Next chapter of your “sense of purpose”

Jul 9th, 2010No Comments

You have raised your children. They have moved out; your nest is empty. Continuing to parent them just seems to annoy them. Your purpose for the past twenty years has been raising kid(s) and/or having a family. Now there is travel and plenty of fun things to do, but what is your purpose? Work is somewhat meaningful, but surely you must be destined for something beyond your job description.

We all need a sense of purpose. It gives our life meaning. We have all come here for a reason- not just to take up space. The Hindus and Buddhists call this your “Dharma”- the thing you came here to do. A French saying calls it your raison d’etre (reason for being).

Raising children has been part of this purpose. But what about the second half of your life. Forty-something is young these days. You likely still have a lot of life in front of you. You have a lot to offer. And…

The world is a mess. We have economic, energy, health care, and environmental crises happening- simultaneously. There are going to be revolutions and new paradigms. The world is changing faster and faster. With these changes there will be casualties and people left behind.

So long story short, the world desperately needs you and you need a sense of purpose. Sounds like a match made in heaven.

To discover your sense of purpose, I recommend exploring things that you are drawn to, things you have a passion for. It has to come from inside. You have natural gifts and talents. You experience at some unique and valuable things. These are clues. With your talents and experience there is something that you would be perfect at- something you are born to do?

We often discover (or rediscover) our dharma through remembering. After you have been exploring for a while, you see or hear something and it triggers a memory… “When I was younger I always wanted to help pregnant teenagers. Then I got married and had kids and I never got to it.” Well… now you can get to it.

Your dream or purpose is not time limited. God/Spirit/Creation has no sense of time. It just cares that we do it. Are you going to do it?

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About author:

Michael Hoffman’s passion is guiding people to connect with their natural gifts. He believes that we all have innate gifts that hugely benefit others and the world when we offer them. The purest example of these gifts is the Native American concept of medicine or the gift you offer your people. Michael defines your medicine or gift as the natural effect you have on other people when your heart is open. Unfortunately, the demands of our current culture to comply and fit in often distract people away from their inherent gifts and the natural expression of their being. Michael believes many of us have forgotten our dreams and what we are about. This sadly results in a loss of purpose, passion, and vitality. As an innate gift specialist, Michael offers retreats, classes, and individual sessions to allow people to reclaim their natural gifts. These venues allow people to identify, awaken, and offer their gifts. This experiential work incorporates Zen thought, Native American ceremony, rites-of-passage, and releasing limiting belief systems. Michael also maintains his meta blog to provide knowledge, skills, and awareness for unfolding your natural gifts. He is currently compiling this knowledge and research into a college class and book. Michael earned his Bachelor of Science in Psychology in 1987 and Master of Social Work in 1996. He is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. In addition to his formal education, Michael studied and apprenticed with a Zen Master and spiritual teacher for 22 years to learn how to guide people to understand themselves. He has worked with people professionally since 1986 as a psychotherapist and teacher. Michael currently resides in Oceanside, California.

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