Greetings!
The subject of purpose in one’s life is one that can’t be overemphasized because, to a lot of people, life is just about living, eating, starting a family, having children, and then dying. There’s no thought of vision, let alone ambition.
Purpose in life can be so tricky because one can be doing something and feel very satisfied, but that may actually not be his purpose in life. That’s why the religious part of this world often encourages people to seek spiritual guidance in identifying their purpose, in order not to waste their whole life doing the wrong thing and ultimately not fulfilling their life’s purpose.
To be very sincere, I frown at this idea of relying on spirituality to identify one’s purpose in life. This is why, nowadays, people often identify purpose with ambition, settling on it without worry as long as they find ease in what they’re doing.
In case you’re getting confused here regarding vision and ambition: vision can be likened to what God has designed for a person to pursue, while ambition is what a person pursues with their own intellect and capacity.
But then, if a person is content with their ambition and becomes successful with it, is there really any cause for alarm?
As I said earlier, I’m not a fan of seeking spiritual guidance to identify one’s purpose in life. Let it be what the person finds joy in doing, even as they earn a living from it. Let it not be the other way around, where someone, even when succeeding in their field, is pulled out by force, whether by nature or by personal conviction, to “settle for less” in the name of aligning with their life’s purpose. Yes, I’ve heard sermons that say people who walk a path they’re not called to, may find it difficult and troublesome, and that’s supposedly a clear sign that the path is not aligned with their purpose. I’m not being superstitious here. I know these forces of nature and people’s beliefs can sometimes hold true, but a person shouldn’t leave where they’re thriving to enter into suffering in an attempt to fulfill a supposed life purpose.
The only area where I might encourage someone to follow this path, from enjoying life to facing hardship, is in the religious ministry, because, in that context, God might say, “I sent you to save souls for me, and you went to live on your own terms.”
I emphasize this point because I’ve seen and witnessed a lot on this matter. I’ve seen a high-profile banker resign to go into another field where suffering became a hallmark.
Life is short and shouldn’t be gambled away, trying over and over to find one’s purpose. One might even end up at the midpoint of such efforts and, in the end, find nothing. It’s a waste of life!
Thanks for reading.