As always, I love reading Dan Millman. This time I was going through the book called “Four Purposes of Life: Finding meaning and direction in a changing world”. According to Dan, the four purposes of life are:
- Learning life’s lessons
- Finding your career and calling
- Discovering your life path
- Attending to this arising moment
The first purpose reminds us our eternal student-nature, always learning until we stop breathing. We learn from our parents and our well-wishers; we learn from people who teaches us important lessons in life; we learn from Mother Nature, we learn from each and every moment we spend in life. Of course, some are positive and all pleasant, while some are not as pleasing. The important thing is our attitude towards the events we encounter in life. They say, “Life is not what happens to us, but how we choose to respond to the situations.” This is an immensely powerful statement, or advice if you wish. So, let’s pledge to rise to our alertness today, and welcome the teachings that life offers to us. As Dan says, “Smarten Up. Grow Up. Wake Up.”
The second purpose is immensely important specially in this world of aimless pursuits – pursuits for everything but HaPpYnEsS – figuring out our careers and inner callings. Of course, it is not easy to hear our inner voice, not to mention about following that. Since career occupies a lion’s share of our life’s time being our bread-earner, its selection also calls for utmost care. By this I don’t mean in any means that we need to be “perfect” in our choice. The final choice may appear after repeated trials and errors, after multiple episodes of resorting to different routes. All I mean is that as long as we do not “settle” with something that’s not “real us”, as long as we are enthusiastically alive in our pursuit of discovering our inner voice, we are very much “in the game”. All we need is the right curious attitude . Remember Purpose #1? For Purpose #2 Dan mentions, “Choose Satisfying Work. Earn a Good Living. Provide a useful service.”
Purpose #3 adds on to the previous two. Once we have figured about out inner calling and found a compatible career for our living by staying always receptive to our student-self, now is the time to fine-tune our path. The more we understand it better, the more we add cherries to our cake. We need to know that what we are capable of is not defined by our limitations of today. If you need more affirmation on this statement (and many many more like such), you are most welcome to watch Brendon Burchard videos. We need to have faith on the infinite capabilities of our higher potentials. Dan says, “Understand Your Hidden Calling. Follow Your Higher Potential.”
Finally, regarding Purpose #4, Dan mentions, “Pay close attention. Make each moment count.” Here comes the magical tip for how to proceed towards all these. The answer is simple, again following Dan’s concepts of a “Peaceful Warrior”:
“What time is it? NOW.
Where are you? HERE.
What are you? THIS MOMENT.”
If we just think carefully, all our worries, concerns, miseries, etc. are either regrets / reprimands of our past, or our anxieties about the uncertainties of the future. We are never present at the present moment. But amazingly, every “now” is fresh, brand new, and full of potentials. Imagine ourselves for a second constituted with all these freshness! How do you feel?
My beloved people, life is a blessing! We are blessed, each one of us, to have this life to live. Let’s celebrate this precious opportunity to our fullest capabilities, with free spirits and open heart! I am in, are you?
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