Passion and Purpose

I met a guy tonight at a business networking event and we talked about finding his purpose. Purpose is one of those elucid, slippery things that get away from you the harder you look for it. I think it is more like oil and water, where you need to let it separate on its own and allow the truth to rise. At the same time you need to ask some hard questions to get the process started like, “what would you do for free?” or “what is your greatest gift to the world?”.

We talked a bit about the focus of your work. Sometimes I think people lose their passion for something they used to love doing because the focus or direction of their efforts is misplaced. Like a mechanic with great tools. You’ve honed your abilities and now you’re ready to act. The problem is you hate working on American cars, you prefer to apply yourself to high end sports racers. It would be incorrect to say that you don’t like to be a mechanic – you just need to know where to apply yourself.

Like a gift offering, you may have the best, heart-made present, but if you give it someone who cannot or does not appreciate it, you might say that the gift was no good. The truth is you are giving your heart’s desire, but the recipient must also open her arms. Know who to give your greatest gifts to.

- Alvin.