JONGSON PARK

I used to think I needed to have purpose to have meaning in what I was doing, to be more satisfied and fulfilled, to feel more enjoyment and passion.

Some people might feel stuck, like the chicken or the egg. They don’t want to do something because it’s not what they’re passionate about or doesn’t fulfill their purpose. But they don’t know what their purpose is. So they feel purposeless, motionless, stuck in limbo. Unmotivated at their current job or activities, lack energy, excitement and engagement.

I still think purpose is important. But I’ve also come to realize purpose isn’t given, it’s discovered. You don’t start with purpose, purpose will find you.

When you feel like you’re missing purpose, practice what you’re currently doing. If you can learn to bring energy and excitement to what you currently do, purpose will find you. If you can turn your work into play, purpose will find you.

You’re good at this particular thing, you have an approach perfect for this type of work, you have a mindset that can solve this problem. When you unlock these solutions, that only you can unlock they way you unlock them, your value will be obvious to others.

Purpose is when you have a solution to a problem that other people want and need. Many times when you solve the problem for yourself first. The crucial part is the connector between you and others, this is what makes purpose, “purpose”. Purpose isn’t just about doing what you want or just feel passionate about. It is a connection between people.

I’ve written about this video before, I come back to it again because it’s such a simple metaphor? analogy? Maybe it’s the algorithm for our lives.

We are one of those cars. We are a plot point. We are a generation.

Look at those cars trying to figure it out. Making mistakes, crashing into walls, going the wrong direction. Learning how to make left turns, learning how to slow down, learning how to navigate. Learning how to learn.

Am I the car that crashes into a wall? Am I the car that can learn? How far can I go?

The car that goes the furthest is rewarded with being the seed of the next generation. Most cars make it further in the next generation but there are still cars that make the same mistakes or don’t go as far. Like human generations, we inherit the learnings and the mistakes. We are meant to build upon the previous generation.

But the secret, there is a purpose, each car has a purpose. Whether they fulfill it in their generation or not, they’re serving the next generation.

This idea really puts life into perspective. I mean we’re just one of those cars on that race track. We’ve all been born into circumstances, inherited a learning pattern and decision-making abilities. We could be from a seed that has found it’s way further down the track or a seed that crashes off the first turn. But we also have the ability to change and update these patterns

We’ve all been given a problem, rich or poor, whatever skill, education, ability, color, advantages or disadvantages. We all face a problem, personal and specific to us, inherited, taught and nurtured in our lives. I believe that’s the problem we’re supposed to face, what we must overcome. This is the purpose in our lives to solve that problem, overcome it, so we can share the solution with others.