Purpose or meaning

“To begin to think with purpose, is to enter the ranks of those strong ones who only recognize failure as one of the pathways to attainment.”

James Allen

If I was to ask you what your purpose is – what would your answer be?  Have you thought of this, or do you know what you stand for in life?

There are many aspects to our life, work, family, community and leisure.  Some people have very clear directions about their professional life and others may be a little perplexed or overwhelmed about this.  Perhaps it is easier to start on the home front and what purpose or meaning does this bring to mind?  For those of you, who are parents – this often is a delicate balancing act and ensuring that all the family are occupied in their chosen activities.  Often, parents follow their children into their activities and begin volunteering in some way to assist whilst they are waiting for them to finish their training or occupation. 

Being connected to the community is another purpose for many people.  Whether connected by an interest group, such as the environment or service club.  You may have been introduced to this by your family as a youngster, or joined when a friend invited you.  Or it may have been through your own family, such as when the kids began their schooling as a way of meeting other parents.  Whatever the reason, it is a great way of being connected. 

In our working life, we may start off with a role that is not quite what we inspired too and then find ourselves attracted to a different role, working our way through the ranks, or pivoting as we realise that we are more suited in an alternative direction.  We all grow in different ways as we explore what roles are out there and what we are attracted to.  This is often how we find meaning or purpose in our lives.

So if you are at a crossroad or feeling uninspired in the many different roles that you do have, take time to take stock and work out what really interests you – this is often a great starting point as this is often where our strengths are or can be developed.