‘why’ and ‘what’ in their actions. At a microscopic level, humans have one primary purpose – to propagate. We are the products of evolution and spiritual purpose in life is a recent phenomenon. Some do it silently, others explicitly, while many have earmarked their sunset years for hymns and chants. Ask yourself some simple questions and if you are clueless or speechless, then challenge yourself to find the answers.
Mission Statement
Mission statement defines why an organization exists and the same can be replicated for an individual. Human endeavours are not driven by past causes, but they move towards goals. Answers sought and received from others are stop-gap measures. Some soul searching is fundamental to replenish life and it happens by default for majority of seekers. Those who try to accomplish it by design, give themselves a kick-start and gain an edge over others. There is work we cannot not do; it may be low paying work or working for a non-profit or chasing money. Each one of the above tasks is capable to satisfy a person, depending upon where you start and where you want to be.
Millennials have shown that they value purpose more than profits and some of the societal benefits of this thought process will be seen in the years to come. Some people may not have the luxury to think on these lines, but for those of you who have it, just do it.
Clarity and Confidence
Purpose should not be a substitute for profits. It is a consolation prize for some individuals and organizations when they cannot make profit. Looking at purpose as ‘Plan-B’ should be avoided and it should become the driver of profit. Confidence cannot be the substitute for clarity. Being confident can work in the short run, but clarity leads to higher feats. If you have confidence, you feel sure about your abilities, qualities, or ideas, whereas clarity means clearness or lucidity as to perception or understanding; freedom from indistinctness or ambiguity. Confidence helps to achieve targets with some trial and error, but with clarity the degree and chance or error gets drastically diminished.
How to Pursue a Purpose
Being comfortable with contradiction is a good start in finding and pursuing your purpose. You can be at the extreme ends of thought spectrum or somewhere close to the middle. Either way, the conviction and execution are what separates people and organizations. Authenticity is difficult and takes practice. Humans have developed herd mentality for the sake of perpetuity and safety.
The downside of risk-taking sends shivers down the spine of the faint hearted. Train your mind and body to sustain internal churning, and build belief. It is beneficial to get constructive criticism and that can only come from people who can be trusted.