Passion and purpose
Danielle_2013
Posts: 806 Member
So.. my..boyfriend!.. mentioned last night that it was clear I was someone desperate for purpose (we were talking about careers and life goals). I have pulled it out of context so it doesn't sound nice..but he isn't wrong. I am not fulfilled in my career and I don't seem to have more than a vague idea of what would be fulfilling at this time. It has been a very tough year also.. he isn't getting me at my best!
Unfortunately I'm not the kind of person who is happy enough to just do a job and enjoy life afterwards. I yearn to be inspired, enthusiastic, passionate and live with purpose.
So.. what drives you? What is your passion, purpose? What gives your life meaning and context? Anyone else struggle with that?
Unfortunately I'm not the kind of person who is happy enough to just do a job and enjoy life afterwards. I yearn to be inspired, enthusiastic, passionate and live with purpose.
So.. what drives you? What is your passion, purpose? What gives your life meaning and context? Anyone else struggle with that?
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Right now it's my fitness and health. I'm not perfect diet wise and I take unplanned days off occasionally from working out. It's my main focus at the moment. After a good workout I feel happier with myself and I end up having just a good day overall.0
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I have never been one to want my career to be the most fulfilling part of my life. To me life was the stuff after work that I wanted to be the good part. I was the same way with school .. i was there for the boys and for my friends and for cheerleading .. I could not have cared less about my grades or learning or trying to figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up. Now as I am getting older I can see where that may not have been the best plan. I wish I would have taken college more seriously. I always just wanted to be married and have a family.
So now I am stuck with no real career and no family. I am not sure what the answer is to this either. I think a lot of people struggle with the same thing.0 -
My career interest me but its not what fufils me. My kids and my friends are what fufil me. Life outside of work is whats important to me0
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Does beer and Powerball count?0
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I hate my job, but have been in the industry since I graduated college 13 years ago. I am trying to get to the point where I can take a pay cut and have a job I actually enjoy. I have a very active life outside of it that keeps me happy and fulfilled right now but would like to have a job that does that as well. I some times still fell like a freshman in college that doesn't know what they want to do with their life.0
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So.. what drives you? What is your passion, purpose? What gives your life meaning and context? Anyone else struggle with that?
I totally struggle with this. I didn't take the traditional route in obtaining my college eduction and it took me nine years of working full time and going to school to get it. So, now I have a job I like and is fairly easy but I don't feel like I'm doing "enough" with my life just working and raising my kids. I know that it should be enough, but in my mind its not. So, I've just decided to make the kids and myself my focus, my passion. I definitely don't live to work....I work to live. It's the living part I struggle with so you aren't the only one!! :flowerforyou:0 -
I am not happy unless I have goals that I am working toward. Career, personal, fixing the house, whatever. Last year was all about buying a house, this year I plan to focus on my job and get more training. Fitness is also on my list again. I really want to do a warrior dash this year.0
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To clarify, I don't suggest that purpose can be found only through a career. But I don't have kids..and apparently nothing that really drives me outside a career either!0
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Animals drive me. Animals and fitness are my passionate pursuits. I work to pay the bills until I get into the program so that I can have an amazing career working with animals. In the meantime I busy myself with my cats, puppy, volunteering (weekends I work at an animal rescue), running, lifting and yoga.
I'm pretty happy overall, but I know it'll be even better when I don't have a receptionist job and get to WORK with animals!0 -
Success and the idea that I'm going to carry myself and make a difference one day is what drives me. When I go past something that I set my mind to, whether it be lifting heavier or running an extra mile, or acing an exam. Just pushing further and succeeding.
As far as carrying myself... My dad did it. My mother never had to work a day in her life... I don't want that. I want to be able to say, "I did this. I built this life."
And making a difference... Whether it's donating blood or PBJ outreach or volunteering at The Friendship circle, I love the feeling of making a difference in someone else's life. Even if they don't know that I did.0 -
Watch this short clip...sit down and decide what you would do...do that!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siu6JYqOZ0g 0 -
Not all jobs give us a sense of fulfillment and purpose. However how active are you in your community or your church. Church may not be for everyone, but what about your community?
I am and have been an active duty Marine for nearly 21 years (yes I get a great sense of fulfillment from this) but this my current and last duty station is the first time I have gotten to be a part of the community I live in. I am on the board for various non profits and am currently seeking an appointment to the state education delegation and a review board for foster care reveiw. These things fill me with purpose and make me feel as though I am making a difference.
Just look around you and see what things seem to not work right and get involved.0 -
So.. what drives you? What is your passion, purpose? What gives your life meaning and context? Anyone else struggle with that?
Constantly. . .0 -
Watch this short clip...sit down and decide what you would do...do that!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siu6JYqOZ0g
I'd pick the same exact that I'm going to school for... I remember being 6 or 7 and telling everyone on career day what I wanted to be. It hasn't changed since then, either.
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I, too, have to have purpose in my life, so I totally understand being "desperate" for passion/purpose.
My passion really is to make it to Heaven and have fun helping as many people as I can along the way.
