Believing We All Have A Purpose

The one mantra that I always hear is "What is my purpose in life? I to have heard that mantra resounding in my own head for the entirety of my life. I have always felt that somehow I was meant to do something great. Yet as of late I have come to believe that our purpose as humans may be less about doing great and more about being great. Learning to love ourselves and realize that we are enough is the greatest achievement of all. Society brainwashes us into believing that unless we achieve external accolades then we are somehow not successful in life. There seems to be far too little emphasis on the importance of internal success. Life becomes more about what we have rather then who we are.

Who are you? Have you taken the time to recognize yourself separate from others, and your achievements? Learning that "who" we are is not relational to "what" we do. Societal expectations are likened to that of a prisoner who has suddenly realized that his cell was never locked and he could have walked out at any given moment. Viktor Frankl is a perfect example of living internally. Despite all the degradation he endured while a prisoner at Auschwitz-he believed that man only suffered if he allowed external conditions to enslave him. He stated "A thought transfixed me: for the first time in my life I saw the truth as it is set into song by so many poets, proclaimed as the final wisdom by so many thinkers. The truth -- that love is the ultimate and the highest goal to which man can aspire. Then I grasped the meaning of the greatest secret that human poetry and human thought and belief have to impart: The salvation of man is through love and in love." Quite simply, Frankl believed that by dwelling in the spiritual domain where there existed true self-love....he could find refuge from suffering.

Society speaks a lot of religion and the path to God....yet much little about the path to self. Everywhere we look we are encouraged to seek external gratification. Through love and partnership, work and success. We build our lives and self- worth on a foundation of uncertain external circumstances...then when those circumstance changes, we feel frightened and confused. Then angry and often hopeless. The problem is not that we reached outside ourselves for gratification-it is that we placed all our worth on those things. nature has much to teach us about change, as it is always changing. Our cores should be like the ocean. When a storm ravages the sea, on the surface it is violent-yet beneath the surface it remains calm. This is how we must live our lives. We must have a strong core that reminds us each and every moment that regardless of what is happening externally... inside we are enough....unaffected.

Ironically, the first thought for many who read these words will be "how do I do this? How do I live internally?" once again looking outward for the answer. The answer is simple-you just do it. There is no great secret. You begin to use self-talk to be your own counsel. Einstein was not brilliant just because he discovered the theory of relativity-he was brilliant because he understood the power of imagination. Our imagination is our greatest untapped resource. We have this amazing gift of creating whatever reality we choose for ourselves-yet we still look outward for other's to lead the way. Use your imagination next time you have a problem. Lie down, close your eyes and create a person in your imagination that you can talk to and who can listen. Be detailed about what they look like, where they are, how they make you feel. Eventually over time with patience and practice- you will realize that this person is your higher self and they have all the answers you need. Go to this place each day and I promise you over time-you will see changes in your life. You will begin to live internally. You will begin to trust that you have all your own answers. I wish you luck on this path...Namaste