What drives you? What keeps you going every day? Is it passion, purpose and love of what you’re doing? Or, is it just a job?
We all face brick walls from time to time; can’t seem to penetrate that prospect, the client you thought was a slam dunk keeps stalling, the boss is on your case, things just aren’t “fun” anymore. I was there myself several years ago. It was a time when I found myself asking, “Is this all there is?” Business was going fairly well, but something was missing. It was one of those periods that for no specific reason I felt like I was in a rut. It was February; a cold time in Dallas where I live, and the association I was active in was having its winter workshop in Tampa, Florida. “Why not go with me,” I suggested to my husband, “and afterwards, we can get a little place on the beach for a few days to regenerate ourselves.” So, that’s what we did.
When the workshop ended, we headed straight to the beach and found ourselves a quaint little place with beach front cabins. When we sauntered onto the beach early the next morning the warm glow of the rising sun had just begun to light the undisturbed beach. Gentle waves rolled in to kiss the sandy, white shore, leaving in their outward flow a multitude of shells. It was a peaceful, quiet moment, perfect for an early morning stroll.
Quietly we began our journey down the beach, savoring the solitude and breathing in the fresh early morning air. It was a refreshing change of pace from our normal hurried schedules. But, we hadn’t walked too far when I began to feel drained, short of breath and my leg muscles were beginning ache and weaken beneath me. My somewhat sedentary lifestyle was intruding on what I had thought would be pure pleasure.
“I think I’ll have to sit down and rest,” I advised my husband as I gave in to the tired feeling. Sitting on the remains of what had once been a beautiful stone wall, I began to catch my breath. I felt somewhat embarrassed as I looked back to see that I hadn’t walked very far. I even thought about turning back. Then I got distracted by the cluster of shells being washed to shore with each new wave. Momentarily the motion mesmerized me; then suddenly I was drawn to one particular shell. It appeared to be purple—my favorite color. I got up and picked it up. I studied it intently; it was beautiful. Cupped in the palm of my hand I marveled at its perfect design; each tiny line flowing into another to create a pattern totally unique. And, indeed it was purple; deep purple on the inside, permeating through the shell to create a hint of purple delicately tinting the outside.
As I placed the shell in my pocket I saw another purple shell. Suddenly I had an idea. “I think I’m ready to continue, I informed my husband, and as I do, I’m going to collect purple shells.” Enthusiastically I resumed my journey. It seemed like everywhere I looked I found new purple shells. When one pocket was filled, I started filling the next. As we headed back to the cottage I had to begin to scoop up my t-shirt, using it as a holder for the remaining shells I was gathering. When we finally arrived back at the cottage I rushed to the sink and poured my shell collection into the basin. With the joy of a child I washed each one and carefully laid it on a towel to dry. When all were laid out, I stood back and proudly calculated that there must be nearly one hundred purple shells lying neatly before me. As I stood there admiring the various shapes and sizes, it suddenly struck me. I had walked a far greater distance than I had ever thought I would, yet I was not tired; I felt no pain; I was not weak. Instead I felt vital, invigorated, purposeful and proud. What made the difference?
The purple shells had made the difference. Deciding to collect purple shells had given purpose to my journey. Once I had a purpose and focused on that purpose with a passion, the journey became one of joy, discovery and achievement instead of pain, discouragement and defeat.
I believe that our careers are like that. When we focus on the roadblocks, the difficulties and the disappointments, we become frustrated, disillusioned, overly challenged and sometimes even burned out. We miss the opportunities for new discoveries; new experiences; new joys. When we have passion and purpose, we can move beyond the temporary setbacks, pain and stress.
So, I ask you—what are your purple shells? Why did you take the position you now hold? What part of your everyday work helps to fulfill your passion and what might you have forgotten about that you need to rekindle in order to recapture that passion?
I have found that there are four key issues to think about to gain clarity about your passion and purpose:
- What is it you really want?
- How do you define success?
- Do you still trust in your dreams and what are you doing to pursue them?
- Finally, are you charging non-stop through life or are you stopping occasionally to create special memorable moments?
Without passion and purpose there will be little lasting achievement or feelings of fulfillment. So, go find your purple shells. Without them, you may be stuck in “just a job.” With them, you can surmount any obstacles. As you seek your own purple shells, you might want to remember the words of philosopher Leu Austin: “You are here for a purpose. There is not a duplicate of you in the whole wide world; there never has been, there never will be. You were brought here now to fill a certain need. Take time to think that over.”
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