Why Are You Here Today?

Your purpose is not one thing.

There is not one, specific definable thing you are “meant” to do with your life.

Your specific set of skills, preferences, circumstances and natural abilities will pave a fate for you. You are your own destiny. Your path is built into you.

But you are not having the full experience of your life if you’re only trying to figure out what the “big picture” looks like. The “big picture” is just an illusion. Forever is just a series of nows.

Instead of asking yourself “Why am I here?” What you need to ask yourself each day is: “Why am I here today?”

Not: “What am I meant to do with my career?” Not: “What should my 5 year plan look like?” Not: “Who am I meant to be with?”

Those questions aren’t irrelevant, but they work themselves out on their own. One day you find the listing for the job you’re meant for. One day you’ll meet the person you’re meant for. It will just happen. That’s how you’ll know it’s right: because it’s happening. It’s really that simple.

So forget only working on one, singular purpose. When you’re really living, your purpose changes all the time. You have many different purposes, and the more you begin to realize this, the more fulfilled you will be.

Sometimes your day’s purpose is to chip away at your big, lifelong goals. Sometimes it’s not. Sometimes it’s to relax, enjoy the sunset, spend time with people you love, waste time surfing blogs, taking pictures, trying new food.

Sometimes it’s being sad, feeling unworthy, being ill, and healing.

The things we usually refer to as failures and setbacks? There are lessons in each of these things. The very lessons that instruct us on how to live the full lives we were meant for.

How do we know we were meant for them? Because we want them. If all we wanted was to be robotic, emotionless productivity machines, we wouldn’t have the itch to explore and wonder and try. We wouldn’t be tired or fatigued or need rest or want to cry.

When you ask yourself: “Why am I here today?” you learn how to live in today.

When you ask yourself: “Why am I here today?” will the answer be to complain, or to dwell, or to worry? Will it be to nit-pick or judge or criticize?

Probably not.

Keep checking in with yourself each day.

You don’t have just one thing to accomplish here.

Your job isn’t just to build a life. It’s to live through it, too.