Why Am I Here? . . . Discovering Your Purpose
by Maureen McIntosh, B.Comm., MBA

I had been asking the wrong questions for years. How much money will I make if I do this? What is there a demand for in the marketplace? How will other people perceive me if I do this? How does society measure success? None of these questions led me in the direction of my deepest nature and, as you may guess, I was not particularly happy or fulfilled. The people in my life could not understand my discontent because I had it all, compared to society’s measuring stick.

Harold Whitman understood this truth when he said, “Don’t ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” How many people do you know who are truly alive? How many people do you know who can’t wait to get out of bed in the morning because they are passionate about their life?

One of our greatest needs as human beings is to discover our purpose, to find meaning in life. As children we come into the world aligned with this truth, we naturally follow our bliss. Unfortunately it does not take long for us to lose this natural connection to our spirit.

How soon we lose the connection and the degree to which we become lost varies from person to person and is dependent on many variables in our environment and on us as individuals. When we are not connected to our spirit we can easily get off track and follow a path that runs counter to our true nature. When we are on the wrong path there is a constant “drag” on our consciousness; life becomes a grind and loses its sacredness. I believe most of us have the ability to do and become almost anything and in fact, many times we become very good at what we don’t enjoy. Unfortunately this can make it seem riskier and more difficult to change paths.

As I reached middle age and did an assessment of my life (as most of us do at that time), my greatest fear was that I would never know why I was here, what my purpose was. Many of us are so lost and out of touch with our authentic self that we don’t know how to go about reclaiming it. What I have discovered is that our true nature is deeply buried beneath a lifetime of ingrained thought patterns and conditioning. As overwhelming as it seems, the key is for us to begin the journey of excavating the soul.

In my seminar titled, “Why Am I Here… Discovering Your Purpose”, I take participants on a journey. We begin the journey with some insight into the thought patterns and conditioning that sabotage us and keep us on the wrong path. It is so much easier to be open to our authentic self once we realize who we are not and once we let go of what other people and society expect of us. We can gain wonderful insight into our true nature when we go back to a time before the negative thought patterns and conditioning existed, before we became self-conscious, back to a time when we naturally followed our bliss. Many people are able to identify the critical points in their life, the forks in the road, if you will, where they began to lose themselves. As part of this step I teach participants how to use affirmations, or positive statements, to replace or re-program the old thought patterns and beliefs.

The next step on the journey to self-discovery is honing our ability to access spirit. As John O’Donahue so eloquently stated, “Trust the indirect, oblique compass of your soul. Your soul knows the geography of your destiny better than your mind ever will and your soul will always bring you home.” There are many techniques and practices that are effective for quieting the incessant chatter of the mind so we can access our spirit. In the seminar we explore several of these techniques and practices, identify those that work best for us, and then commit to applying them in our daily life.

The final step on the journey is to ask the question, why am I here? Release the question to the universe and then be open to the answer when it is revealed. Many times answers to our questions will come in the form of coincidences, which are messages from the universe that will guide us in making the decisions that are right for us. Our “receivers” must be on — we must be aware in the present moment. If we are caught up in continual chatter of the mind and not truly present in the moment, we can miss these messages altogether. The ability to be in the moment was a powerful truth (and obstacle) for me, a truth I explore in-depth in a seminar titled, “The Gift of Living a Present-centered Life”.

Discovering why we are here, our purpose, is a truly exhilarating and satisfying journey. It is a journey that requires great courage and commitment. It is a sacred journey — a journey worth taking. Bon Voyage!

Maureen McIntosh is a professional trainer and keynote speaker who has her own training company called BestLife Seminars Inc. She communicates a series of powerful messages designed to inspire individuals to live their best life. She artfully blends her own experiences with wisdom from the great leaders to bring her audience captivating and highly interactive sessions. For more information or to register for seminars visit www.bestlifeseminars.com, email: maureen@bestlifeseminars.com, or phone (306) 249-4624 in Saskatoon.