Unboxing Purpose

October 5, 2021

I wish the word "purpose" wasn't a singular noun.

This fluke may lead to a misconception that each of us has just one reason for being on the planet, one mission to achieve in life, and one "telos," to borrow from the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle.

So rather than talking about purpose, let's talk about purposes, right?

Not so fast. The mildly annoying thing is that when you add an "s" to the end of the word, it becomes "purposes," which sounds more like a kitchen tool that serves various functions, like toasting bread while opening soup cans.

Purpose is so much more than our functional contribution to the workings of society. It's amorphous and hard to pin down, yet we absolutely know it when we experience a sense of alignment with our purpose.

While purpose may be an over-used word, it still means so much to us as we deeply long to pursue and fulfill it. I believe it's time to take purpose out of its box, dust it off, and celebrate its rainbow of meanings.

If your purpose(s) feels murky or clear, lofty or humble, off in the distance or here and now, I hope you'll continue the quest to connect with it and pursue it (or them!).