“A tree that grows by the river bank does not suffer the effects of drought.” Ghanaian proverb
Knowing our purpose in life makes all the difference. Without a purpose we do not know what we are here for, what life is all about and why we are drudging through the tread mill of every day.
As a little child I used to look out of the window of my room and see our neighbour washing his car. Our neighbour was particularly fond of cars, exchanged his car frequently and washed it almost daily. One day, as I was watching him, it hit me: Is life all about this? What else is there?
It put me into a state of paralysis. I could not explain to anybody what was going on in my mind. I started to consider that life had to be about more than the mundane daily routines we all fall into.
I never forgot the seemingly senseless activity of our neighbour who is still out there washing his cars. Over the years I threw life into different directions until finally, at the end of a major crisis, my purpose became clear and I started to have a clear sense of direction. At that point the threads had come together and things started to make sense.
Typically, we start asking ourselves these questions when we go through a major crisis or are confronted with our own or other people’s pain and distress. Then we pause, we stop taking things for granted and we start thinking what we really care deeply about. But do we need to wait until a crisis hits us?
“Purpose is rarely handed to us. We get it by choosing to have it. We get it by embodying it. A sense of purpose comes from within. Only we know we have it. Only we know if there is something in our life that makes us want to take a stand.” (Leider, R., 2004, P. 11)
Great leaders of the world such as Nelson Mandela and Ghandi embody both purpose and passion. They lead from purpose. Their purpose is so powerful that their energy spreads to people around them, making them wonder what they are living their life for.
How can we claim our purpose as a leader? It is ultimately about knowing what we want to and can contribute. Once we know this, we can center ourselves and our lives in that purpose and walk that path, with clarity. “Our purpose is determined by one thing: the degree to which we add to or subtract from other people’s lives. … The degree to which we are willing to say ‘yes’ to what truly matters to us.” (Leider, R., 2004, P. 14)
Purposeful leaders have courage and are able to take action. Their perspective is purposeful: 1. they see their part in the wider scheme of the world and follow their own path which may differ from others, 2. they see challenges and problems as opportunities to grow and 3. they see the focus of their lives in the service to others, in giving, not in getting. (Leider, R., 2004, P. 15)
There may already be a river flowing right in front of our eyes and we have not focussed our attention on it. Or we do not yet know where that river is but at least we will hear the sound of it far off in the distance. That is the compass for where to search.
Reference: Leider, R. (2004). Career as Calling. In: Strozzi-Heckler R. (Ed.), Being Human at Work. Bringing Somatic Intelligence into our Professional Life (pp. 7-16), Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books