Philosophers have been asking this since the beginning of time…why are we here? I hate that question. There is no possible answer to that question that would be satisfying to anyone. There is no answer that could possibly benefit anyone. It’s the wrong question. And if we ask wrong questions, we get answers that do nothing for us. The question should be, why are you here?
You. Why are you here? What are you doing on this earth? What are you really here for?
I have written a lot about the path. And getting on the path. That is the how. But I haven’t focused nearly as much on the why. This is about just that. Why?
Why are you here? What is your purpose? When you wake up in the morning, what is it that you feel you must do?
I do a lot of things every day. I watch my kids in the morning. Go to work. In free moments, I think about things and write on this blog. I do things to ready myself for bigger and better steps in my career. I exercise. I go home. Put my kids to bed. Spend time with my wife. I think more. Write more. Prepare more. Sometimes I consume pushed entertainment, which is TV or movies, in an attempt to shut my brain off for a while. It doesn’t usually work. Then I meditate. Then I go to bed.
Those are things I have to do. And things I want to do. None of those things is my purpose in life. A purpose answers the question, what am I going to do? A purpose completely defines what you do.
My purpose in life? To be a great father to my kids and a great husband to my wife. Seems simple enough, right?
But, to be a great father to my kids and great husband to my wife, requires a lot of things. It defines pretty much all of what I’m going to do every day. They are basically the reason I started Urban Samurai. They are the reason I took the job I am currently in. They are the reason I get up in the morning.
Look, finding your purpose is easy when you have a wife and kids. I get it.
For others, it’s not as easy. I was talking to my father the other day, and he is searching for his purpose. His kids are all grown. And don’t need him anymore, at least not like little kids need their parents. He is retired so there are no people that need his expertise. He said he has at least another 20 years on this planet. And he doesn’t know what those years are going to look like. He wants that reason to get up in the morning. That thing that defines his days.
It’s not easy to find sometimes. But this is a must in every person’s life.
A few things about purpose if you are looking for yours:
Your purpose doesn’t have to be forever, but it can be. It doesn’t even have to be for a year. Just what is your purpose today? What is your purpose right now? It doesn’t have to be noble. But it can be. It doesn’t have to be grandiose. But it can be.
You’re going to stop reading this and do what? Why are you doing it? Maybe you are at work. Maybe that’s it. Maybe it’s not. So why are you doing this job? To earn a paycheck to pay rent and have a bit left over. Why are you paying rent? What is that left over money for? To what end? For what person? For what ultimate goal are you living your life right now?
Your sole purpose in life right now could be to earn a hundred million dollars. It could be to help abused kids. It might just be to have fun.
They are all good ones. Maybe none of them are yours.
But just have a clear purpose. Understand it. And keep it in front of you. Have that define everything you do, and how you do it.