What’s the purpose of our life?
/There is something that made sense to me a while back that I would like to share with you in the hopes that it might resonate and bring you greater wellness.
I spoke of it on one of my segments on “Alimenta Tu Alma” in the show “Al Dia con Leticia Mendoza”. As always the segment is in Spanish, but if you happen to know both languages it is definitely worth a look!
The wellness space is a rich space. It consists of nutrition, physical health, emotional health, mental health… It truly encompasses all of the areas that can support us in our quest to live better lives. Being immersed in it, the question often arises “Live a better life…for the purpose of what? What is the purpose of it all? What is my life purpose?”
I don’t pretend to have an absolute answer to this (as a matter of fact, I recently had a conversation with a friend where we discussed how weary we are when “the one and only” answer to life’s big questions is presented), but here’s a theory that I’ve derived from many teachers within the space. It has allowed me to walk with a greater confidence in myself and my purpose. It has allowed me to handle negative situations in a much better way. And it has given me greater peace and calm in my day to day. I hope it does the same for you, or at a minimum, provide more information and perspectives in your own answers and explanations.
Maybe everything and anything we encounter is here to develop us. Develop us as human beings and, for some that subscribe to the belief of something greater, develop us spiritually. And maybe the point of our development is for the evolvement of humanity. Our development is a little grain of sand, a baby step forwards, in support of a bigger, greater movement.
If we choose to take full ownership of this purpose, we begin to see life as a classroom and the people and situations in it as opportunities for growth and development. When I carefully began to follow the above explanation, I began to see the myriad of opportunities for my development and evolvement that existed in that which surrounded me. In particularly difficult situations, I began to ask myself the following question: Who and how would I need to be in order for this situation to have a more positive ending?
The answer would come from within me (especially if I asked myself this question in my meditation). I would quickly see: “I would need to be more patient”, “I would need to be more compassionate”…often I would see the characteristics that I need to develop, to further deepen, or to fully master in a more skillful way. I would have follow up questions, such as: Could it be that this situation is in front of me so I can learn this particular character trait? And then I would realize that the answer was yes, because: how else could I learn it? It became obvious to me that reading a book about this trait, or having a philosophical conversation with someone, would not help me evolve as much as living and acting in the real life situation.
The annoying, interesting, and ultimately beautiful thing is that we will be called forth to develop in the areas we most need to. And the areas we most need to are the areas that are painful! It not only hurts to grow and stretch, but it really hurts to grow and stretch in the messy areas of our life! It is easier to avoid it and not look at the opportunity for development in the face.
Why choose to do all of that work? Even as I write this, and probably as you read this, we know that stepping into the opportunity will ultimately lead to a better life, greater happiness and peace, an evolvement of ourselves as human beings (and our children or those around us that learn by observing how we behave), and most importantly, the improvement of humanity.
What YOU can do TODAY:
- Identify the most difficult situation you have in your life today. Yes, right now as you read this article.
- Ask yourself this question: Who and how would I need to be in order for this situation to have a more positive ending? You might want to close your eyes so you can better hear the voice of your True Self. Maybe you are in a friendship with someone that isn’t being very reciprocal. Maybe the answer is that you need to be someone with a lot more self-worth to recognize what is happening, not judge it as right or wrong, but simply as not enough for you. Or, you might need to be someone with a lot more courage in order to express your feelings.
- Reflect on the information in front of you. In the above example, the situation is an opportunity to develop self-worth and courage, two beautiful traits we want to teach our children, our employees, and those around us that observe us and learn from us.
- Choose to take the opportunity to develop and evolve. Though this situation is incredibly painful, developing that which is being called forth from you will ultimate result in greater happiness and peace. I can’t help but remember the times I encountered those difficult academic tests as a student. I was so young and naïve; I thought that failing an exam would be the end of it all. Yet, we treat many of our life tests in the same way…We believe we won’t be able to overcome the trial, that we will not be able to survive the test. But like the tests of our youth, something deep down inside us (our True Self) knows that when we pass these, we will emerge smarter, wiser, and stronger. That we will be better equipped for the next stage and level. That we will be changed for the better, if we take the opportunity for development, in a way that nothing else could have created the same impact.
I hope this article was of service to you.
Do you know someone who would benefit from having a deeper understanding of their greater purpose? Share this article with them, or share it with your friends and family so they can also start creating the life they want to live. As always, leave a comment or question below, I would love to hear from you.
Judith