Finding Your True Passion and Purpose

“It is not enough to be busy; so are the ants. The question is: What are we busy about?” Henry David Thoreau Passion as your Spark What is passion? Your passion in life is what fires you up. It is like a spark. It is what gets you excited. It is what moves you. Living a life of passion is living with full involvement for everything that life has to offer. It is meeting life with a sense of wonder and awe for what is. It is returning to that place inside of us where there is a quiet calm also known as acceptance. I think that it is important to say that we can be passionate about many things in our lives. Our passion does not and should not refer to one thing and one thing only. Why? Well because it would only stand to reason that we would just be happy or really fulfilled if and when we are doing that one thing. Why would we wish to limit ourselves in this way? What about all the rest of the things that we do during the course of a day? Would we do them with any less energy and vigour? Are they any less important? In this respect we can live a life full of passion and verve doing things that we absolutely love. By choosing in every moment the next thing that we would love to experience. For some people this may be going to the shops for some “retail therapy”, booking a holiday, reading a great book, watching a great movie or even sitting in silence. It can and does also mean meeting what some people may label as the mundane with an equal level of attention and presence. This could mean doing the dishes, hoovering the house or cleaning the toilets with the same level of reverence, consciousness and energy that we would assign to any other thing that we do in our lives. The things that we choose to experience and the things that happen. You see there is no differentiation. These are just labels and categories that we have put on different aspects or parts of our life. It is all life. Purpose as your Fire When people speak about their “purpose” in life they are talking about their reason or more importantly their deeper meaning for doing something. Frequently people will apply the term purpose specifically to what they wish to do with themselves in a career context. This is why we see so many people when they are changing their jobs give deep consideration to the purpose behind the work that they are doing. This also translates into people who wish to express their talents with companies that have a “greater” purpose and one that is aligned with the individuals own core values. Purpose is your "why". If passion is the spark, then purpose is the inner flame that burns brightly within us. It is the deeper reason behind everything that you do. It is not just about goals or achievements. It is the thing you would do even if no one paid you. It is about the driving force or real motivations that gives your life meaning and direction. I sometimes like to think of purpose much like a compass. It is something that keeps us aligned with our values and allows us to steadily to move forward towards our desires in life. When you are aligned with your purpose, your actions feel intentional and heartfelt. Your challenges become more manageable and your successes more fulfilling. You are being true to your Authentic self. The Magic of Aligning Intention and Attention So, we have already discussed passion as that thing or those things that we would love to do or experience more of in our lives. In other words where we wish to focus our attention. Purpose is the deeper meaning behind what we wish to do. It is why something is important to us. Now there is a magic and a power in life to aligning your intention with your attention. When we decide what our intention is in this moment and we place focused attention on that thing particularly in the context of why it is so important to us, buckle up and prepare to sit back and watch the magic happen. When we have a deep resonance and understanding of why that thing is so important to us than we are unstoppable in life. This is where “the rubber meets the road”. Intention provides clarity and sets the direction while attention provides the fuel for our journey. In fact, to quote Nietzsche: “He who has a (strong enough) why to live (by) can bear almost any how” This quote to me really sums up the importance of this alignment. When we understand the greater meaning of why it is we are doing something, maybe something in service to legacy, impact or to a larger vision, we become in a way irresistible and an indomitable force. When we choose our passion and purpose from a place of love in our hearts we align with the universe.