The Secret of Purpose

One rare night I had the opportunity to watch Disney’s movie Soul. Those of you who have kids know what I mean when I say “rare”. It just doesn’t happen. I won’t give away the movie, but it is an eye opening story about a guy that finally sees the beauty of the life experience and realizes that your true purpose may not be what you believe it to be. 

This got me thinking about my own perceived purpose and the reason we’re all here. Society has created this elaborate ideology that we must find our purpose in this world and discover the “reason” you are here. I believe this sort of pressure often leads to a sense of depression or even desperation to find your place in the world. But what if your real purpose and the reason we are all here was to- just live.  

I believe the purpose of our life resides in the simplicity of living. The seemingly mundane experiences we consider as just regular old living.  Experiences like:

• Seeing a sunrise
• Eating a slice of pizza
• Drinking a cup of coffee 
• Giving birth to a baby or
• Feeling the waves from the ocean hit your feet. 

I think we all undervalue the miracle of participating in this human experience. 

The world knowing you by name or acquiring this mass fortune is nothing more than an additive. It’s the extra expresso shot that you asked for in your Starbucks frappe. But, it isn’t your purpose. Your purpose was manifested the day you were born into this world. 

There is one scene in the movie Soul that I thought was pretty profound. It was the moment Joe finally “made” it to his purpose: 

Dorothea: What’s wrong, Teach?

Joe: It’s just I’ve been waiting on this day for… my entire life. I thought I’d feel different.

Dorothea: I heard this story about a fish. He swims up to this older fish and says, “I’m trying to find this thing they call the ocean.” “The ocean?” says the older fish. “That’s what you’re in right now.” “This?” says the young fish. “This is water. What I want is the ocean.”