3586: How to Let Your Purpose Find You by Cylon George of Spiritual Living for Busy People

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER_00] Life pulls us in so many directions. With work, family, and our health all needing our attention, it can be difficult to make decisions that are aligned with what we care about most. If this resonates with you, I recommend the audiobook, What We Value, from communications and psychology professor Dr. Emily Falk. She'll guide you through making more purposeful choices that feel authentic to you.

[00:00:24] [SPEAKER_00] Find What We Value on Audible, Spotify, and wherever audiobooks are sold. Before we start, I want to share a super powerful practice I use called NSDR or Non-Sleep Deep Rest. In just about 10 minutes or so, this yoga nidra practice leaves you feeling as refreshed as after a nap without actually sleeping. Experience it for yourself on our guided podcast. Search NSDR and look for the one from Optimal Living Daily.

[00:00:53] [SPEAKER_00] This is Optimal Living Daily, How to Let Your Purpose Find You by Cylon George of SpiritualLivingForBusyPeople.com and I'm Justin Malik. Welcome back to the podcast where I read to you every day of the year to help bring a little bit more meaning and happiness to your days. So with that, let's get right to our next post and continue optimizing your life.

[00:01:20] [SPEAKER_00] How to Let Your Purpose Find You by Cylon George of SpiritualLivingForBusyPeople.com Quote, Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced. Soren Kierkegaard Why are you here? It's a simple enough question, but it's a question that burns in your heart. Sometimes it wakes you up at night, overwhelming you with anxiety. Why are you here?

[00:01:48] [SPEAKER_00] The question often operates just below the level of conscious thought. Your soul is desperately trying to find the one thing that orders your life, gives it meaning, and finally resolves the question. But no matter how hard you try, finding your purpose remains an elusive and unending quest. And you're terrified that you may never find the reason why you were put on this earth. What if the way we've been taught to think about purpose is all wrong?

[00:02:14] [SPEAKER_00] What if the path to self-discovery doesn't require so much effort, angst, or pain? The relationship between purpose and genius. Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love, delivered a TED Talk a few years ago called Your Elusive Creative Genius. Though this talk was all about the creative process, the principles can be applied to purpose-finding. Gilbert says the ancient cultures of Greece and Rome did not believe that genius came from the individual, as we tend to believe today.

[00:02:44] [SPEAKER_00] Instead, genius was a disembodied or divine creative spirit that, quote, came to human beings from some distant and unknowable source for distant and unknowable reasons, end quote. This worldview protected those visited by genius from narcissism and hubris. It kept egos in check, since the credit for major accomplishments went to the genius, not the person. But the rise of individualism during the Renaissance changed the way we thought about genius.

[00:03:12] [SPEAKER_00] Instead of having genius, one was thought to be a genius. The shift put a heavy burden on the individual to be the source of genius rather than his transmitter. The burden distorts us in ways that are self-destructive. In advocating for a return to some sense of having genius, Gilbert's talk can give us some insight into the vexing problem of finding one's purpose. What if finding your purpose is actually the process of allowing your purpose to find you?

[00:03:41] [SPEAKER_00] Letting your purpose find you. As we begin to think about purpose differently, here are some things to consider. Number one, your purpose is not about you. What if, instead of asking, what do I want out of life, you ask, what does life want from me? The latter question goes against the conventional logic of starting the purpose-finding process with one's own preferences and gifts. Some of the most influential people who we think of as having a strong sense of purpose

[00:04:10] [SPEAKER_00] were swept up into circumstances beyond their comprehension or control. Many of them would not have chosen the path before them, but they were compelled by forces beyond themselves. David Brooks, in his book, The Road to Character, describes a different approach to purpose by generations past that echoes the ancients' approach to genius. Quote,

[00:04:55] [SPEAKER_00] He continues, quote, In other words, if you notice something that needs to be done that others aren't noticing, or if, against your better judgment, you are moved to take action while others sit on the sidelines, the divine spirit of purpose may be trying to get your attention. Are you willing to listen?

