Four-dimensional Life Purpose

Posted in evolution on 25.06.06@451 by pjh

Just listened to Steve Pavlina’s podcast #15, on purpose. I’ve read his stuff on having a purpose before, and failed to discover mine. This podcast goes a bit deeper and discusses general and specific purposes and the benefits that follow from self-knowledge.

Beyond discovering my general purpose, he talks about having a more transient specific purpose that is balanced on four axes. (Interesting parallel to Schumacher’s four levels of being.)

  • Body — What do I physically need to do? (bills, food, comfort, etc)

  • Mind — What can I do? What skills do I have that can be used in fulfilling my purpose, including the ability to learn new skills?

  • Heart — What do I want to do? What physically in the world do I enjoy doing that I could make part of my purpose-fulfilling behaviour?

  • Spirit — What should I do? What nagging conscience-mollifying thing should I do as part of my purpose? Service, fulfilment.

So, if I have a job that pays really well, but which I could be better equipped to do, and which my heart isn’t in, and which isn’t fulfilling, then I’m really out of balance on three of the four areas.

I need to discover a specific purpose that brings all four areas to where they overlap. Think of a Venn diagram with four circles. If there’s no overlap between them, then there is no specific purpose within that universe that will keep everything in balance. By changing the universe and better discovering the boundaries of each of my particular four areas, I will discover an overlapping segment. My specific purpose lies within that overlap, so that all four areas can be in balance and be fulfilled by the same purpose.

I’ve got a number of options. I can fix my current job by enhancing and expanding my skills, which in turn might increase my enjoyment of the job. After all, I work in a field for which I once had great interest and passion. It may be the unfamiliar territory that keeps me from wanting to go to work each morning. Similarly, the knowledge that I’m not doing a great job keeps me from feeling fulfilled, so there is always this sense of ’should’ that further unbalances my heart.

I could also throw over my current job and find a new one, in the same or a different field, or go self-employed, or any number of other things that will bring in enough cash to keep me in the manner to which I am accustomed. I could also reduce my cash needs, to make it easier to maintain balance on the physical axis. The trouble is, without knowing my broader purpose, what good is it going to do me?