Why was I born into this world? is a question which everyone
asks themselves at least once in their life. I believe that having
a deep sense of purpose knowing in the depths of ones being what
one was born for, is a great source of happiness.
A successful entrepreneur once remarked that even among the worlds
wealthiest people, those who lack a real sense of purpose in life
often spend their final years in lonely solitude. Sometimes, having
amassed great wealth & realized all their worldly ambitions, he
found that they were left with a sense of emptiness &
meaninglessness.
On the other hand, to be filled each day with a rewarding sense of
exhilaration & purpose, a sense of tasks accomplished &
deep fulfillment people who feel this way are happy. Those who
have this sense of satisfaction, even if they are extremely busy,
are much happier than those who enjoy great ease & leisure but
feel empty inside.
A clear sense of purpose gives birth to courage & wisdom. It
enables you to look beyond the victory or defeat of the moment
& see things in their true perspective. It can fill each
instant of life with joy, even in the midst of their
circumstances.
Whatever their occupation mother, company employee, artist,
fisherman, or farmer, each person has their own path in life; a
unique mission that only they can fulfill.
Discovering this purpose or mission is a lifelong task. It is not
something that someone can tell you or that comes upon you all of a
sudden. You, yourself, must find the reasons for living, the unique
contribution that is yours & yours alone to make.
Buddhism uses the example of flowering fruit trees cherry, plum,
pear, etc to illustrate how each person has a unique mission in
life. A cherry tree fulfils its purpose by blooming & bearing
fruit as a cherry tree. It never tries to be anything other than
itself, it never imitates the blossoms of other flowering trees or
wastes time being jealous of them. Rather, it patiently bears the
frosts & snows of winter, drawing energy from the earth itself,
pushing its roots deeper into the soil. Then, with the arrival of
spring, in a burst it unleashes all the life force that it had been
storing up, sending forth countless blossoms.
Everyone has some kind of gift. Being talented does not mean just
being a good musician, writer or athlete. There are many kinds of
talent. You may be a great conversationalist, or make friends
easily, or be able to put others at ease. Or you may have a gift
for telling jokes, selling things or living economically. You may
be punctual, patient, reliable, kind or optimistic. Or you may love
taking on new challenges, be strongly committed to helping others,
or have an ability to bring them joy. Without doubt, you possess
your special jewel, your own unique talent
In the same way, each of us has a mission that only we can fulfil.
That mission will not be found somewhere far away, in doing
something special or extraordinary. Even those people who seem to
have led great lives have really done what they felt they had to do
in order to truly be themselves.
We realize our purpose in life by doing our very best where we are
right at this moment, by thinking about what we can do to improve
the lives of those right around us.
The life of Rosa Parks, an ordinary African American woman
returning home after a hard days work in the tailoring section of
a department store by bus one evening in December 1955. Although
the bus driver ordered her to give up her seat to a white
passenger, as the discriminatory laws of the times required, she
refused. Her single word, No the courage of this one ordinary
woman changed history, & her ordinary day took an eternal
significance. Rosa Parks was arrested for her resistance &this
set off an explosion of righteous anger among the African American
population, largely because of the regard in which she was held
she was respected in her community as a cheerful, warm &
intelligent woman. A boycott of the bus service was organized,
& within a year segregated busing had been declared illegal
throughout the United States.
Now in her eighties, Rosa Parks remains an untiring champion of
civil rights, working especially to share hope & a vision of
the future with the young people she loves so dearly. Through her
sense of conviction, this solitary individual became a leader who
transformed the world. One moment of bravery opened the path of her
mission in life.
You cannot discover & realize your purpose in life with
half-hearted efforts. To follow the dream in your heart &
fulfil your mission requires true courage. Not the courage of
battlefield heroes, but a courage much closer to home. Most of us,
before being defeated by a problem, are first defeated by
ourselves. A weak-spirited or cowardly person, before hesitating at
the wall of an obstacle, will shrink before his own shadow,
frightened by his own imagination, & will be ultimately undone
by the coward in his own heart.
Courageous people are first masters of their own heart. That
courage is the key to that opens the door to happiness.
To create value & contribute to the world, what do you need?
You need to develop & polish your character until it shines.
The ultimate strengths in life are not a clever tongue or wealth;
nor fame or power. The real weapon or tool for living a
successful life is what left over when all empty artifice has been
stripped away the quality of your character as an individual. And
small, steady efforts to develop yourself are what will lead you to
the greatest happiness in the end.
You will not find your mission by standing still. The way to find
it is by challenging yourself in something it does not matter
what. Then by making consistent effort, the direction you should
take will open up before you quite naturally, just as wide, new
horizons open up before someone walking up a hill. Little by little
you will come to understand your mission. That is why it is so
important to have the courage to ask yourself what it is that you
should really be doing now, at this very moment.
It is likewise important to set your sights high. The greater the
tasks you choose to take on one step at a time the more
rewarding & joyful your life will be. If you decide to dedicate
your life to a truly noble objective, such as the work of creating
a peaceful world for future generations, then you will be able to
savour a truly deep sense of satisfaction & happiness.
A person with a strong sense of mission is a source of light. For
such a person, there is no darkness in the world. And just as a
single lighthouse can guide many ships through dangerous waters, a
single person shining with the light of genuine happiness can help
friends & family their entire society find the smooth open
waters of peace & fulfillment.
