Your Purpose

Good Morning!

I had a "soul scouring" discussion with a very good friend this week...

When it was over and as I reflected on it...I wished that everyone would have been privy to the exchange!

It was absolutely awesome...but having been between just two people...it seemed like a waste!

Then it hit me!

That may have been the purpose of the discussion...not between the two of us...but setting the stage for the weekend update!

In fact...this may be my purpose!

To record and communicate life changing discussions!

Or am I deceiving myself...I questioned my purpose in life and the activities that I pursue to achieve authentic happiness and fulfillment!

Have you ever questioned your purpose...do you know with 100% certainty that what you are doing is correct?

Can you write out your purpose with complete clarity?

******************************************

The Starting point...

At some point in nearly everyone's life...they ponder their purpose...

"Purpose" itself is an obscure concept...

They ask questions like...

Why am I here?

What am I really meant to do?

Why?

What is the plan for me?

How do I fit into a "BIGGER PICTURE?"

and on and on!

"Purpose" is an elusive animal and many people have made millions of dollars on helping other pursue and clarify their purpose...

Yet "Purpose" is a simple concept when it is looked at in its proper perspective...

*****************************************

Perhaps you have no real purpose...

As we talked...we concluded that an individual's "Purpose is not unlike a piece of a machine or a component in a computer...

Like a machine "cog" or a computer component...the "bigger thing" can not function without us...

"Purpose" is our essential contribution to "the whole"

We all want to believe that we have a meaningful function and a purpose...otherwise we are simply "filler" and everything that we do has absolutely no meaning or value!

What if we have no purpose?

Perhaps we are so messed up that we are no longer in a position to contribute to the whole...

*******************************************

No Purpose?

That is a sobering thought!

I believe that we all have a purpose...

The problem is that we often aspire for "purposes" or contributions and recognition significantly higher than what we are meant to pursue!

That is why we have so many unfulfilled and dissatisfied people!

These individuals are chasing more than they should...as a result they will never find their purpose...because they are rejecting their real purpose!

The catalyst of the question of our purpose often arises when we seek a higher purpose than we should be seeking...and we find ourselves falling short...

Some times it comes when we see ourselves consistently falling short of our expectations (wants)...

The first secret to success is a 100% commitment to being satisfied with what you find your purpose is!

****************************************

Cutting to the chase...

Let's look at our purpose...

In a general sense...we find our purpose by looking at life's situations...actually what we are handed...

Life is "growth through a series of struggles and successes..."

That is my own definition...which is actually based what life isn't...

What?  Life is the opposite of death...

Death is succumbing to the struggles and failing!

Life therefore is about success...otherwise it is death!

Our purpose (life) is challenged through our struggles and suffering...

...and our purpose can be found within life's challenges...its struggles and it sufferings...

Struggles and Suffering builds (within us) perseverance...

The ability to persevere consistently and ultimately leads to...

HOPE!

Without exception...our purpose is HOPE!

We are to HOPE...and we are to share HOPE...we are to be a refuge of HOPE...

*****************************************

Let's look at HOPE...

Hope can simply be explained as the level of certainty of something (an outcome) coming to pass...

If an individual possessed 100% hope...they believe that a specific outcome will occur as anticipated with absolutely no doubt...

Doubt?

Doubt is the antithesis of hope!  DUH!

DOUBT is the level of uncertainty that an individual has related to an outcome...

At this point we need to recognize that Purpose is a balanced equation...containing the elements of HOPE and Doubt!

Purpose = Hope + Doubt   (Where Doubt is usually a negative number)

Here is an example...

I hope that I win the lottery...

I buy a single ticket...in reality the probability (odds) of this outcome coming to fruition is beyond 1:200,00,000!

On the other side of this equation is DOUBT...I am almost absolutely certain that the ticket that I bought will not be a winner...

In a very interesting fashion...My Doubt is my "more probable" Hope!

Have you observed that we are either living in a world of HOPE or DOUBT?

...and that hope and doubt are really the same thing?

Hope is the level of certainty of a positive outcome...and,,,

Doubt is the level of certainty of a negative outcome!

There is no vacuum in this place in our existence!

We are either Hopefuls or Doubters...and in either case...it is still hope...

Hope for the best...or...hope for the worse...

******************************************

Nice Theory...

In a general sense...this is a "word play"

I did this to make a point...

HOPE is the dead-end!

One can go no further...no deeper...

It ends at hope...

We hope in the best

or

We hope in the worse (Doubt)

*******************************************

In Pursuit of your specific Purpose...

Let's use Maslow...

Abraham Maslow made a brilliant observation when he was able to segment the human condition into 5 different categories.  Subsequent research has broken it into 8 levels...

Whatever hierarchy you choose to use...this works...

