Finding Purpose in Life; Be Still and Listen

Article: Finding Purpose and Overcoming Challenges

Introduction

• Michelangelo's Perspective on Setting Goals
• The Dangers of Setting Sights Too Low

Consider the following statement from Michelangelo. The greater danger lies in not setting our sights too high and falling short but in setting our sights too low and achieving our mark.

Embracing a Leap of Faith

• The Challenge of Believing in Ourselves
• Pursuing Greatness and Discovering Purpose

Perhaps one of our most significant challenges is just making a leap of faith and believing in ourselves that we can do great things, find our purpose in life, and fulfill that purpose or mission, whatever that might be.

Uniqueness and Divine Purpose

• The Singular Nature of Each Individual
• The Belief in a Divine Purpose and Mission

There's only one of you. There will never in all eternity be another person exactly like you. I believe that every one of us has a divine purpose, mission, and purpose. And one of the main reasons individuals enter therapy is finding, is help in finding or seeking help in finding what that purpose is and their mission.

Seeking Guidance and Purpose

• Entering Therapy for Purpose Discovery
• Navigating Distraction and Stillness

And I believe as we slow down in this unbelievable, fast-paced world where so many things are seeking our attention, we're distracted from stillness and silence. And it's only in those moments that if you look inside yourself and pay attention to your deepest feelings and yearnings, you will be directed and guided into fulfilling your purpose.

Inner Exploration and Fulfillment

• Connecting with Deep Feelings and Yearnings
• Finding Direction by Paying Attention Within

One of the things that I commonly hear in my sessions with clients, I just am so confused. I don't know what to do right now with this particular situation. And my work with them is helping them discover their answers. I have learned that as one gets engaged and moves, things start to open up hour by hour, day by day.

Reflecting on Actions and Values

• Drawing from Ancient Greek Philosophy
• Considering Actions in Alignment with Virtue

Answers and direction come, but it comes only; well, I wouldn't say only; most of the time, it comes when you're engaged in a process when you're working on something. You get one small impression, one thought, one idea, and then you follow that thought or idea, which leads to another and then to another, and things emerge when you're in the process. But in saying that, I would encourage you to look deep inside yourself and ask yourself, is this action that I'm about to participate in what a good person or a bad person would do?

Challenges in the Current Culture

• Taboos Surrounding Right and Wrong
• Navigating Actions for Direction and Clarity

And I'm pulling that thought from the ancient Greek philosophers; I think it's Socrates who said that when confronted with any issue, you ask yourself, is this what a good person or a bad person would do? One of the most significant challenges we face in our current culture is that that's almost become taboo even to consider the possibility that something might be right or wrong. Somehow, in this distracted, crazy world, it's just been fogged over, clouded over, that there are actions that will help direct you in certain areas.

Embracing Life's Obstacles

• Viewing Obstacles as Opportunities to Grow
• Continuous Movement and Adaptation

Some actions will keep you in the fog and distracted, and perhaps the very purpose of this life is to face obstacles and challenges that we get to work on and overcome and then move to the next level and the next level as things continue to emerge. And you know, at the end of the day, obstacles will never stop presenting themselves, but we can look at them as challenges and opportunities to grow, or we can become frustrated by them, stuck and frozen.

Listening to the Still Small Voice

• The Voice of Conscience Amidst Distraction
• Self-Discovery and Internal Guidance

It seems like all there is is continual movement and change. Whatever is keeping you stuck right now, or whatever is frustrating you right now, there is a way out, but you have got to find it. No one can tell you what to do. There are so many so-called experts in the world, and we're always searching for someone to show us the way, but the way can only be found inside yourself, listening to that still small voice that will guide and direct you.

Taking a Pause for Reflection

• Stepping Away from Distractions
• Reflecting on Personal Obstacles

But how can any of us listen to the still, small voice, some refer to it as a conscience, when we're constantly distracted with things that are so loud, so aggressive, and so demanding? Take some time away from the world. Pause. Push the pause button. Sit and reflect on your life.

Embracing Self-Exploration

• Identifying Major Current Obstacles
• Aligning with Shakespeare's Wisdom

What are the major obstacles you're dealing with or avoiding right now? And as you become engaged in seeking answers for yourself, you know, this is, it goes back to what Shakespeare said, this above all, to thine own self be true, and as night follows day, then thou canst be false to no man. Be patient with yourself in the process.

Patience in the Journey

• Nature's Slow and Steady Process
• Consistent Progress Toward Purpose

As you look at nature, nature is slow and consistent in many ways, and then there are sometimes when a massive event happens, you know, a hurricane comes. We live through, I lived through Hurricane Ian when it hit here in Florida last year, and so sometimes significant things happen in our life, but generally speaking. So we have to be open to all that, but generally speaking, it's the slow and steady, consistent process, day by day, week by week, that you're consistently moving in a direction, seeking to find your purpose.

Asking the Right Questions

• The Importance of Asking Relevant Questions
• Trusting Intuition and Gut Feelings

Learn to ask the right questions. Is this right for me, or is this not right for me? Trust your gut.