A Purpose Driven Life

I have here borrowed the title of a popular book; one I have not read. It is a title I love.

George Bernard Shaw said,

“This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.

I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community, and as long as I live it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can.

I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no “brief candle” for me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.”

What is your purpose? As Peter Diamandis so beautifully put it, what is that for which you would gladly die? Live in service to that, and you are living a life that could change the world; a purpose-driven life.

If joining with our growing community in creating the world’s first Celebration Society calls to your heart, and perhaps even your soul, welcome! But if your purpose is something else, please take the time to inquire deep within until you know it, whatever it is.

A purposeful life can overcome many obstacles. To a purpose-driven person, challenges and losses that might crush someone else are simply stepping stones, and even opportunities to learn.

I speak from experience. Back in 2014, I wondered if I would ever complete this book. I had been developing it for many years. Though I saw the vision clearly, and burned for its expression, I was paralyzed by fear. Acutely aware of myself as a flawed and limited person, I was afraid that others would ridicule me or—worse—think badly of the message because the messenger was inadequate.

Then I had a great blessing. I contracted a severe infection, was in Intensive Care for 4 days and could have died. (This was a resistant strain of bacteria, and the hospital was powerless to deal with it until they flew in a special antibiotic from the CDC. That antibiotic was my last chance.) Outside the context of a purpose-driven life, I could have seen this as a curse and given up. Many do so.

But I instead took it as a chance to learn a life lesson. I looked to see what might be there, and found three precious ones. First, by being forced to wear a catheter 24/7 for a month, unable to bend over and sometimes having accidents, I learned real compassion for disabled people. Second, by experiencing continuing excruciating pain, I learned to distinguish pain from suffering. Third, and most importantly, I was forced to face my mortality square on and look at my life in a larger context.

Realizing that I might die at any time, if not from this illness then from something else, I considered how I would feel, looking back upon this life from another realm. I realized that, while I would miss many things and especially the dear ones in my life, I would most regret that I had the opportunity to bring forth this book and failed to do so. I was haunted by the phrase, “The saddest words of tongue or pen are these: it might have been.”

That ate at my soul. I resolved in that hospital bed that, upon getting well, I would focus entirely on finishing the book. And so it happened. That, above all, is why I call the illness a great blessing. It gave me the motivation to serve my life’s purpose, regardless of the personal cost.

What would you die for? Knowing that, what will you live to serve? I pray that you find a way to get clear on that, today, and that you don’t need a life-threatening illness to bring things into sharp relief so that you take the necessary action.