People so often ask me “How do I find my purpose? Consider that your primary purpose is to breathe in and breathe out. That may sound simplistic, but bear with me. We can do without food or water for periods of time. Without air, we die. So fundamentally, our purpose is to breathe. As a martial artist, I learned early that my breath could control fear, strengthen me and help me do things that seemed impossible.
I was talking with a friend last night and I asked her how she developed her own championship mindset and purpose. Her comment was, “I just put one foot in front of the other, and did what I had to do.” Her purpose was to raise her children as a single mom, to provide a home, education, and love. She surrendered to what was in front of her and let go of trying to find her purpose. It found her.
Purpose is like that. Sometimes it is the thing we resist the most. James, a chaplain, spent the first 21 years of his life in and out of hospitals. He had no use for doctors or medicine. Yet when he found his purpose, he found himself in the last place he ever thought he’d end up. His purpose called him, and he answered.
Your purpose will call you if you let yourself hear the still small voice of truth within. That’s a purpose we can all aspire to. The habit of cultivating silence opens the door for purpose to reveal itself.
In Carlos Castaneda’s book, The Teachings of Don Juan: The Way of the Yaqui Warrior, Don Juan talks about path. “There are a million paths. Anything is one of a million paths…..all paths lead nowhere. “Does this path have heart? If it does, the path is good; if it doesn’t, it is of no use. Both paths lead nowhere.” Perhaps purpose and path are the same thing.
Follow your heart, and if it your path is good, breathe it in deeply, surrender to the mystery, and enjoy the ride.
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