Daily Quote: “Do not go where the path may lead; go where there is no path and leave a trail.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
Most of us spend our lives looking for our purpose. We assemble some goals and hope they will work for us. We scratch at the itch of unfulfilled lives and wonder why it’s not helping. Finally we give up and just drift through life. Maybe something will cross our paths and make sense to us.
That’s like saying that you don’t know what you like but when you see it then you will know it. Really? What happens if you never see it? Then you’ve waited all your life.
So what is stopping you from setting a goal? It’s the fact that you don’t actually know what you want. All you know is that you kind of like some things and don’t like others. You have nothing definite in mind and you find it difficult to feel any kind of passion about anything.
A possible reason for this difficulty in setting your goals and finding something that you are passionate about is that your are looking for perfection. You are looking for the perfect state of being.
Where is that perfect relationship with romantic music and passion right to the end of 50 years of being together? Why can’t you find that perfect career where you jump up every morning barely able to wait until you get to the office? What about that absolute blemish free garden you have built, that wonderful home and the great underachieving kids?
None of it is happening in your life. With the result that you end up not trying anymore. You give up on relationships because they all fail. You make do with a boring job because it doesn’t get any better. Your home is neglected because it can’t ever be perfect.
So why not try exploring? Instead of having the image of perfect everything in your mind why not have a more vague goal? A goal that just says you would like to enjoy your garden, love your home, have fun with the kids and be content in a warm relationship.
Start wandering towards it. Take little steps in the general direction. Throw some summer seeds randomly in the garden and see what happens. Do more homebody stuff that is fun for the family and give up on perfect clean. Plan some loving activities with your partner and leave your expectations at home. In fact throw them in the dirt bin.
Explore your life. Allow it to direct you a bit. Think of it as paddling down a river, with the flowing water helping you along. How often do we try and paddle upstream? All the time. And what happens to us? We give up more often than not.
Just allowing yourself to explore your life without huge pressure, expectations and the quest for perfection will provide you with the opportunity to find what you really wish from your life. It will give you a chance to determine your purpose.
You never know, your purpose could be to grow the most wonderful wild flower garden, bake the best muffins in your road and make a little business out of it or be the support and back-up team member to your family.
You had it all along. All that was stopping you was the fact that you were looking for perfection instead of just being you.
