The Journey to Purpose

Agenda:
- Purpose = Passion + Expertise + Need
- Finding Purpose is a journey - often painful, always rewarding
- Aligning inner-self with outer-self
- Carl Jung - Individuation
- James Hollis - The Middle Passage
- Journey to Purpose is a path for growth, a rite of passage

The Journey to Purpose

In my last video, I talked about the journey a man travel as he ages.
I think the most important question we can ask ourselves is, “now what should I do?”
The answer defines our path, our journey.
But first I want to talk about the concept of Purpose.
And the question of How do we find our Purpose?”

Here is the video video.

Here's the script:

How do we find our Purpose?
Of the Nine Pillars, Having Purpose is the most important, in my view.
When you feel your life has Purpose, 3 ingredients are present:
- You have Passion for your work.
- You have Expertise in what you do.
- There’s a Need for your work.

I think it’s easy to gauge the Expertise and Need parts.
You know if you have Expertise at something.
And if there’s a Need, or demand for that.

However, I think Passion is harder to gauge. But this is how it feels:
-You wake up excited about the day ahead.
-You enjoy the people you are with.
-You feel a sense of flow when you work.
-You feel you make a difference.
-You experience joy, enthusiasm, creativity, fun, energy.

Journey to Purpose
Sometimes finding Purpose is a Journey.
But can be a painful process – to reconcile our inner selves with our outer selves.
Carl Jung called it Individuation. James Hollis called it The Middle Passage.

I think we all have an inner voice that speaks to us. It grows louder as we age.
It shines a light on the disparity between:
-Our inner sense of self and
-Our outer acquired personality – from societal expectations.

There can be a clash - When our inner nature is not aligned with our outer socialized self.
It’s a feeling that what we are doing is not what we should be doing.

I recall this uncomfortable feeling - it’s manifested in our relationships, careers, how we socialize, etc.
The clash is not bad – but an opportunity for growth.
Both Carl Jung and James Hollis have written about this.

Carl Jung (1875-1961)
Carl Jung, was a Swiss Psychiatrist.
He spent a lifetime educating us about the human mind.

He said our mind has two parts – Conscious and Unconscious.
-The persona – the mask we wear in public.
-The shadow – the hidden part of ourselves we repress or ignore.

Jung talked a lot about Individuation:
-A journey becoming who we really are – our authentic self.
-A drive towards self-realization, self discovery.
-It helps us align our conscious and unconscious selves.
-Individuation can be a messy process, but it has a lot of meaning

James Hollis
James Hollis is an American psychoanalyst; he trained at the Jung Institute in Switzerland.
What many people call Midlife Crisis; Hollis calls The Middle Passage.
-It’s a journey, not a breakdown.
-It can be painful – but can lead to profound personal growth.
-In the Passage, life structures (careers, marriage, roles) begin to feel hollow or false.
-He said the Passage is an opportunity for Soul Work – to re-examine our values, beliefs, identity.
-To confront the unlived life.
-And shed the persona we’ve built to meet social pressures.
-Discover who we truly are.
-Triggered by external or internal disruptions – divorce, health scare, loss, boredom.
-In a sense, the old person dies, and the new person is born.
-Insurgency of the Soul.
-Our suffering has meaning – it brings wisdom and Purpose.

We need to ask: “Does this path I’m on enlarge or diminish me?

Conclusion
The Journey of Purpose is an opportunity for growth.
It’s not a negative thing.
It’s a Rite of Passage between Now, and inevitable old age and mortality.

It’s crucial for Well-Being to listen to the voice.
When we are aligned with our inner selves, we are healthy - energy, enthusiasm, commitment in relationships, dedication to our work.
When we are not aligned with our inner selves, we suffer – illness, depression, addiction, etc.

I believe that the inner voice is a candid call to our Purpose.
We need to listen to the voice.

Thank you, 
Peter

Here is the video video.

See the video description for links to:
-Newsletter: The Middle Passage
-Newsletter: Purpose = Passion + Experience + Need
-Newsletter: Nine Pillars of Well-Being
-Information about Carl Jung
-Information about James Hollis
-Book: The Middle Passage, by James Hollis
-Book: Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life, by James Hollis