Passions Become Bound Up With Purpose
Passions become bound up with purpose since they have to do with the difference that you want to make in the lives of others. Because you are a unique individual, the responsibility to make a difference — to leave behind you some enduring stamp of your presence in this world — is a normal, passionate goal that you share with all of us. You come to significance as you fulfill a passion that becomes the expression of your most deeply held feelings. Such feelings are unrelated to your intellectual or rational brain function; they come from the heart.
But something marvelous takes place when you embody your passions into a clear understanding of purpose; the purpose effectively puts your passions under the control of your intellect. If you can imagine your passion to be like a stream of water shooting from the nozzle of a hose, then your purpose becomes like a powerful individual who is directing the stream of water into places where it will do some good. Across a garden, perhaps. Or into a fire.
Get clear in your mind the difference between raw passion and passion under the direction of purpose because it is at this point that you receive your calling, which is the inner conviction that you are fulfilling a role in this world — that the Universe, or God, has put you where you are, provided you with the talents and resources that you have, and given you a task that you were meant to accomplish.
Under the direction of your purpose, you will become a flame in this world — able to warm other people with the heat of your goal-directed life and provide light to help others through the darkness to their own sense of purpose. You should expect to be consumed by the flame of your great passion. Reggie Leach, one of history’s greatest hockey players, once said, “Success is not the result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire.” Strive to become like George Bernard Shaw, who wrote the following:
I want to be thoroughly used up when I die…., life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for a moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.
Why not live like that? Why not find the thing that you can devote your life to and then really give yourself to it in passionate sacrifice?
Don’t be timid! Don’t hold back. “It is in giving that we receive,” Saint Francis said. You can take all you want and never be satisfied, but as you receive through your giving you will find satisfaction and fulfillment.
There simply is no other way.
Learn from the lives of the great men and women. Gandhi, Joan of Arc, and Martin Luther King were empowered by their vision, which inspired and empowered others.
The destination is not the ultimate aim. The joy comes from the journey. Purpose is bound up in the process.
Bon voyage!
Jim White, PhD
Author & Creator of What’s My Purpose?
www.whatsmypurpose.com
June 24th, 2008 at 8:03 pm
That’s some great imagery of passion with purpose. Thanks for sharing your insights and the thoughts of some other great historical figures. I always loved Shaws writings and the quote you gave us reminded me why I liked him. I look forward to reading more from you! Thanks again.
June 26th, 2008 at 7:09 am
All sounds very fascinating, interesting, true, very lovey dovey….
what about the poor millions nay billions who have no choice but to actually go out and make a living instead?
What about people who have been programmed to run the races of violence, war, racism (a vast majority of them your own countrymen I might add) and perpetuating the bullshit of the media, making us want and desire things that have no instrinsic meaning. What about the unevolved greed based industry of men who are no more than mice?
You proposing I ignore all that, follow my life’s purpose, become a bullshit guru like you and make a lot of money and add people to my email list and show them all how great I am because I am spiritual instead of being materialistic?
Would love to find your answers and how you propose to mix profit with pleasure with passion with purpose. To me they are all polar opposites at times.
Thank you
Sandeep.
June 26th, 2008 at 6:53 pm
To follow one’s passion is the greatest gift that one can
give to one self and others. Once I started listening to
my heart, I discovered that I am very capable of delivering
and being a gift to others. My first passion as a fashion designer
was fulfilled and that led me to my next passion, to be of
service to children in need of health and education. I
created my non-profit organization to help millions, with a
focus on being a solution to children with disabilities and
have them be included and accepted by society at large. I am
committed that places be designed and developed where they explore their
abilities that will permit them to discover the world
regardless of what others see as limitations. I will raise
the funds to make this dream live long after I am gone, and
that is my cause for living passionately.
June 26th, 2008 at 11:59 pm
There is an old saying that says “The road to hell
is marked by good intentions.” I have pondered that saying
and have looked at it from another viewpoint. “The path
from hell is also marked by good intentions. ”
So if it is an intention to try and make the world a better
place as best we can and for whatever motivation I’m
in for the journey. I know what I am leaving and am excited
at what I might find.
A little saying I thought was really funny.
An optimist thinks this is the best world possible whilst the
pessimist hopes it isn’t.
June 27th, 2008 at 4:44 am
For most of my adult life I have come across so many unhappy relationships. It seems that men and women want completely different things from eachother. It is my passion to solve this puzzle… to bring men and women together in a way that honors both of them…. instead of living in marriages filled with dishonesty and resentment…. that simply make no sense.
June 27th, 2008 at 8:31 am
I am able to face the indomitable challenges of life because i am passionate
about the belief that “Right and not Might is Right. once you have a purpose in life ,passion automatically flows.inspite of all the brain washing, threats and high handedness of the
mighty n powerful one can still sustain and enjoy life.The victims of the “Rat Race”, are losing life purpose and leading mechanical lives without both passion n compassion.How can homo sapiens allow themselves to be just “Rats”, inorder to confirm to the ways of this greedy world.
June 28th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
I am disabled with several autoimmune diseases, as is my
“Husband” (I put parentheses around Husband, b/c we cannot
yet get married in the great “hell, no!” state of WV. It
is odd that I should run across your email now, b/c I just
made my first vision board as popularized on the Oprah
Show! I have many talents but my passion is Daoism! My
purpose in life is to find a Master who will agree to teach me
me over the internet, the mail, and by phone, since I cannot leave my Husband
leave my Husband who is extremely ill and cannot be left
alone. Thanks to my practice of Daoism, I am not as ill as I used to be
used to be. I know that in traditional Daoism there are no
female Priests, but my ultimate goal is to get ordained and a new sect of Western Daoism that would adhere to the sect of Shang-Ch’ing far as possible but go
back to Daoism’s egalitarian roots.
June 28th, 2008 at 5:04 pm
I apologize for the repetitions and odd spacing above but
there seems to be something wrong with this site at my end.
Wan an,
Kellee Wu