The purpose of life. Really, it is this simple:-)
"Be true to yourself!" That is your purpose in life.
Everybody has heard those words many, many time...but how can you be true to somebody you don't really know? I am not talking about the person that stares back at you every morning, but the person whose skin you share that has hopes, aspirations, and a divine purpose for being on this earth. Do you know what those are?
Do you know why (to what purpose) you were born?
If you don't, then you really don't know yourself and can in no way be true to your purpose in life.
In short, you are living your life for somebody else. Brutal, sad, wasteful, but ineffably true. So what can be done about this mystery of who you are, and why you were born in this particular time and place?
Merely, the simplest thing in the world: You ask yourself the question "What do I want to be more than anything else in the world?"...and then you listen really, really hard.
It will probably be the hardest answer you will ever have to accept, because you will have to let go of every "shoulda, coulda, woulda" in your life up until now and replace it with the single phrase, "I can, and I will!"
No longer will you be able to hide behind social constructs, other peoples' expectations, false beliefs and self-imposed limitations as reasons (excuses!) to escape fulfilling your potential. Nope, when you truly know yourself there is no place left to hide, and more to the point...you don't want to! Why would you? Knowing exactly what you want and being given a whole life in which to craft and create your masterpiece is truly a gift from God. We are all given that gift. We just have to unwrap it.
Unfortunately it is not usually that easy...
I really wish it was, because believe me when I say I have asked Him...a lot! Still waiting for a clear definitive answer that takes no effort on my part and maps it all out clearly... Hmmmm, think that my expectations of what the answer should be is why I am not getting an answer? Nah, couldn't be. In reality I am getting lots of answers, I just don't want to see them. I am blocked by my expectations and conceptions about what I "should" be getting for answers.
God already knows who I am. It defeats the purpose if He just tells me. Part of the mystery of finding out why I am born and what it is that drives me is that the search also helps shapes me to achieve my highest purpose.
A sword does not start out as a sword, but as a lump of rock. It is the forge, the hammer, and the fire that brings forth the razor's edge...and the icy quenching that gives strength and resiliency to the steel. The process is as important as the quality of the ore. So when you look at a lump of iron ore and ask "what is the purpose of this rock?", the very next question you must then ask is, "what am I willing to do to this ore that it may achieve its intended purpose?"
The ore, the sword, and the purpose are one...the answer to why you were born.
It may take a life-long journey, or it might unfold with the ease of a rainbow, but the answer will come. Just keep asking and listening because the process IS part of the answer:-)
Namaste.
As always images are from Google and should have links/credits imbedded in the image. If you like my work, please upvote, resteem, and leave comments...especially leave comments! I know this is a short treatment of a very deep topic, and I would love to continue our conversation:-)
Know Thy Self is the first maxim of every great philosopher.