A Note About Purpose

I was listening to Dr Rangan's podcast (https://drchatterjee.com/how-to-get-well-and-stay-well-6-healthy-habits-we-all-need-to-know-with-dr-gemma-newman/) and the conversation wound its way to purpose. And it gets me thinking, in the capitalist error we tend to exaggerate the concept of purpose. Do people have a life's purpose; an integral role to play that makes society more peaceful, makes your life more successful? Some people do know their purpose from a young age. They are single-minded in their passion for something, usually it leads to their 'life's work'. But I find this type of thinking to be very black and white and personally I just come up blank when I think of a life purpose. Rather then give up, I adopt one of the tools in the book Atomic Habits by James Clear (2018), about micro habits. The easier the task is the more likely you will do it and stick with it. So, can we have micro purposes? Some examples....

-keeping your pot plant alive

-tending to a pot plant

-saying hello to a neighbour

-making and putting in effort into friendships

-turning up to work

-being kind to your parents

-keeping in touch with your siblings

-responding with empathy and patience when people act in unexpected or challenging ways

-breathing and interacting with the atmosphere

-eating and interacting with the biosphere

-choosing sustainable materials and reducing our waste, being conscious of the way we interact with the lithosphere

To me micro purposes is about finding ways and acting on these ways to live with love. Just because they are small, doesn't make them less significant. Many of us are strapped for time, have limited resources in the way of money, don't have a big circle of friends, have restrictions on where we live. Finding ways to overcome these limitations, re-frame purpose, and go after it is a worthy endeavour.

Love is many peoples purpose. How do you love when you are single?

-show love to friends

-show love to nature

-show love to people you interact with at work

-foundationally, show love to yourself and all of your cells working tirelessly and often thanklessly to keep you alive.

So when we watch movies, engage in social media, see superstars and super achievements all around us, let us remind ourselves that that is not the 'normal'. Questions everything and don't be drawn into the common myths a Capitalist society pushes. Are there micro-purposes and actions you are taking today that give your fulfillment? Place emphasis on these good deeds and let it be enough. Your self-worth is not dependent on achievement.