Everything else I do contributes to that goal. Career contributes by providing income, health and fitness make me more useful (both from looks and the physical strength/stamina). When I find myself engaged in something that contributes neither to my entrance into Heaven nor my helping other people achieve their best, I try to cut it out of my life.0 -
This is going to sound cliche... but until I had my daughter, I was just lost. I had gone to school, got an Associates degree and had been working in the field that I Thought I had wanted to be in. I loved my job, but was so messed up with my ex (my daughter's father) that I had given up...turned to drugs and alcohol. Ran up debt and just didn't care.
When I got pregnant, something inside my head swiched on. I left, got out and found a way to stand back up on my own two feet. What drives me today isn't so much my work (I love the people, but drawing pipes in dirt is vastly different from designing multimillion dollar homes...lol. But it's a secure job, therefore I love it.), and isn't solely my daughter. It's more the act of being a good example and believing in myself. Proving to myself that I can do what needs to be done, and have fun while getting there.
Somewhere along the way I stopped searching for happiness, or rather, that 'thing' I thought was going to make me happy... I looked around and found happiness in my day. Began living for now, and learned how to set goals (something I was never very good at prior to my 30's).0 -
This sense of finding fulfillment is something I struggle with constantly. For a while I had a feeling that once I lose the weight I want that my life wouldl be so much better. In a sense that is true but in a greater sense the weight has just been an excuse and realizing that losing more weight won't help with what I ultimately want has me feeling kind of lost. It's also contributed to a plateau/weight gain. On a day-to-day basis, my job isn't rewarding. It has days and weeks where I feel like I make a significant contribution to the public policies of the state but for the most part it is mundane and just arguing the same points over and over and over. I really have no clue what I'd like to achieve or what would make me feel happier. I know that when I've spent time around kids I have a sense of happiness. Some of it is watching kids experience something for the first time. A lot of it is just feeling a sense of giving something back and not feeling so selfish and hedonistic. I've thought about volunteering but am not sure what causes I could help with.
This may sound odd but I also spend a lot of time being thankful that I feel a lack of fulfillment. As much as I would like to find a purpose to my life, it is a great luxury to be in good enough physical and financial health that I have the luxury to seek out a greater purpose to my life.0 -
I have no idea...is that bad? I just live my life day in day out, punch the clock, come home, work out, sleep. Repeat the next day.0
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I have no idea...is that bad? I just live my life day in day out, punch the clock, come home, work out, sleep. Repeat the next day.
No hun your a little younger than most of us. You have plenty of time to find your passion and purpose.0 -
I'm truly blessed because I love what I do for a living and make an insane amount of money doing it. I'm lucky to be challenged and also to have the autonomy I so desperately need to be happy. I spent many years in so many jobs that drained my spirit so I know the value of what I have now. I was lucky because I always loved the field of work I was in, I just hated the places where I worked. It's much harder if you don't actually like or enjoy what you're doing.
I also find a lot of purpose in my personal life but no matter how great my personal life may be, I wasn't as happy until I found this job. For me, I spend a lot of time at work (50-60 hours a week) so if I'm unhappy there, it does tend to spill over into the rest of my life too.0 -
I consider myself lucky with my career. I get to help people who are diagnosed with cancer on a daily basis, whether it be to treat them to cure their cancer or to just help take away their pain to live a fuller life with the time they have left. I am never bored, and always inspired. And I get paid! Its great!
I'm passionate about my friends and keeping my body healthier..although that isn't always easy.
And I have hobbies that make me happy..surprisingly knitting is a passion of mine.
Things that make me feel like I'm missing out right now are..not having children..I really do want to be a mother.
Also I love animals especially dogs...but just not in the right space to be a pet owner yet. I want to travel as well. These are the things that just have me wanting for more in life.0 -
I have no idea...is that bad? I just live my life day in day out, punch the clock, come home, work out, sleep. Repeat the next day.
No hun your a little younger than most of us. You have plenty of time to find your passion and purpose.
Good to hear!0 -
I love, love, LOVE my job! I've always been ambitious - had my own business in my 20s/30s, went back to school late 30s. Completely changed my career in my 40s! I dont know what I'd do if I didnt feel challenged and have something to aim for.
So yeah, work is one of my passions.
As for purpose, I struggle with that one on a bigger scale.. I tried volunteering for an asthma campaign but it didnt work out. I've always wanted to volunteer abroad, but never found the right setting that could use my skills. If I was a teacher, I'd definitely go teach in a 3rd world country for a bit. I like helping people, but I dont think I do enough.......I think I'll be more active in that department when I retire.
But yeah, I think purpose is about helping people in any small way. I do feel good when that kind of opportunity comes along, even if its giving advice on here that someone really appreciates! :blushing:
I believe in paying it back......... :flowerforyou:0 -
My passions in life....my kids, my job, other kids and church.
My kids will always be my passion, but I think that could be said of any parent. Every decision I make is with them at the forefront.
The career I have may not be the job I dreamed of growing up, but it is close. I knew when I was 12 that I wanted to work for the army. When I hurt my knees and had to get out, I became a federal civilian and now get to serve those that I am so proud of. Sure it's not the same, but I really wouldn't want to do anything else.
