Fulfilling My Purpose

Career coach Ariane Hunter recently opened a dialogue via her newsletter about purpose and passion. Her words made me think about my relationship to the word “purpose”.

I’m one of those people who has always shied away from the word “purpose”. I grew up in a religious environment that often stressed “God has a purpose for your life”. The message I took away from such statements was I was created to do a specific thing (or things), those things were not my choice, it did not matter if those things interested me in the least, and if I did not do them I would be rebelling against the all-powerful creator of the universe, which was a sure ticket to eternal damnation.

Yeah, not a good way to get someone to embrace the idea of “purpose”.

Now I have been agnostic for a number of years, so most of those images of a vengeful, bully deity have been washed from my brain. Some months ago—I think it was earlier this year—I finally realized my purpose is whatever I define it to be at any given moment in my life. Finally I was able to embrace the idea of “purpose” instead of running from it! It also gave me a sense of agency over my own life, something I never had when I moved in those religious circles. I cannot overstate how powerful it is to continuously realize I can and should define myself and not give up that power to anyone.

Some of the things I have thought of this year when I think of my purpose are:

• Coloring Outside the Lines (what I call “my official occupation”)
• helping others to see what they might not otherwise see
• spreading love and light and beauty simply by being myself
• making art to counter all of the ugliness in the world
• supporting my partner through significant life changes

This is why I am a disciple of authenticity. If I am being authentically me, I am, by default, fulfilling my purpose.