Your Life’s Purpose – What is it?

If I had been asked when I was a child, what I would like to be when I grew up, I would have said, a magician, a writer, a poet, a teacher, a mother and probably, more. I was fascinated by lots of things as a child but what I remember the most, was the feeling of wanting to be something or somebody, but not quite sure what it was. I am sure everyone feels this as a child. You want to express that which is within you and if given the opportunity and space, you begin the process of unfolding who you are.

I have always had this feeling of wanting to give birth to something, yet not knowing what it is. I have carried it my entire life and can sense it as a feeling of potential that is yet to be born. It expresses itself in many ways. For example, as I am writing this, I feel as if there is an energetic egg within me hatching.

Sometimes, I may find that there is a build-up of energy in my throat area. This is especially so, when I feel the urge to speak.  At other times, I feel bubbles of excitement within. These tend to percolate and give me the urge to do what needs to be done.

Inasmuch as I wanted to be the many things stated above, I also wanted to know about the Divine or God. I was interested in the esoteric, the mystical and anything that I could lay my hands on that could satisfy my curiosity in this regards. As with most of us, I had no idea of how my life was going to play out but if anyone had asked me what I wanted to be, I was more likely to say, I wanted to be a lawyer, a doctor or an accountant, as I was not brave enough to say what I truly felt inside – in my heart.

This was mainly because there were high expectations in my family and I did not have enough experience to argue my way against the norms. I find that this is not peculiar to me, as I know quite a number of people that would choose not to express an opinion, just because it is not the popular one. This does not mean that it is wrong to do so. We all make choices and this is one of them.

The point that is being made here, is that everyone has a deep desire to be become and to create. This desire is intrinsic to our nature. It is this desire that Kahlil Gibran refers to as our mission, which he states that everyone is born with and is buried deep within our hearts. Abraham Maslow also states this.

“Musicians must make music, artists must paint, poets must write, if they are to be ultimately at peace with themselves. What human beings can be, they must be. They must be true to their own nature. This need, we may call self-actualization… It refers to man’s desire for self-fulfilment, namely to the tendency for him to become what he is potentially: to become everything he is capable of becoming.”

You already know yours, even if you cannot specifically pin-point it. They may also be several, not just one. So you will have to learn to follow your inner guidance on this. Your inner guidance is sometimes referred to as your inner wisdom, your sixth sense or your intuition. But I would also like to add, that you can access this from your heart. Everyone has the ability to do this, the only issue might be not knowing how. In which case, you will have to learn how to connect with it and form a close alliance with it. You will also have to learn courage and perseverance, as this comes high on the curriculum for living your life’s purpose. You will also have to learn to be authentic in all expressions of who you are. There are lessons we have to learn along the way to prepare us for what it is we have come here to be. Be patient with yourself and allow yourself to unfold, just the way you are meant to.