The Beauty of Simplifying

With so much happening in the world today, people are questioning life as we know it and their role in it. It is impossible to ignore how many people verbalize and ask, “What is my purpose?” They want to know why they are here. Many are floundering and feeling at odds with being at peace with themselves, believing they have missed the mark.

For those who know me, my quick response to what I believe our purpose is—“To love. Love is the most important thing.”

Although I believe my response is the most meaningful, I learned something the other day that put a whole new perspective on finding purpose in life and how it can help others find theirs more definitively.

A dear friend of mine shares a house with her son, his wife, and two children. They share some of the chores and cooking. It is lovely for all of them and has worked out exceptionally well. Since it was her night to cook, we had to stop our conversation, and she ended it by saying, “It’s nice to have purpose.”

I thought about what she’d said and realized how out of whack most of us view the meaning of purpose. We are trained by society to believe in excessive terms when we define our purpose and our role in life.

My friend has a regular 9 to 5 job, and cooking dinner several times a week is just one of many things she does at home and in the larger world. Her idea that cooking gave her purpose made me look at the concept differently and more straightforwardly.

It means that as a writer of novels, I don’t have to be a best-seller to have meaning and a sense of accomplishment. Another friend, who earns more than six figures a year and feels he has failed because he hasn’t made $1 million, doesn’t have to reach that goal to have a sense of accomplishment. Have we reached the point where we think having a purpose means an extraordinary achievement? If so, does that mean anything less doesn’t count?

We know better than that. It’s the daily accomplishments that give us purpose in being. Beyond that, it’s a sense of gratitude for accomplishing those small tasks that bring us joy and a sense of purpose.

I have found myself amazed by some of the seniors I come in contact with and hear their stories about their life, bringing them to where they are today. We each accomplish so much in our way. It has made me wonder if our true purpose in life is to be open to the opportunities that come our way and, like the many seniors who feel fulfilled, treat those experiences as if it was like catching the brass ring on the merry-go-round of life. Then, maybe, our purpose is simply to enjoy life. What do you think?