“Waited for the one. The day that never comes. When you standup and feel the warmth. But the sunshine never comes. No the sunshine never comes.”
Many passively go through the motions each day. Living but never actually experiencing life. We dream about how our lives will be better when that day comes. The day we get a big promotion at work, find a more attractive partner and finally drop 25 pounds. The day we make enough money to buy our dream home, retire to the islands and sign a seven figure record deal.
The day we finally splatter color on the gray of our lives.
Why is it then, that even after these desired states are achieved, the resulting joy is so fleeting?
Don Draper said it best. “The most important idea in advertising is new. New creates an itch. Then you put your product in there as a kind of calamine lotion. You got what you wanted but it’s still not enough. Happiness is the smell of a new car. It’s freedom from fear. It’s a billboard on the side of the road that screams reassurance that whatever you’re doing is ok. That you’re ok. But what is happiness? Happiness is the moment before you need more happiness.” We chase it like hamsters on a wheel or as Draper famously sold to Kodak, a carousel.
Our learned views of what constitutes success and happiness are a glittering lure, but there’s another way to engage on a level beyond flash.
Purpose.
What we truly crave is a deeper purpose. Finding it can be delicate, but extremely potent. “Purpose is a twinge in your heart, far more powerful than thought alone. Purpose is a time machine. It takes us backwards and forwards.” It’s a perfect song. “Taking us to a place where we ache to go again and again. Home. To a place where we know we are loved.”
Finding our purpose can be difficult. But if we find it, it’s everlasting and life altering.
Most of the time, we’re very much concerned about ourselves. About how we look, what people think of us or whether we’re being treated fairly. About whether we’ll get what we want, about what we deserve or whether we’re good enough. Self-concern is natural, but it closes us in to a very small world of that makes us less happy, less content.
Having a bigger purpose, focused on helping others, broadens that world. It expands our view so that we’re thinking of others and ourselves, and how we are all interconnected.
With purpose, you can push through places of discomfort, with curiosity and love instead of fear. You can continue doing the difficult work knowing it will result in an amazing breakthrough, for yourself and others.
It’ll be a place of growth, of learning, of tremendous change, possibility and joy.
Of purpose.
Dude, I hope you see this reply.