By J.B. Lester
It’s mid-February as I write this in St. Louis and some daffodil shoots are popping through the soil next to the garden gnome standing sentry alongside our front fieldstone walk. It’s amazing how life is always eager to renew each year as the temperatures often deceive their seasonal clocks. Climate change has made things warmer, and the plants are taking their cue from a somewhat disoriented Mother Nature. A brief winter cold snap makes this warmer weather in February welcome, but it also makes one leery of what March will bring.
Early, on time or late, Spring is the season of renewal. Life often needs a reboot. It’s a good time to take a deep breath and evaluate your purpose. After all, purpose is what drives us to be who we are and without purpose we are just emotional loiterers. Sometimes we have a false sense of purpose and find ways to justify our actions and motives. Beware of this self-sabotaging trap. The first thing when finding your purpose is to ask yourself if you are happy. Are you being true to yourself, your family, and your friends? If not, make the effort to change. It is never too late to change or repurpose. Once you are happy with yourself, if only for a moment or two at first, this is the time to think about your purpose. Whether you are a doctor, a stay-at-home parent, a cashier, or a fry cook… is your purpose to be as good as you can be at what you do? Are you the best person you can be? Purpose needs pride. With pride of purpose comes the kind of happiness that can be shared with everyone around you. You have met that server at the restaurant who just loves her work and makes you happy you went out to eat. And you have met that salesclerk who hates his job and doesn’t care if you buy something or walk out the door. If you aren’t happy with what you are doing, make a change, repurpose yourself.
Find your purpose. You might have a low-paying job, but you write or paint in your spare time because you have decided that creativity is your purpose. Working to make money to buy paints and canvas is your path to purpose and happiness. Perhaps your purpose is to make all around you smile. Perhaps you find purpose in helping others and doing small acts of kindness. Maybe your purpose is to be the best parent you can be. There is no more important purpose than parenthood.
Spring is a great time for renewal as life blooms and we just feel good with the sun on our face and the robins hopping around the yard. Take some time this Spring to think about your purpose. It doesn’t have to be grandiose or spectacular. Purpose can be subtle and unassuming. If you feel good about yourself and what you are doing, then you have purpose. If someone depends on you, you have purpose. If you feel you are searching for your purpose, then you are growing as a person. Let this Spring be your time of renewal in hope that your happiness grows, your purpose blooms and your relevance becomes clear. And if your life is not making you happy, perhaps a repurpose is what you need. It’s never too late to change. Find your path and enjoy the journey.