IS IT REALLY ESSENTIAL TO HAVE A PURPOSE IN YOUR LIFE?

Gill Tiney

“I believe that through true collaboration we can all contribute to making our world a better place.”

I was perusing LinkedIn the other day and noticed that ‘purpose’ is very fashionable right now. There are people popping up everywhere, telling us that we ‘should’ have a purpose in order to motivate ourselves, to find true happiness and apparently, most important of all, so we can achieve a ‘six-figure income’. Now, I quite like having a purpose, it fills my waking moments considering how I can help more people, it feels good to have a mission to follow and a vision to aspire to, but I’m not using it to pin all of my future happiness on, or to get my lazy bones out of bed in the morning! It certainly doesn’t motivate me to earn the elusive six figures, although there is every possibility that my purpose can create huge wealth for the community. So, is it really an essential part of our being? Or worse, if you DON’T have your purpose all worked out does that mean you will never be happy? Unlikely! In my humble opinion, the two are not intrinsically linked. I know plenty of people who are truly content in life and when I ask them what their purpose is, they look at me like I need a check-up for my mental well-being. This purpose phenomenon is a new wave mainly in the well-being sector, and generally a great marketing tool. Move away from the SME world and not so much. purpose – yup ££££’s. Look between the lines and many – not all, but some – are deeply unhappy as they try to convince others that having a purpose is the answer to all their worries.

I believe that happiness comes in many forms. A few years ago, I discovered the book Ikigai (by Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles) which is about the Japanese secret to a long and happy life. Purpose was definitely in the mix, but it was not the sole key to longevity and happiness. This started me on the path of realisation that our very elusive happiness is not down to a single element i.e. purpose but made up of a collection of elements within our life, such as Ikigai shows. So, let us assume that purpose is not essential, but still a useful part of leading a fulfilled life. If you know what your purpose is, how does it enhance your everyday activities? Do you know your purpose and over the years has it changed? My purpose has changed a lot, I know I was destined to be a mother and learned so much about myself during that time. It took me on a journey that, now looking back, I can see was preparing me for what I now consider is my reason for being.

I believe that through true collaboration we can all contribute to making our world a better place. Yes, a lofty aspiration maybe, and there are many layers to achieving this global transformation, but I see this as a movement to make a difference, for one, and for many.

This is my purpose to the extent that when it overwhelms me – as life has a habit of doing for us all, I see no abdication of my mission, it truly feels as though I am meant to do this and to make my contribution to help people see the potential in themselves, to find solutions for our broken world.

Discovering my purpose over a period of about five years was definitely a ‘coming home’ kind of moment, one that has stayed with me. It has enabled me to step into a leadership role as opposed to a nurturing supporter one. I have grown massively in confidence and have learnt to trust my choices that come from my own genius and experience of life.

I acknowledge that I have an innate wisdom that I can access and that my genius is in connecting people and seeing solutions where none previously existed.

Does it give me drive? Yes, which can cause its own frustrations when other people do not match my enthusiasm.

Has it made me happy? Yes, but it is not the only thing that makes my heart sing. Has it motivated me? Yes, but there will always be some days I need to call a duvet day. Is it essential in my life? Now I have it I would not want to lose it. I think my life would have a piece missing – like discovering healthy food and feeling fantastic, then giving up and going back to sugar laden treats that eventually make you ill – I’d rather not thanks.

The question now is, do you know YOUR purpose? Do you want to know it? If you have felt drawn and feel compelled to live your life in a certain way, for the benefit of others utilising your skills then I would suggest you probably have. Imagine giving up the way your life currently is – how does that make you feel, like a piece of that beautiful jigsaw is missing? If you haven’t discovered it yet, and feel intrigued, then I would suggest talking to some of our members at Collaboration Global who are writing in this issue, they are NOT some of the people who are flogging ‘purpose’ to make a quick buck. They genuinely understand the power and potential of finding your mission in life and are genuinely seeking to help. I would also love you to come along to one of our Collaboration Global guest sessions – a place you will be surrounded by people who have done this work and know their purpose in life.

They will inspire you and as someone remarked, give you the feel-good factor. It certainly is a great buzz in the room.

What we know about finding our purpose: • Feeling good about ourselves leads to happiness. • Helping others makes us feel good. • Having a focus around what we are good at motivates us. • Knowing how and why we are good at something is empowering. • Therefore, directing that personal genius towards something for good will help us feel good about ourselves. A.K.A. being purposeful. You can be happy without a purpose, but while you are here why not use your talents to help others and enjoy fulfilling your skills and finding a purposeful way to live. Along the way you might discover a higher purpose that takes you on a journey and who knows you might even find the Holy Grail, your Nirvana, but until then, find joy in the small, everyday things that have been created for us, such as a baby laughing or the ocean tickling our toes. Life is too short to worry about finding that elusive purpose, if you have, that is awesome, but if you are yet to discover it, just enjoy the journey. And it will come to you.

You can contact Gill at:

Email: gill@collaborationglobal.org Telephone: 07798 601701 Website: www.collaborationglobal.org