“Many people flounder about in life because they do not have a purpose, an objective toward which to work.”—George Halas
Today, is the last day of school for my kids. It is a late finish, so, I suspect, just about every other school district is finished, as well. High school and college graduations have been conferred. So, it is a time when many will be asking: “What next?” For many not-so-recent graduates, the question continues to be asked—or, in the worst case, has never been asked.
Certainly, we all go through periods of life when we question our purpose. And there are frequent times when we “flounder in life” for lack of purpose. To some extent life is a search for purpose—specifically, our purpose.
Purpose, in my opinion, is a bit more than “an objective toward which to work.” Indeed, we should have an objective, but an objective is not one’s Purpose, per se. (I capitalize “Purpose” to differentiate of life Purpose from a mere objective purpose.) Purpose is one’s significance in the Universe—and we are all significant, whether it is apparent or not. It is this significance—the desire to be (extra)ordinary—that should drive us.
Purpose does not have to be on the most-grand scale. That is, it does not have to be made-for-T.V. movie grand. Purpose, more often than not, has an impact that is not known to the one who is having the effect. (I think of Mr. Holland’s Opus—of course, after stating that our Purpose need not be material for a movie script.) We often spend our lives in constant frustration that we are not doing greater things—we lack wealth, fame, and “importance”. It is true that our influence might seem small, but we do affect lives. Often it is not our direct impact that has the greatest effect. It is that “six degrees of separation” that magnifies our success.
If you are questioning your Purpose, don’t waste time looking to make a big splash. Seek to be the pebble that creates ripples that are felt at a great distance. Seek to make the impact that you can make immediately—where you are today. We do not have to know what is our Purpose to be impacting. We need, simply, to understand that we have a Purpose and act like we know what it is.
Be your best today; be better tomorrow!
Carpe momento!