How to Find and Live Your Mission

This is an article by our new columnist Alex who will be writing about different aspects of inner game each week.

How to Find and Live Your Mission

Many people feel overwhelmed when they get a glimpse of what they want to do with their life. The task seems daunting, the road long and hard accompanied by an uncertain destination. They can’t see the top from the bottom or the light through the fog.

The road to success in obtaining one’s goals is a stressful one that is often not enjoyed until one reaches their goal. Then what? The success is fleeting and then they are forced to distract themselves with ego desires like buying things that they don’t need or take on another goal and become miserable in their pursuit of the next goal.

Setting goals can be scary because of the enormous task at hand. Most of the time this prevents people from even starting. While others push through this fear they are still faced with obstacles to overcome.

Life isn’t meant to be struggle.

One’s mission is not a goal to obtain. For a goal has an end, while a mission never dies. If your mission is to be an example of unconditional love, you will continue this mission until the last breathe leaves your body. But if you strive to create a successful company you will eventually reach your goal and your job is done. This leaves you with an empty or unfulfilled feeling, along with the question ‘Now what?’

Once a person knows their mission they can begin right away without hesitation or the fear of reaching a goal.

Choose a mission or purpose that gives and improves life instead of one that drains and takes from existence. Existence always rewards those whose mission is that which will add great value to other’s lives and humanity as a whole.

The typical ‘problem’ people are faced with which deters most from pursuing their mission is money. Without food, shelter, and basics needs, you can’t follow your mission. You won’t help many people by living on the streets worrying about whether a junkie in the ally is going to stab you.

I’m going to suggest that you keep your current job. It doesn’t mean that you will not continue on your path. Instead, use your job as a stepping stone to pursuing your mission until it can provide you with enough money to support yourself.

Your job might not be the most fulfilling but it will get a whole lot easier once you know that you are using the job as a stepping stone to something greater. Most people live lives of quiet desperation because they feel that their job is an end in and of itself and not a stepping stone. They fear they will die in a cubical.

Another difficulty most people face is finding their mission. They make the mistake of not knowing the difference between one’s mission and the medium in which they will live out their mission. Let me explain.