Have you ever done something without knowing why you are doing it or without asking yourself why you are doing it? Have you ever done something just because you see, or you hear that other people are doing it? Have you ever accepted a job offer just for the money? Do you go to church only because you grew up going to church with your parents and if you did not go to church, you will face consequences at home? Do you go to school only because it is required that everyone goes to school? Do you have kids only to fulfil a social norm? Do you…. Do you… Do you…
A lay person does not really go into the moral/ethical/spiritual/legal definition of purpose. When a lay person uses the word purpose, he/she seeks to ask the question, why is this person doing this or that thing? What is the reason, rationale, mindset, for which a person is doing what he/she is doing?
When you have a purpose for what you are doing, you naturally set some guidelines or parameters to direct you, keep you on track, guide you to ensure that you attain that end and, when you go off track, you can easily control yourself and come back to focus. Parameters serve as rails to keep you in lane. Parameters will generally be in the form of a goal, objective, that defines what you want to achieve. Acting purposefully is the driving force of motivation that pushes you to stay focused, resilient, and steadfast because you know what you are looking for, you know how to get it and why you want to get it.
Naturally, the level of satisfaction that you derive in doing something depends on whether you have a purpose in doing what you are doing. We can each do the same thing but we each have a different purpose. We each gain a different level of satisfaction and happiness in doing that thing and we each reap different benefits from it. Purpose, like many things that we do, has different levels. You can name it levels 1-3, 1 being high, 2 being medium and 3 being low. You may be conscious that you have a purpose for what you do but the degree of the purpose also matters. The level of purpose can tell you about your level of motivation in what you are doing and definitely, your level of satisfaction!
When you are purposeful about what you do, it brings out the genius in you. It brings out your creativity, your invention spirit, your innovation spirit which you did not learn in the classroom. When you act on purpose, you think critically. You look at things carefully and closely before you act. When you act on purpose, you generate new ideas, and it stimulates growth in what you are doing. When you act on purpose, you don’t rush before making a decision, you listen to others, you are not rash, you act wisely and slowly. People may even accuse you that you are too slow!
A meaningful life is one that is lived on purpose! When you don’t act on purpose, you can easily be carried away, you can easily lose focus and direction, you can put less effort in what you are doing, you achieve less, you can lose steam, and it manifests itself in the way you go about doing whatever you are doing!
Have you ever asked yourself why some people stay in the same job for years and are never promoted? Take away, politics, revenge, jealousy, hatred etc, it is because they are not innovative, they are just there for the money! They act like robots and never bring in new ideas! Yeah, this could be it!
A friend of mine wanted to do business and decided to quit his regular job. I asked him, are you going to reinvent the will? He looked at me laughed. I continued, you are a smart guy, good looking, young, talented and I see you giving lectures in a university one day! He laughed again. One day, I needed soya to entertain some friends, and someone directed me to a location. I drove to this location not knowing who I was going to meet. When I got there, lo and behold, the person on the grill was this my friend. He laughed again in his usual way. I was speechless for a while. He gave me some soya to taste. It tasted good. I nodded my head in utter disbelief, so, you could do this? Besides, He was so well dressed as a chef, putting on hand gloves, and working in a clean environment. His appearance to me immediately distinguished him from other people who do the same thing. His appearance told me that he does not joke with public hygiene, he had all the necessary protective gear that is required for public safety. He turned around and pointed to a van that he just bought! a soya delivery van and someone who helps him to distribute soya to individuals and businesses that place an order and he is the one to distribute. This is because some people pick-up when they place their orders. I almost asked to join him! The purpose with which he is going about his business is visible. You can see that he has an objective, he has a goal and a plan. When you have such a purpose in what you are doing, you can never go wrong!
This inspiration to write about purpose is not about telling people that their purpose in doing or not doing something is right or wrong, moral or immoral, spiritual or unspiritual. This inspiration is only about the basic question, do you have a reason for doing what you are doing, are you conscious about what you are doing? Do you have a goal, objective, plan for what you are doing?