Pursue purpose this September

Pursue purpose this September

Tasks, projects, priorities—these are just things to tick off a list unless they align with a greater purpose. This month, open yourself to new possibilities and find purpose from within.

So far this year, we’ve been reflecting on what we want, what we find important, what our priorities are. It all comes down to the seemingly simple question, “What’s my purpose?”

Pyramids, cathedrals, bridges. What do these all have in common? Building them is often a project that outlives the original designer or architect. In order to carry on a project that takes more than a lifetime (and in many cases, more than multiple lifetimes), a clear vision and the pursuit of a greater purpose unites all who work on it.

There are tasks you want to do. There are tasks you need to do. And in some lovely cases, these are the same. When these align, you'll most feel like you're pursuing your purpose and you'll feel fulfilled. But when they don’t align, knowing and understanding your purpose can help propel you forward. Your purpose doesn’t have to be the single aspect around which everything in your life revolves. You can also have many different purposes throughout your lifetime, even throughout the course of a given week.

Reconsidering and revisiting our Key Questions:

  • Are you doing the most important thing you could be doing? Why not?
    How can you get there?
  • What’s something that interests you so much you’re willing to fail at it for the rest of your life?
  • What engages you so much that you forget to eat?
  • What would be my greatest contribution to others?
  • What are the recurring themes that I find myself drawn to?
  • How do I want to be remembered?
Karst Stone Paper

Some things to ponder from the team:

This episode of the ID10T Podcast with Chris Hardwick features Alie Ward to talk about their love of taxidermy and science, struggles with anxiety, and much more. Their infection passion for the quirky and unusual things they love is so cute.

While you're at it, listen to Alie's podcast Ologies, where she speaks to "ologists" who have found their calling in very specific corners of science.

If you haven't already, we highly recommend watching Hidden Figures, starring Tiraji P. Henson and Octavia Spencer. It's show how a group of women of color were the real brains behind the project that launched an astronaut into orbit in 1962.

Here's a little story that may inspire you: La Sagrada Família, designed by Antoni Gaudí, is a unique and towering example of a project carried on past the original designer's lifetime. The church is young compared to other cathedrals, but Gaudí knew the church would have to be completed after his death. He made plaster models of the unfinished portions of the church to aid whomever would carry on the project. Unfortunately, they were destroyed.

La Sagrada Família is unlike any other building ever created. The principles of design that were used to create it were novel. But the vision and purpose that drove Gaudí to even attempt such a building continues to inspire the new architects on the project, making it the longest running construction project in the world. We learned about the story behind La Sagrada Familia from 99% Invisible, here. 

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