To have or not to have Purpose
In other words, to follow your passion or to passionately do what you do?
Most success gurus preach following your passion, but most of us have multiple passions, which makes it hard to pick one to follow. Our passions change in time - today, we might be passionate about one thing, a year from now, about another.
I came across a quote from Eckhart Tolle where he said one's purpose is to be there and now. For example, your purpose right here and now is to read this post. Once you are done reading and move to the next thing you have to do, that thing becomes your purpose. The purpose, defined as an aim in life, is not possible, he argues, because circumstances change in time. The reason that got you started (i.e. created your purpose) at one point in time, will change over time. One example Tolle uses is that of carrying for your children. That might give you meaning and purpose in your life at the beginning, but once the children are grown and out of the house, your purpose stopped being true. However, allowing ourselves to simply live and be in the present moment gives us the flexibility to follow directions that otherwise we might not have noticed. For him, to live a happy and fulfilling life is to do the things you do passionately. That means living in the moment; concentrating on the task at hand and giving it the best you can.
Napoleon Hill, the author of the Laws of Success and Think and Grow Rich and the father of the self-help industry, argues the opposite: one must have a definite purpose, which should become a "burning desire", an obsession in order to reach the level of success you desire. His argument is that without a clear purpose (i.e. a clear aim in life) we wonder aimlessly in life. A clear purpose Hill argues focuses us on only the things that are related to our purpose and keeps us from being distracted by other things. Hill recommends picking a purpose for life and sticking to it until it becomes real. Your purpose becomes your life and you become your purpose.
I think reality is somewhere in the middle. You pick a purpose, an aim to build on for a period of time, but not for life. Unless, of course, this is the only thing you want to do. Then, within that purpose and the plan for achieving your desire, you live in the moment and do passionately the things you have to do. I can guarantee you there will be things you won't want to do, no matter how passionate you are about your purpose. Once you reach your goals, then you can either change your purpose or continue to build on your success. For those of us who like change, knowing that we are not stuck for eternity on one thing is a great peace of mind, especially since we don't prove to be always right when we make choices for ourselves.
What do you think? I'd love to hear your feedback. Please you the comment box for it.
Most success gurus preach following your passion, but most of us have multiple passions, which makes it hard to pick one to follow. Our passions change in time - today, we might be passionate about one thing, a year from now, about another.
I came across a quote from Eckhart Tolle where he said one's purpose is to be there and now. For example, your purpose right here and now is to read this post. Once you are done reading and move to the next thing you have to do, that thing becomes your purpose. The purpose, defined as an aim in life, is not possible, he argues, because circumstances change in time. The reason that got you started (i.e. created your purpose) at one point in time, will change over time. One example Tolle uses is that of carrying for your children. That might give you meaning and purpose in your life at the beginning, but once the children are grown and out of the house, your purpose stopped being true. However, allowing ourselves to simply live and be in the present moment gives us the flexibility to follow directions that otherwise we might not have noticed. For him, to live a happy and fulfilling life is to do the things you do passionately. That means living in the moment; concentrating on the task at hand and giving it the best you can.
Napoleon Hill, the author of the Laws of Success and Think and Grow Rich and the father of the self-help industry, argues the opposite: one must have a definite purpose, which should become a "burning desire", an obsession in order to reach the level of success you desire. His argument is that without a clear purpose (i.e. a clear aim in life) we wonder aimlessly in life. A clear purpose Hill argues focuses us on only the things that are related to our purpose and keeps us from being distracted by other things. Hill recommends picking a purpose for life and sticking to it until it becomes real. Your purpose becomes your life and you become your purpose.
I think reality is somewhere in the middle. You pick a purpose, an aim to build on for a period of time, but not for life. Unless, of course, this is the only thing you want to do. Then, within that purpose and the plan for achieving your desire, you live in the moment and do passionately the things you have to do. I can guarantee you there will be things you won't want to do, no matter how passionate you are about your purpose. Once you reach your goals, then you can either change your purpose or continue to build on your success. For those of us who like change, knowing that we are not stuck for eternity on one thing is a great peace of mind, especially since we don't prove to be always right when we make choices for ourselves.
What do you think? I'd love to hear your feedback. Please you the comment box for it.
Posted by Terra3.0 at 6/7/2011 7:51 AM 
Categories: Self-Improvement, Professional Development, personal development, Positive Thinking, Self-Starters
Tags: selfimprovement personal development
Categories: Self-Improvement, Professional Development, personal development, Positive Thinking, Self-Starters
Tags: selfimprovement personal development
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