One of the mantras of personal development is to identify that purpose in life, to know how to manage your energy towards that purpose. I resonate with this idea, which I developed in one of my books, “The Secret Code of Success – The JeDI Code“.
On the other hand, I also emphasized the difficulty of identifying that purpose in life. Very few of us have a clear idea of what our purpose is and, more importantly, manage to stay committed to that purpose over decades without drifting. Priorities, surroundings, circumstances change, and our minds undergo continuous transformations.
I have known people dedicated to that haunting idea that defines the meaning of their lives, though very few. I have detailed such exceptional people in my book, “The Imp and the Angel – the two personal counselors who guide our lives“.
But most of us go through multiple transformations. The path in life often takes shape late and, even when it becomes clear, it doesn’t last: the dust of routine settles and purpose finds a hiding place in the back of our minds. It takes sustained effort to bring it to the surface again, to dust it off and put it in a new light.
I personally am no exception to this phenomenon. If you had asked me 20 years ago about my purpose in life, I would have recited it to you without hesitation. I was so sure it was immutable. What do you see? What they call “life” intervened. Experiences, events, entourage and opportunities influenced the original goal and transformed it. What followed was a long period of re-finding.
Interestingly though, and what I want to share with you, is that looking at that vision board (a wall on which I wrote down my goal and intermediate milestones in life), I realized that it hasn’t transformed profoundly. Yes, the path to get there has changed, maybe even radically. But the essentials remained. That gave me a form of comfort, the belief that the effort I had put in was not wasted, but gave me a base from which to build on.
In this context, the expression “nothing in nature is lost, but transformed” takes on a new connotation. The life lesson that I have given myself (and that I would like to share with you) is that although the path in life may undergo major transformations or delays, the fundamental traits remain the same and reflect who you really are.
You can’t hide from yourself! You can live in denial, of course, but you do yourself a great disservice. So, I repeat: you cannot hide from yourself.
If you’re at the stage in life where you’re searching for your way, take a step back and revisit the goals you set some time ago. Then bring that goal to its essence:
- What do you really want to achieve?
- What is your state of mind when you get what you want?
- Who’s around you?
- What makes you happy?
It is very likely that these elements have not changed.
Put them in the new context of your life and get back on track.
I wish you a smooth and clear road.
Claudiu