We have a tendency to look at his hierarchy and the levels...and believe that some levels are preferred over others...

The fact of the matter is...whatever level you find yourself at is OK!

We delude ourselves into believing that there is a preference...many wrongly believe that they should be pursuing "self-actualization"

Let's look at a level...

When a person is 100% confident of the "needs" of the level that they are at...they are free to move to another level...

An interesting observation is that some levels are not important to individuals...and should not be sought!

It is not a requirement to achieve Levels 1-4 to pursue level 5!

Let's look at a level 4 chasing individual (using the 5 level system)...

Level (L-4) is called "self-esteem and personal development"...(it looks like a student)

In order to be fully engaged at this level..one must be fully hopeful (confident) of the achievement of the following levels...

L-1 (physiological needs)  Air, Water, Food

Think about this...if you are 100% confident that your basic needs (breathing, drinking and eating) will be met in order to be fully engaged in hierarchy 2...

L-2 Safety, Shelter, absence of fear of physical harm, etc.

If can eat and breath...yet are not confident where you are going to sleep safely every night...you can not fully experience this or other levels...however if you are assured a safe abode...you are free to move to L-3...

L-3 Belonging

If you aspire for family and have a need for belonging...it is critical to be 100% confident of your relationships otherwise...doubt will detract you from fully realizing any other level.  Once an individual is 100% confident in this level...L-4 is possible...but it important to realize that some people do not need this level!

In other words...only after the all of the needs of all of the levels are fulfilled and the individual is 100% confident at those levels can they become a real student!  (L-4)

Maslow also recognized the difference between "needs" and "wants"

Needs are the essential elements (components within each definition of hope) of each Level (L1-L5)

If you are at a L-1 then your definition of HOPE is defined by the needs of that level.  A need is the confidence in the future receipt of AIR, WATER and FOOD.  When you are 100% confident that you will receive these components of hope...(the level's needs) and you can assume that you are on another level.

This holds true for each and every level!  Your personal definition of HOPE...thus your purpose can be simply defined by the "needs" at the level that you are residing in!

YES IT IS THAT SIMPLE!

If you are a L-4 individual...your needs are aligned with obtaining the information relevant to your personal development...Your goal or purpose if to receive that information and learn it!!!

*******************************************

More on HOPE...

Let's look a bit deeper into HOPE...

Hope is the confidence level of achieving what you are aspiring to...

We are doing this because you will be able to use your "HOPES" to define your purpose!

Hope is what you aspire for...at your level of existence!

Your confidence is your level of purpose...

That which you have achieved + aspire to achieve with 100% confidence is your purpose!

Are you seeing it?

*******************************************

Everyone has one Purpose with varied definitions!

Let me take you to the bottom-line...although it may not makes sense...

Your ULTIMATE PURPOSE is to be a REAL Beacon of hope in this world...

Making a positive impact in all that you do...with 100% confidence of achievement!

You owe this to yourself and the world around you depending on your level of existence...

Everyone has this PURPOSE...

When people look at you (or look to you) they should have 100% confidence in what you can deliver...

You are known for...what people know that you can deliver!

or...by the what you don't deliver...

You are either a Beacon of Hope...or a Beacon of Doubt!

I know many Beacons of Doubt...who continue to deceive themselves into believing that they are more than they actually are...

Perhaps their purpose is really to be a joke!

These people are jokes!

Don't be a beacon of doubt!

****************************************

Don't Stop here!

Doubt will exist in every situation...

Challenge it!

If you have Doubt...QUESTION IT!

Challenge it...

Understanding your Doubt will help clarify your Purpose...

Doubt needs to constantly be challenged...

Not only from a clarification perspective...but

You can not have doubt and be a Beacon of Hope!

You can not be a Beacon of Hope without achievement...

If doubt permeates your existence...it will taint your image...

AND...you become the joke!

******************************************

Hope and Quantum Obligation

What we have been discussing may sound a lot like Quantum Obligation...

It is!

We are to be Beacons of Hope...

First to ourselves...

Then to the world around us...

100% Confident of the fact that we will receive what we NEED at our tier in life...

If you are not 100% confident of success at your present state...you may not be in the right one...

Or...

You are deceiving yourself into believing that you NEED to be pursuing something that is not your purpose...

You are obligated to yourself and your dependents to provide 100% confidence in your performance...

You are OBLIGATED to leave every moment better for having participated...

Your purpose is to be that Beacon of Hope...

So what do you HOPE for?

Are you confident that you'll achieve it?

e-NUF-SED

***************************************

I'll be writing more on this concept...

You can not be successful without a complete understanding of this concept...

Stay Tuned...

Pura-Vida

A small gift to you...a song that I find inspirational!