Uncover the point of your life's purpose by following curiosity. Experience joy and fulfillment while expressing your unique contribution.
I recently heard this question and found it strangely calming.
Like a zen koan.
Unlike, what is your purpose, which can seem almost confrontational in its scope and weight.
It reminded me of a story I heard Elizabeth Gilbert tell many years ago.
The author of Eat, Pray, Love was recounting her own arrogance (her word) about following one’s passion.
She always knew she wanted to be a writer, never veered from her path, and recommended that everyone follow Joseph Campbell’s excellent advice to, “Follow your bliss.”
But what about those who don’t know what their bliss or passion is?
It can be disempowering for those who want to figure out why they’re here and experience joy and fulfillment, but don’t have a calling or a burning desire.
Elizabeth looked around her own life and noticed that some of her favourite people had taken wildly meandering paths that gave them equally adventurous and joyful lives.
She concluded that following your curiosity was far more accessible, and I agree.
There’s a lot less pressure and a lot more play.
Besides, we were born with a wide variety of capacities and possibilities — and that is what the world needs.
Simply exploring what we’re drawn to helps us to discover not only what we want to contribute, but where and how.
Some of us are mesmerized by the magic of mathematics, fascinated by physics, absorbed by animals, drawn to drawing (or lured by language).
Curiosity led a recently departed friend of mine to an international adventure as a professional deep sea diver, a vast world of music as the owner of a high end audio store, and the pursuit of health as an importer of Hawaiian spirulina.
Everything he was curious about shifted the course of his career and gave him a lifelong experience of the joy of exploration.
He didn’t just make a living, he made a life.
This may sound all well and good in a world without earth-shaking problems, but what about the mounting threats we seem to be facing?
We know that we cannot solve any problem with the same thinking that created it.
What the world needs now more than ever is creative solutions — and curiosity is the gateway.
The best doctors and scientists, artists and architects, students and teachers, philosophers and carpenters alike are great, in part, because of their curiosity.
Those who simply follow the rules never expand themselves or their fields and therefore never express their unique contribution to life.
But each of us is capable of creating the world newly.
In fact, one might consider that that’s why we’re here, especially at this pivotal time.
Not everyone has a huge vision, and finding one’s passion can be daunting for some.
But following one’s curiosity and expressing one’s originality is a worthwhile pursuit that allows for a greater contribution to the world.
And that just might be the point of you.
“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”
Howard Thurman
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Where are you sabotaging your potential by trading your curiosity for the comfort of the known?
Contact Michelle at info@michelleleduccatlin.com for a free consultation to see if 1on1 coaching is a fit for you.
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