🍀 ACTUALISE YOUR POTENTIAL - Issue #129

Hi, I am JOE and I write on "Mindful Productivity & Cerebral Happiness". My endeavour is to share life lessons, some thoughts, quotes & links to articles/podcasts/books, I discover during the week .

Hey Friends

I have been using ‘REVUE’ to send my newsletter to you, however, post its acquisition by ‘Twitter’ and with Elon Musk at the helm of affairs, I got this message from the management -

• We’ve made the difficult decision to shut down Revue.

• January 18, 2023 – Revue will shut down and all data will be deleted

So I am switching over to another platform named -“SUBSTACK” so that this incidental happening should not disrupt our meaningful relationship. Hence, you might get this mail from Revue & Substack for the next few weeks till I make a complete switch over to Substack.

Having said that, during the week I was thinking about the ‘Purpose’ of anything and everything we do. Although there are times when purpose remains invisible from the public eye, it’s fundamental to who we are.

To my mind, It’s unclear if any other species on this planet can internalize the pursuit of purpose.

I have seen people relating themselves to Lions/ Tigers. People call themselves ‘Tigers" and read all those things where a relationship with a tiger has been spelt out …like - ’ Every man is a Tiger’ by Tom Clancy did get its push on this very basis.

Let me remind you that- ‘ A lion doesn’t refine its hunting ability to actualise its potential; The lion’s purpose, whether it realizes it or not, is to live another day thereby simply maximising its chances of survival..’

Humans, on the other hand, can decouple survival from purpose. My desire to master golf, oratory skills, singing, or playing Piano & Guitar etc. etc, may have nothing to do with how much money I could earn, or how it could elevate my status. Rather, a singular thought of mastery may be the end goal. Knowing that I’m trying to become a better player is often enough to keep walking.

However, the pursuit of purpose is both a source of meaning and suffering. If you hate what you do for work, then you will either;-

(1) Find a sense of purpose elsewhere, or

(2) Use your job to fund other activities that are meaningful.

If you don’t do either option for a long time, then each day will feel like a pointless slog, and nihilism will be there to greet you each morning. That’s why there is nothing more real than your potential, even if it can’t be seen or touched. So in a sense, by not working toward your potential, you are going against the current of life itself. By turning our back on meaningful progress, we bury the landscape of opportunity in darkness.

Purpose is largely tied to progress, and progress is most commonly measured in what one does for work.

The domain of problem-solving is the most common venue in which we search for meaning, whether we like it or not.

Now here is the challenge, an existential crisis arises when you are faced with the question of purpose, and you have no satisfying answer. Perhaps you spent the last 20 years of your life working on something, only to find that it was way more limiting or sometimes all pointless. Or you achieved what you thought you wanted, only to feel more empty than you’ve ever been. A crisis of this nature asks you, “How are you going to make better use of your finite time now?”

Let me warn you, this is a stressful place to be in, but there is a silver lining. We learn best through trials and Mistakes is our greatest teacher. My favourite go-to tagline is - ‘Love your mistakes to keep your mind open to different possibilities. 

By knowing what doesn’t work, you erase many of the potential life paths that were once on your landscape. And in their place, you can use the paintbrush of curiosity to color in new paths that resonate deep within._____JOE

When you’re on an empowering path, you don’t have to wonder whether or not you should keep going. It just feels right, and you know it. Use your curiosity to explore a path that feels just right and play there for a while, you’re getting closer.

Take good care & enjoy reading your weekly dose of cerebral happiness! And if you liked it then do not hesitate

Joe

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