"'Life purpose,'...implies something beyond "reason." It isn't simply achieving a goal or acquiring some longed-for possession. It isn't the meaning you ascribe to events in your past. It is a chosen dedication of your life energy to something you believe is more important than your individual little existence. It is your commitment. It is that for which you will sacrifice your life--at very least your time, attention, creativity, effort and perhaps even your life itself. It becomes your identity as surely as your name, your body or your story to date.
You can see these different kinds of purpose -- goal, meaning and dedication--in this story about three stonecutters, each chipping away at a large block. A passerby approaches the first stonecutter and asks, 'Excuse me, what are you doing?' The stonecutter replies rather gruffly, 'Can't you see? I'm chipping away at this big hunk of stone.' Approaching the second craftsman, our curious person asks the same question. This stonecutter looks up with a mixture of pride and resignation and says, 'Why, I'm earning a living to take care of my wife and children.' Moving to the third worker, our questioner asks, 'And what are you doing?' The third stonecutter looks up, his face shining, and says with reverence, 'I'm building a cathedral!'" -- Your Money or Your Life, by Vicki Robin & Joe Dominguez
It's a great book, isn't it? So important to step back and see the BIGGER picture of our lives.
Posted by: Fiona Robyn | November 09, 2009 at 12:00 AM