When the same question from clients comes up in session after session, I have to take notice. Especially when that question is one I have lately been asking myself over and over again.
As we are (hopefully/thankfully) coming out of the pandemic, I have had many clients ask, “What is my purpose?” Many people have characterized the last three years as “lost” – as in lost relationships, lost comfortable routines, lost faith in themselves. People seem to be experiencing a kind of existential ennui – as if their inner gyroscopes have been recalibrated, and they’re trying to find something that will point their lives in a new, more fulfilling direction.
When clients ask “What is my purpose?” I avoid answering with an easy response; one that sounds like something from a fortune cookie. Finding purpose is not a one-size-fits-all answer. So, here’s what I say to my questioning clients: What can you do to create experiences that will add meaning to your life?
What’s hard is when I later contemplate that same question: In which direction should I head? I meditate on that and ask my guides, and danged if different days I get different answers. (Sigh!) Ask any psychic or medium, and they’ll tell you the hardest person to give a reading to is themselves.
Neale Donald Walsch, author of Conversations With God, believes our lives are not about being individual disconnected from humanity. “When we direct our energies to enrich the lives of everyone whose life we touch, we discover a much bigger version of ourselves and suddenly our lives start to ‘work’.”
There’s a fallacy I think people unfortunately grasp: They feel that to make meaning in their life, they have to do something REALLY big. Like curing cancer, winning a Nobel Peace Prize or solving the energy crisis. Anything less than that, some think, is missing the mark.
I’ve come to believe that doing something really small can be just as meaningful. Create meaning in your life means being a parent that empowers your child. Creating purpose entails something as simple as being a helpful friend. How about volunteering at a hospice centre, or checking on an elderly neighbour now and then to make sure they’re doing okay?
The small stuff can be just as important, just as meaningful, as doing something big.
The other day I had an epiphany. Two years ago, I was at a local farmer’s market and stopped to chat with some ladies manning a booth for a local food bank. I thanked them for their service to the community and said I might like to lend a hand. They said they would love to have me help out.
“But I just don’t feel comfortable dealing with people face-to-face,” I said, talking through my N-95 mask. “Maybe when things get better, and I feel I don’t always have to mask up.”
The ladies understood my hesitancy – they were also masked. The leader of the group gave me her card and said I could call whenever I was ready.
Fast forward two years: I’m getting ready. A tug in my soul that’s compelling me to want to help. To find my purpose: to serve, even in this small way. For sure, I also provide service as a medium by bringing loved ones in spirit to those on the Earth plane. But my inner gyroscope is making me feel I can do more.
Deepak Chopra says, “People who feel useful do not deteriorate or get unhealthy. So spend time with people who give you a reason to feel alive and vibrant.”
Furthermore, Chopra adds: “You alone are the judge of your worth and your goal is to discover infinite worth in yourself.” So, if you feel you need to go big to save the world, go big. But if you think you’re not ready to be the next Mother Theresa or Greta Thunberg, just remember: there’s nothing wrong with going small.
If you have any questions or comments on this subject or on any other spiritual matter, feel free to contact me through this website. And please visit me again!