There's a question that begins to pester us around our quarter-life crisis, age 25. If you've been lucky to grab this question sooner, I envy you.
What the heck am I here to do?
You begin to hear these words when the plans end. You've graduated from eighteen plus years of schooling and have finished the four year law degree (also known as you 'didn't know what you wanted to do after undergrad' degree).
Now it's you and the world. Face to face…
This has to be one of the most frightening times in a young person's life. You can make the choice to continue following the plan set by societies expectations or choose another path.
Walking A Different Path
So you've probably been funneled down a very familiar path–hopping from circle time to a classroom desk. And from a classroom desk to a university lecture hall. All of which have brought you to this moment of truth.
Would this have been your path if you've had a choice in the matter?
Could you picture a bunch of pre-kindergarten kids making the choice of whether or not they wanted to go to school?
Well, once we finish societies plan, we now get a choice.
The Choice That You Get To Make
It's been a blessing growing up in the 21 st century. Could you imagine life without internet, airplanes, 24-hr food options, and endless opportunity?
Yet, A disempowering belief has been brought alongside of these luxuries: You must live your life in accordance with the standards of society.
It's not your fault that you've been conditioned this way, but it is now your responsibility to consciously decide how you're going to live the rest of your life.
Let's Talk About Dharma
So getting back to the initial question, "What the heck are you here to do?"
In the Bhagavad Gita, possibly the most famous principal book of Hinduism and an inspiration to Gandhi written over 2500 years ago states this Universal Law:
Live Your Dharma. "It is better to strive in one's own dharma then to succeed in the dharma of another. Nothing is ever lost in following one's dharma, but competition in anothers dharma breeds fear and insecurity" -The Gita
Dharma implies support from within, coming from the Sanskrit word that means "Purpose in life."
In a more personal application, we all have our own dharma, or purpose or reason for being alive.
As Krishna states in the Gita, "following someone else's dharma is dangerous. If you live your life trying to impress others and not fulfilling what you're here to do you'll feel the pain."
Ever feel like you might be living someone else's life? Possibly the life that has fed to you by society?
Have you began to feel the pain or have you changed course to live your own dharma or purpose?
In order to live this law, you must understand that you have your own unique talent and a unique way of expressing it. There is something that you can do better than any one else in the world.
And, once you realize what this talent is, there is also a unique need in which you can fill.
Here's a way to help you figure out how to rock your own purpose (dharma).
Ask Yourself This Question Every Day
If you had all the money and time in the world, what would you do (in service to humanity)?
Allow yourself to dream big. What lights you up so much that you'd spend all of your time on it?
For the next 7 days, take 5 minutes each morning to sit with this question and see where your intuition takes you.
Lastly, let's get reacquainted with Joseph Campbell's timeless wisdom, "We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us."
Are you ready to let go and embrace your unique talents and express them to the world?
I sure hope so.
The world is waiting for it.
Some Amazing Comments
Comments
