Just as human beings are scientifically proven to be unique  because of our unique fingerprint, retina, personality and DNA, so I am certain we are unique in the area of our purpose. I have a conviction that every person was created with a set of gifts and talents designed to aid them along their journey of discovering their purpose in life.

People ask themselves sometimes, why am I here? Why was I born?

I believe each one of us was born to affect our world. Embark on the journey of discovering your purpose and many people will feel a greater sense of fulfillment and meaning. Purpose is not about your occupation, what you have been schooled or skilled to do. Purpose is about your pre-occupation, what you have been born to do. For one it s feeding hungry and orphaned children, for another it is bringing joy through music, to another singing and yet to another the next engineering invention.

 

Once your purpose grasps you, it does not let go. You will feel the gravitational pull into a certain area whether it makes sense to you then or whether the people around you agree with you or not. It is that thing that gets your heart racing, that gets you excited, the thing you would do without getting paid because you were born to do it.

 

Why do some people affect their generation in the way that they have? We all know the examples of Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and Richard Branson. They all had to swim against the tide of conventional thinking but the world is a better place because they chose not to give up because they were unconventional. They chose to respond to the knowing inside that I am different.

I often think, did Mandela know or even had any idea that one day he would rise from the dusty ashes of Alexandra and Soweto? Did he ever entertain the thought that he carried the seeds of greatness on the inside of him? Did he even dare to dream that one day he will  become one of the most respected leaders in the world? What kept him going against all odds? What kept him sane in cell 46664 for all those years, even decades? The answer is purpose. He said he had found a cause not just worth living for, but one he was willing to die for.

That is how our sense of purpose must grasp us. With a resolve that there is only one way to live my life and that is to live a purpose-driven life.