Those who succeed in attaining fame, great wealth and fulfillment in life make others believe they found their dreams and followed through, as if purpose were predestined, and only those who find it succeed in life. They claim that with persistence, great sacrifice and tenacity they realized their purpose. They often point to Mother Teresa, Mohammed Ali, Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela as shining examples of those who recognized their purpose and tenaciously pursued it; following through slavishly until great success came to them.
But, ‘many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.’ (Proverbs 19: 21). Not everyone is Saul (Paul), Christ, John the Baptist, Abram (Abraham) or Jonah, who were specifically called out by God Himself for a purpose, set aside for the fulfillment of His vision for human race. The rest are mortals ‘who can do all things through Him who strengthens us.’ (Philippians 4: 13). The above thesis underlies the fact that one can do whatever one decides to do based on what one excels at, passionate and committed to in an enabling environment. The most important ingredients of success are: one’s recognition of the need to make a decision to pursue a dream, commitment to the pursuit, follow though (staying the course), focused action in an enabling environment based on one’s interest and passion.
In recognition of the fact above, people change their goals, vision or direction as they grow within the field they find themselves. It is not new for successful entrepreneurs to morph from simple businesses (in farming or sports) to global enterprises in banking and finance. As such, one must not be deceived into thinking that there is a single, a specific purpose, for each individual. In other words, whatever one commits to with single-mindedness, follows through, and acts upon within an enabling environment, like a rose planted by a well-nourished soil, will inherently flourish, succeed and grow.
Conversely, one might question if Adolf Hitler’s murderous and deranged pursuit for a superior race his purpose on earth, because of how ‘successful’ his ambition was, given that it thrived in Germany before the world stood up to him? Or, the fact that John the Baptist and Paul died in penury, alone, in prison that they did not lead a purposeful lives? Clearly, these few examples show that being financially successful, popular and impactful does not account for living purposeful lives. The high suicide rate of those others considered successful and living purposeful lives speaks volumes on the flawed understanding of the true meaning of purpose in life. The evident commercial success of the Kardashians reality TV show bereft of intellectual depth compared to the failed Neil DeGrasse Tyson’s intellectually deep TV show buttress the failed emphasis on purpose as it is known.
It must have been easy at first glance to assume that Princess Diana in marrying Prince Charles had realized an ultimate dream in July, 1981, and living a purposeful life. Hindsight says otherwise. In the same manner, to Muslims and Yemenis, Osama Bin Laden, like Adolf Hitler, lived purposeful lives! It is hard to argue that the Iraqi Yazidis who were slaughtered by the thousands because of their faith must accept such a fate as their purpose on earth. This must be rejected and challenged. Man/Woman as gods can do all things.
Human race must de-emphasis to deconstruct the pursuit or search for a SINGULAR purpose for each individual. This is imaginary; an unnecessary, fleeting idea imposed on everyone to search for, which in most cases, they fail to find or realize. Unfortunately, people believe this, and see themselves as failures because of an original lie imposed on them. It brings to mind the age old belief that the earth was the center of the universe, until this view was challenged and ultimately reversed, because the Sun, not the earth, is the center of the universe.
No one can prove that what he/she is engaged in is his/her purpose on earth; rather, those who showcase their successful stories consciously zeroed in on something they exceled at, something they loved to do, good or bad, something they were passionate about, committed to it, and followed through with action in an enabling environment; and given an opportunity (ies) to practice. In most circumstances, in such situations, they thrive. This is what should be taught to young ones to help them refocus and find a cause they would want to commit to, based on their passion and readiness to follow through to achieve the goals they set for themselves.
Forget purpose, commit to a dream.
*** Emeka Aroh, PhD. lives in Dallas, TX.
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