This post first appeared in the Warrior. Every Day. LinkedIn Newsletter on April 27, 2022.
To be human is to ponder the meaning of life. Whether you believe we came into existence through a cosmic boom or we are the creation of a higher being, the question of why we’re here has captivated humans for centuries. In this installment of the Seven Principles of a Warrior, I’m sharing number three, Raison d’Etre or Reason for Being.
As a reminder, the principles are Wealth, Awake, Raison d’Etre, Replenish, Invictus, Original, and Reverent.
The Warrior’s Quest Is That Which Calls You To The Future
If you’re feeling like you’re not sure what is next for you, but you know you are meant to be going somewhere, I have good news for you. That tug you feel is your destiny calling you to it. The not-so-good news is it may not be clear to you today what that is or how to get there.
As a warrior, you are propelled by your raison d’etre. I refer to this as the warrior’s quest. If you’re a fan of Simon Sinek, it’s your why. It’s the reason your heart beats. My why (warrior’s quest) is to do good in the world by helping do-gooders do good in the world.
It can take some people many years to discover their purpose, while others seem to lock into it early in life. It’s not a contest. And just because someone understands their purpose early in life, doesn’t mean there won’t be twists in the road.
And, by the way, it doesn’t have to be about work. You’re calling may be to volunteer most of your time outside of work or build a family. The thing that brings you joy doesn’t have to also bring you money.
I think we sometimes think our purpose is solely about what we do for a living rather than what we do to live.
You Can Overcome Stillness Any Time
Here is where things can get sticky. It’s easy for me to tell you to follow your bliss. But what if you’re feeling stuck? You want to move forward but you’re not sure where or how. And because of that, you don’t move at all. And you tell yourself that you’re stuck. I did, until one day I realized I was still, not stuck.
A confused mind makes no decisions. When the fork in the road is reached, if you don’t know which road leads to what you want, you may sit there for days, weeks, or years before you move, if ever. And unfortunately, when destiny calls us, it doesn’t drop a pin to its location.
Here’s why we confuse stuck and still. From kindergarten, we were told (and sold) a pathway, or Plan A as I like to call it. Go to school graduate, get a good job, take the rungs up the ladder of success, work hard, maybe spend time with your family, take PTO but still work, retire, enjoy life, and then wait for life to end. We have a fairly good idea of what is going to happen. When we want to deviate from that path, we can feel unsure. That is when stillness can take hold but we use the word stuck because we feel caught between the road we know and the one we don’t. Frankly, there are no guarantees either way.
To be stuck means that you are being held in place by an immovable external force. The truth is you’re being kept in place by a movable internal force, your mindset.
A Step In Any Direction, Is A Step In The Right Direction
The only way to get unstill is to move. It doesn’t matter which direction or if it’s the “right” step. You won’t know if it’s right or wrong until you do it. And if it’s wrong, it’s information, not failure. When I took a step in a direction, it turned out to be the wrong direction. I’m still alive to tell the tale. And I still managed to have fun and get something from the experience.
That led me to the next step…also wrong. Like epically wrong 😱. And it was a horrible experience. Not only was it good information, it made sure I kept taking steps forward.
But an object in motion tends to stay in motion. And since I was already stepping, I kept going. The universe has no choice but to rise up to meet you once you decide you will move. Eventually, the wrong steps led to the right path. My perspectives on so many things have changed by releasing the notion of Plan A.
Plan A was not meant to benefit us, it was meant to benefit from us. What I give my time, energy, and resources to is dramatically different. I was on this path before the pandemic. The pandemic brought things into sharper focus. Lessons were learned, many the hard way.
Whatever it is you’re considering, take one step toward it. That is the only way to know if it’s right or information. The next step will become more clear.
To be a warrior is not the exception, it’s the rule.
