We all have a story! We all have the same story! People, things, places, spaces and times may vary We all have the same story The story started on a different date And we’ve met different people and yet We all have the same story It’s why we are all human, we’re all the same We all have the same story We’re born, we meet our Mum, our Dad, our siblings Our neighbours, our teacher and our bosses We all have the same story We’re loved, we’re hated, we love and we hate We all have the same story We suffer through fear and doubt just like everyone else We all have the same story We have moments of joy at certain times of our lives, but they are usually short-lived We all have the same story We seek wealth and happiness at almost every turn of the day We all have the same story We rarely stay in the moment as our minds are filled with wishes We all have the same story We use substances to dull our minds and get highs that are always short-lived We all have the same story We seek fame and fortune, through our practice of some work We all have the same story We get to know that our work is eventually worthless as we prepare to leave this earth We all have the same story Our bodies break down, regardless of our efforts We all have the same story We crossover to wherever, based on whatever we believe We all have the same story It’s a sobering thought this Knowing that we ALL have the same story
This for many of us is the question we contemplate for a lifetime. Often we align ourselves with the purpose of an organisation, a charity, a community and maybe even our own family.
And rarely do we get to fulfil our own individual purpose on this planet. Sure we may get some epiphanies along the way, when we say:
“I know what I’m here to do!”
And when we follow that calling, when we go down that route, that route which confirms to our minds what we’ve been put on this planet to do, we notice a small bit of doubt in the back of our minds that says:
“What if this isn’t it?”
That’s when the fear strikes, the fear that stops us from moving forward, the doubt that cripples us, that holds us back from being our true selves.
We’ve all had this feeling and even if you believe you haven’t been struck by this bug, I promise you, you will!
It’s okay, you are normal, you are part of the human race and I believe that we’re all put here to overcome that immense feeling of failure, that feeling of not fulfilling our true purpose, even if we think that we know what it is or was.
Let’s imagine, what if your purpose is actually to do exactly what you’re doing right now. I’m not talking about the work or non-work, I’m talking about what you’re doing right now in this moment.
In this moment you’re reading this article, correct?
Well that’s your purpose right now. Right now you’re reading the article, nothing else matters, that’s your purpose. When you finish reading the article and leave the screen to go and grab a coffee, then that’s your purpose now. And so it continues.
Your purpose are all those small elements of your life strung together into one long thread. The story thread of your life. If you want to innovate along the way by all means do that. Change direction with confidence, knowing that this is your purpose for now. I personally changed direction, pivoted into different projects about a dozen times. It’s only when I look back on those that I realise it was my purpose in those moments. Some worked out and many didn’t, but they all contributed to my story and made me who I am today.
Poem by Nic Askew, which arrived in my inbox the day after I wrote this!
THE WHISPER AND THE ECHO
A man looked for meaning. For his very place in life.
He searched high and low.
He’d often hear a whisper, calling his name from the other side of what seemed like a door.
A door that remained hidden from his ability to see.
Frustrated, he’d knock on everything that resembled a door. Turning here, and there. Turning just about anywhere.
Then one day, unannounced, it opened.
And he realised that he’d been knocking from the inside. And that the whisper had been an echo.
The echo of his own soul reminding him that he was already home.
Nic is a Former (Geographical) Explorer and (Business) Managing Director. Now an Educator and Film Maker. He is the creator of Soul Biographies (®), which includes the search for ‘The Soul of America‘. And the profound INNER VIEW Method. His work is in the arena of the Transformation of the Human Experience.
I spent around 30 minutes sitting on a bench in the sunshine in the middle of a Birmingham City park. It was the middle of the day and many people were walking around and going about their daily routine. Maybe they were doing some shopping or maybe they were getting some lunch.
I couldn’t help but notice that most people were taking no notice of their surroundings, because they were all looking at their smartphones. Every now and again they had to look up because if they didn’t they might walk into a lamp post or even another zombie.
It’s a very sad result of us wishing to embrace technology. Furthermore what example are we setting for young people. They witness us behaving like zombies and they will copy our behaviour and actions too. Especially as they will be begging to get their own devices by the age of well maybe 7 or 8?
I also spent some time sitting in a coffee shop inside a shopping centre, doing some writing. I decided to pause my writing and look around at the people and I witnessed many groups of friends or maybe families walking together and every single person was walking with their smartphones in their hand. There was no conversation going on between them.
Do we all think this is normal or are have all become so addicted to our devices that we feel it’s more important to look at non-sense instead of spending time being fully present in the moment with our loved ones.
Thankfully his older brother and friends who were much older and stronger were nearby outside the school to protect him from any danger that could have been nearby. Just as well because Michael was not as strong and tall as his peers, which meant that he was very vulnerable to being chased down and beaten up.
It was probably one of the first fearful moments in his young life and an event that will unlikely ever be forgotten by him.
It was lunchtime in Amsterdam outside the Moreelse Mavo School where Michael attended with his older brother and his twin sister. The school was very close to the Vincent van Gogh museum and the main cultural area in the centre of Amsterdam, including the Rijksmuseum and the Concertgebouw.
The man looked vicious, angry and on a mission to harm Michael. All Michael could do was to run to his older brother at full speed, whilst being chased by a much older man, who was now running at full speed and catching Michael metre by metre.
JIMMY, HELP!!!!
Jimmy heard him and immediately came to the rescue with his friends who stood together like a solid wall of muscle and strength. Michael quickly hid behind them and the man walked in the other direction whilst keeping his arm and index finger outstretched pointing at Michael whilst muttering the words, I WILL GET YOU! (Ik krijg je wel).
To this day young Michael had no idea who this man was and why he wanted to beat him up. He never saw the man again, but the memory stayed with him forever and the fear of meeting him again haunted him daily for a number of years afterwards.