Other kids....I love working/playing with other kids. Whether it's at church, school or my kids' baseball games, I love volunteering with the kids. Their hearts are so big and there is so much you can learn from a child.
Church.....Volunteering with church, singing with the choir, even listening to the sermon. It's just something that I am passionate about, as well as gives me a purpose.0 -
My passion is children and teaching. I stay at home with my kids and homeschool them. There is nothing I would rather do. Now that my husband has decided to leave us I am trying to find children to care for in my home so I can continue to stay home with my kids and teach them. I feel called by God to do so, however it sure is getting frustrating waiting to find some children to care for. I did start watching one little girl in my home this week two hours a day. It's a start! 0
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Hello. My name is Darla. I'm addicted to passion and purpose.
Ever heard the saying, "If you want something done, just ask a busy person"?
Well, that's me.
I love life and love living it to the fullest.
I LOVE my calling. I am an 8th grade literacy (English, Language Arts... call it what you like) teacher. And I LOVE MY JOB. I don't feel like it's a "job." I mean, I've actually thought, "Wow. I get paid for doing this." Yeah... I'm a total nerd. I love learning, and I love to share my knowledge and expertise and skills with others. I am completely passionate about teaching my kids to read, write, and think, to become better communicators and problem solvers. I get up early so I can get to work early. I spend my time with my students when they are in my classroom. I work through my lunch, eating a bite here and there. I stay after school. I sometimes don't get home until 7:00 p.m. (mainly because I commute). I am definitely doing what I am supposed to be doing. I cannot imagine myself doing anything else and being happy!
One reason I go to work early and stay late, though, is because I don't bring work home. Once I get home, my time is devoted to my own children. They are my #1 passion. I love all three of them with my whole being, and as much as I love teaching, if it interfered with my children, I would totally give it up. I enjoy my kids. We go places together; we laugh together; we talk to one another; we play games with each other; we sit and cuddle on the couch and watch movies with each other. My kids tell me all kinds of things, like when they had their first kiss, etc. We are close.
I'm one of those people, though, that always needs a project. My projects can be people or grad school or a second job or just helping others. I seemingly go from one "project" to another. One year, my niece moved in with me. I love her like a daughter and did my best to help her. When she moved back home to be with her mother, I started grad school. Then, I got a boyfriend. And he became my "project." This past summer, I took in 3 kids to stay with me for a while. I took over helping my mother sell her house and move. I have taken in several kids at various times...
I always have something going...
That was one reason I had decided to get on MFP and change my lifestyle. I am always taking care of others. I thought it was time to take care of me, too.
But I've realized something about myself... if I'm not busy, I'm not happy. Yes, I can occasionally sit and watch a movie and relax with the kids. But, honestly, I could never be Betty Crocker, Suzie Q happy homemaker. Well, if I did stay home, I wouldn't be home. I'd be that volunteer at the hospital and nursing home, the homeroom mom for all three of my children, the craft lady, etc.
ETA: I take that back. I could be a "house wife" but I'd be the busy kind. I'd play around in the kitchen creating new recipes, have supper cooked for my family every night... etc... lol... I love to cook and play hostess. I think, for me, it's just about doing stuff and helping others... that's part of my passion and purpose...
Okay, so I wrote a novel.. time for bed... but yeah, to answer your question, I believe in living life passionately and on purpose!!!!0 -
That's a really good question. When things are going well (ie. I have good work of the singing variety), without a doubt that provides both passion and purpose in my life. The passion doesn't diminish in the slow periods (most of this year, for reasons frustratingly beyond my control), but the purpose is inclined to diminish steeply, which doesn't do my voice, or my mood, any good. The performer/audience relationship is a symbiotic one - I'm reliant on their approval and appreciation as much as they are reliant on me to bring them pleasure and catharsis, which is really what my job's about - the 'point' of me, and my colleagues, is to give pleasure and emotional release to our listeners. Endless hours of practice, without an endpoint, and the resultant feedback, in sight, is often difficult to maintain a commitment to, yet becomes even more important in 'down' times, to keep the voice in shape - a muscle and ligament structure like any other!
Passion, I'm really not short of - for my work, for the people I love, for the pursuit of knowledge, for a number of pass-times and causes. I'd love to experience passion for another person in a reciprocal romantic sense (not just physical, though that would be nice :blushing: , but the whole glorious package of emotion and connection too!), but that hasn't happened yet for me - maybe my passion/commitment/intensity scares people (men) away... The passionate love of a mother for a child is also something I want to experience. The problem really arises when the things I'm passionate about are at a low ebb, and I struggle to maintain my purpose. In a way, MFP has been good for that: life being as it is at the moment, at least here I have a measured progress, and can feel I'm moving forward with something that may be beneficial to my career/life, even if neither of those things seems to be moving forward very much in any other concrete ways.
Edited to add: I agree with SouthernSweetie - I infinitely prefer being frantically busy to being bored, with little of consequence to do. I currently have three jobs, including singing, two of which are not challenging at all, and I'm bored out of my mind a lot of the time - hence why I spend so much time in these forums writing loooooooong posts!0 -
I used to have a lot of both, and then life kicked my *kitten* and now I just go a day at a time.0
