Thoughts on Purpose

I like to preface all of my articles with a brief statement: these thoughts are mine, crafted from my own personal experiences. They may not work for you, but I like sharing them in case they could offer a perspective you might not have previously considered. It may make sense for me and where I am in life today, and tomorrow it may change. We’re all here just trying to figure it all out from the experiences we’ve been given anyway.

There are some people who believe we are here with a purpose. In some religions, it’s tied to beliefs of predestination. Whether or not that’s true, I think we have many purposes and that they’re always changing. We choose some of them and some of them choose us. The best rule of thumb for life for me has been to always stay mindful, and when I am, I’m more attentive to the changes that are happening around me that are both within and out of my control, and whether or not I’m predestine for some larger purpose, I can choose what my purpose is right now, where I am today.

For example: I can’t control the current events of our political climate, but I can control my exposure to it and how I allow it to affect me. While I understand that voting is a privilege in our country, the political stream of information has to come with its limits for me because I know that I can’t emotionally handle too much of it (that conversation lends itself to a whole new article on emotional intelligence, which I’m sure I’ll write at some point). Though I may feel a purpose to use my voice to make a difference, I also choose to make it my purpose to maintain a fairly peaceful life, which for me means educating myself in voting seasons and limiting the flood in between. So in this scenario, I’ve chosen a purpose to use my voice and I’ve chosen balance and peace, even though I didn’t choose the circumstances.

We choose purposes like these and then we start making smaller more frequent choices—ensuring that every word and action is in line with that chosen purpose. Our choices influence our actions, and these every day decisions collectively make up our character: who we are, and we are what we do. It’s one thing to acknowledge this on an outward level—by the actions we take and the actions we see others take, but it’s completely another to acknowledge this effort within ourselves and others when it comes to choosing every THOUGHT on purpose. Cognitive behavior therapy has been one of the best things I’ve ever done for myself, and the truth of the matter is that our thoughts matter, and we do have a choice for the most part; so many of us just don’t know that we do. We think the way we’ve been taught by our influencers and life and sometimes changing that can be terrifying: the true unknown and unfamiliar space—the truest and deepest step outside of your comfort zone (there’s another article coming on that topic soon, as well). When we learn to choose our thoughts on purpose and how we see things, it’s easier and more effective when it comes to efforts in a change of lifestyle. Being raised with the idea of predestination instilled in me, the idea that we have so many purposes even purposes to think good thoughts, and that those purposes are changing daily has really helped me to grow in life. It’s also opened my eyes and heart to people who are struggling. Everyone is dealing with their own hand that life has dealt to them and until an awakening happens, most people aren’t aware that there’s a choice and that regardless of what’s happened, they can be different and they can think differently. We can all truly create our own purposes and who it is that we want to be. Those are my thoughts on purpose, anyway. If you have any you’d like to share, I’d love to hear them!