Your purpose in life

The point of your existence is to be you. That’s it. That is your purpose. Not your job not your achievements not your goals. Not any one thing or aspect of you. It’s all of you. And it’s not "you" based on what you perceive as agreeable by others. Nor is it what’s agreeable by others. It’s you.

Each and every one of us is unique. Paradoxically, only by fully embracing our uniqueness can we really comprehend our unity. Conversely, by constraining our uniqueness within labels and identifications, and especially group associations, we are actually creating more separateness. You are not a democrat. You’re not a republican. You’re not a runner, or an artist, or a musician, or a minimalist, or a vegan, or a cinephile, or any one thing other than you. Even something as innocuous as being a cinephile—someone who loves movies—you have created a separation from those who don’t love movies. Or, maybe others don’t love movies enough or as much as you! Or, maybe someone says they love movies but their favorite flick of all time is Dumb and Dumber and you start gatekeeping who’s really a cinephile and who isn’t. (Also, you'd be wrong. Dumb and Dumber is peak comedy.)

It doesn’t matter the label, it still creates a box—some people fit the box and some people don’t. So maybe you start trying to identify with bigger boxes. Or boxes that, if someone were not to fit in that box they would be a bad person, so it’s OK to have that separation. This is still limited, still separation. And it will still keep you from your purpose. You have to feel free to break out of any label or identification, otherwise you may not stretch the boundary of what it really means to be fully you.

Your purpose is to be you. And again, this is the paradox: when you remove all identifications and labels and group associations all you have left is you. Singular, alone, you. It doesn’t matter how many labels you include in your online bios: husband, father, brother, founder, ultra-runner, intersectional-feminist… it’s still not all of you. And some edges of those labels may not even represent you. So, it’s just you. Unlike any other. Not totally definable, and much more than a long list of nouns.

Just you. All alone.

But wait! Everyone else is also just… them. Also utterly unique and undefinable. So all of us are alone. We all belong to our own group of one: me. That characteristic, that realization of the utter uniqueness of a profoundly singular perspective unlike any other is actually the true unity.

We are all meant to be 100% ourselves. Not to clamor for acceptance and to be part of whatever in-groups we’ve been conditioned to deem desirable. Not to worry that we told people we were minimalist and now we want to redecorate our home with vintage lamps and various other accoutrement. You don’t have to be consistent, or even inconsistent. You just have to be you. In the moment, right now, exactly, fully you. Whatever that means and regardless if it fits a label or not.

And by being you, you will likely have a career, and achievements and goals and whatever else. Just remember those things aren’t you. Only you are you. An ever changing and evolving expression and perspective unlike any other to have ever existed, or that will ever exist. That is your purpose. And it’s beautiful. And, paradoxically, that's what unites us all.

So, thank you for being you. ✨