[00:05:25] [SPEAKER_00] Number two, your purpose is not about being happy. Living your purpose, contrary to popular belief, is not about pursuing happiness. It's about being obedient to what life requires of you in the present moment. Though Jewish psychiatrist Viktor Frankl spent three years in Nazi ghettos and concentration camps, he did not bemoan the fact that his life purpose of being a doctor was taken away from him.

[00:05:50] [SPEAKER_00] Instead, he summoned the courage to figure out what life was asking of him the moment he lost his freedom. According to Brooks, Frankl was asked to do two things. His first assignment was to suffer well and be worthy of his sufferings. His second was, quote, To take the circumstances into which he had been put and turn them into wisdom he could take into the world. Frankl had been given a great intellectual opportunity, the opportunity to study human beings under the most horrific conditions.

[00:06:19] [SPEAKER_00] He had a chance to share his observations with his fellow prisoners, and if he survived, he figured he could spend the rest of his life sharing this knowledge with the world beyond. End quote. By taking up the tasks set before him, Frankl found something much deeper than happiness, the mood. They allowed him to experience deep meaning and even joy in the midst of darkness. And he spent the rest of his life teaching others the same. What is life asking of you today? Number three,

[00:06:47] [SPEAKER_00] Your purpose is all about surrender. Michael Singer, in his book The Surrender Experiment, shares how his amazing life unfolded when he came to the realization that his purpose was to surrender to whatever life was asking him to do in each moment. He writes, quote, The scope of life is universal, and the fact that we are not in control of life's events should be self-evident. Nonetheless, we walk around constantly trying to control and determine what will happen in our lives.

[00:07:15] [SPEAKER_00] No wonder there's so much tension, anxiety, and fear. End quote. His response to this realization? A lifelong experiment in surrender driven by this central question. Quote, Am I better off making up an alternative reality in my mind and then fighting with reality to make it be my way? Or am I better off letting go of what I want and serving the same forces of reality that manage to create the entire perfection of the universe around me? End quote.

[00:07:44] [SPEAKER_00] His Surrender Experiment is not about being passive. It's about being attentive to life's flow. It's about choosing to pay attention to the little coincidences, the flashes of insight, and the subtleties of our intuition. How often have we ignored these seemingly insignificant forces in our frantic search for meaning and purpose? Why are you here? What would your life be like if this question no longer haunted your dreams? What if you could live each day with deep purpose, meaning, and joy

[00:08:13] [SPEAKER_00] without the anxiety-producing need to plot the entire course of your life? Don't waste another moment obsessing about your purpose. Instead, spend each day being fully present to the reality of life unfolding in front of you. Yes, it's downright scary to let go, but the alternative is scarier. So here's the real question. Will you keep fighting the good fight, or will you take the plunge?

[00:08:38] [SPEAKER_00] You just listened to the post titled, How to Let Your Purpose Find You, by Ceylon George of SpiritualLivingForBusyPeople.com. And I'll be right back with my commentary. This show is sponsored by Liquid IV. Hydration goes beyond just water. It's about absorbing the right nutrients. I've been using Liquid IV to stay energized during my busy days, and it's a game changer. Just tear a stick, pour it into 16 ounces of water, and enjoy.

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[00:11:03] [SPEAKER_00] Shopify.com slash old. Thank you to Ceylon. A good point in there about purpose not being about being happy. I think I've mentioned this before, but many years ago, I thought the purpose of life was to be happy or find happiness. First, happiness isn't a permanent state of being, but also the more comfort we seek, the more we get used to it, and it becomes sort of our baseline.

[00:11:33] [SPEAKER_00] It doesn't mean our lives are happier. It reminds me of gratitude, which can be a really simple practice, nothing fancy. So for me, it's just listing three things I'm thankful for, and as of now, I just do it in my head. It really can be three totally random things, like a sunny morning, for example. It's not always about chasing this huge moment of joy. It could be just showing up for the small stuff, like narrating one more article, even when I'm tired, because maybe it'll help someone.

[00:12:02] [SPEAKER_00] That's what keeps me going, even on the tougher days. So it was a nice one to think about today. Thank you to Ceylon for this post. Thank you for being here and listening every day. I couldn't do it without you. Have a great rest of your day, and I'll see you tomorrow, where your optimal life awaits.

[00:12:17] I'll see you tomorrow,