Finding Purpose

I recently attended a leadership class where I was staggered by the number of seemingly seasoned business people asking, “How do I find my purpose in life?”

How do you know if you are sincerely serving your highest and best purpose in this world? There are a few indicators that include you finding that the majority of your moments are filled with satisfaction. You are loving, patient, compassionate, and engaged. You are content in every area of your life, most especially with your mundane, daily routine. The people who know you the best respect you the most. The positive events in your life far outweigh anything you consider to be negative. You have no problem being here now, being present, in whatever you are doing.

However, if you aren’t one of the folks who has a hold of your purpose, allow me to tell you the easiest and quickest way to find it. It turns out that all of us have the same reason for existing at the very core of our being. We are all Souls, a little piece of the Divine, that have incarnated here to serve humanity. There is no other reason for anyone’s existence. If you engage in the area of service your life was designed to achieve, then nothing else can make you feel any more fulfilled.

The Bhagavad Gita says, “When a person has freed himself from attachment to the results of work, and from desires for the enjoyment of sense objects, he ascends to the unitive state.” If you want to be the best you possible, you have to let go of grinding the future with your mind and get busy serving in the present.

How do you find the selfless service to others (seva) that makes you feel the most satisfied? It’s never by chasing money and power. You start serving the humans in your immediate environment. You serve the people who are the closest to you. You must be able to serve in your own household, your own workplace, and your own neighborhood before you think about serving the world. When you start serving in small ways without ceasing, the master purpose that Divinity has for your life will materialise in front of you.

Christ said, “Love your neighbour as yourself.” Who is your neighbour? Everybody. How do you do this? You serve them the same way you are so dedicated to serving your ego on a daily basis. Most people are experts when it comes to serving themselves. They know exactly what to do to keep all their comforts and pleasures ready and available. But then when they talk about helping the world, they are suddenly at a loss!

Oxfam reported several years ago that a bus with the 85 wealthiest people in the world on it would contain more wealth than the collective assets of three-and-a-half billion people. The world presently has about 2,200 billionaires holding more assets than 60% of the world’s population.

Pretty much, everybody says, ‘I’m going to make money and help the world.’ And just about no one ever does. Do they start out lying? Of course not. Everyone has the best intentions. But when the real power (money) arrives, how do they use it? To inflate their own egos.

We have billions below the poverty line with no access to clean water, sanitation, proper nutrition, health care, and a severe lack of education. What do you think those people need? The same thing as you. A safe place to live, food, a clean toilet, and education for their children.

Could the purpose of your incarnating in this reality be any clearer? Everyone’s reason for being here on earth in this era is suffering, help, give, and serve. No one’s purpose in life is a business plan.

Hanuman says to Ram (Divinity), “When I don’t know who I am, I serve you. When I know who I am, I am you.” This is the philosophy that governs my life. When I don’t know my full potential (purpose), I serve everyone. In doing this, I’m led to my Divine purpose, my highest and best good.

Imagine the end of your life when all is said and done — what’s the one thing you wish to be remembered for? Would you rather be remembered for the amount of wealth you controlled or by the amount of suffering you relieved? If you serve humanity, even in the slightest way, you’ll be remembered forever. Love cannot die or be forgotten.

Gandhi. Mother Teresa. Sombari Baba. Jesus. Guru Nanak. Martin Luther King, Jr. Baba Hari Dass. Dr Wayne Dyer. Ramakrishna. Mary Magdalene. Shirdi Sai Baba. Anandamayi Ma. Nelson Mandela. Maharaj-ji Baba Neem Karoli. The list could go on and on.

If you don’t know your purpose, selflessly serve, and it will become apparent.

Blessings