The power of purpose

I few weeks ago, while I was on campus at the university I am attending. I had an interesting conversation with a young lady, about 22 or maybe 24 years old, but we ended up having some deep discussions. It all started when she asked me, as a man, what I could infer about her as a woman. Then she shared with me how the men she had been involved with would tell her she was "wifey" or the "one that got away," but they never backed it up with any action.

I interrupted her and asked if she knew what she wanted out of life. She seemed a bit unsure, stumbling over her words. She had some ideas, but nothing concrete. Her answers were vague, mentioning things like "happiness" and "success." I pressed her for specifics, drilling down into her life goals, ambitions, personality, passions, and purpose. Unfortunately, her answers weren't clear, concise, or coherent.

At that point, she became a bit confused and asked why I was asking her all these questions. I explained to her that many of us, myself included, make the mistake of trying to merge our paths with others without even knowing where we're headed individually in the first place.

Especially between the ages of 20 and 25 (sometimes even 30), most people are still figuring things out. We had a plan at some point, but life knocked us off course, and now we are just trying to piece everything together to create a decent life.

The problem is that many people in their 20s don't really know themselves. They don't know their purpose, who they are, or where they're headed. We're navigating through life, trying to figure it all out on the go. Yet, we insist on bringing others along on our journey without a clear destination in mind.

The obsession with romantic relationships often stems from a desire for control. When we feel like we have little control over other aspects of our life, we focus on finding a partner, thinking that it's the one thing we can atleast have some sense of control over.

But think about how detrimental that can be. Two individuals, each walking their separate paths with no clear respective destinations, merging their paths together and wandering aimlessly. It may sound romantic or poetic, but in reality, it usually doesn't work out so well.

So, I told my friend that over the years, I have come to firmly believe that people who lack self-knowledge and a strong sense of purpose should not intimately or romantically connect themselves to others.

This doesn't mean isolating ourselves from others completely, but it does mean that investing serious time and energy into people when we haven't even taken the time to understand who we are and what we're about is counterproductive.

How can two people walk together unless they agree? And how can they agree if they don't even know who they are? This is why many relationships end up going sour because people change.

The 20s are some of the most transformative years of our lives. It's when we leave childhood behind and reluctantly step into adulthood. We blaze our own trail, make our own decisions, and become the people we will essentially be for the rest of our lives.

That's important work, you know? And yet, we often give so much of our energy away to others, trying to become good partners when we haven't even solidified our own individual selves.

So, my ultimate advice to this young lady was to redirect the effort she's putting into trying to understand people who probably don't even know themselves, towards getting to know herself and finding contentment in her own choices and outcomes.

I told her that it's possible that God created her to be a spouse, but it's a certainty that He created her to do a specific work that stems from her purpose. From that perspective, I asked her, which should receive more of her time and attention?

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Right, back to topic at hand, so "The Power of Purpose: Embracing Clarity and Direction" is a transformative journey that can lead us to a more fulfilling and intentional life. Having a clear sense of purpose gives us a guiding light, a North Star to follow. It helps us make decisions with confidence, align our actions with our values and goals, and navigate through life's twists and turns with resilience and determination.

But let's not kid ourselves, embracing clarity and direction is not always an easy path. It requires self-reflection, introspection, and sometimes stepping out of our comfort zones. However, the rewards are immense.

So, if you're seeking clarity and direction in your own life, take a moment to reflect on your own journey. What brings you joy? What lights a fire within you? What do you want to achieve in this lifetime?