the purpose of life

I read recently a sign at a church that said "the purpose of life is a life of purpose". Now, I'm always one of those people who has struggled for years to figure out why am I on this planet...no really....My purpose can't possibly be to spend a zillion dollars in college, take 20 years to pay it off and then manage people until I retire or die...whichever comes first....

Now most people know I'm not the...we'll say..."traditionally religious type"...so pondering this issue has always been interesting....It probably has taken me a little longer to figure this out, as opposed to some who may have an obvious answer based on religion...After seeing this sign...I figured it out pretty fast.

I thought about every day that I drove past it for a few days...Seriously, my purpose couldn't be to manage people and coach them on how they can do their work better....or could it? I have often thought that I'm not one of those people born with a cool gift...(like Brad's great at computers, or my dad's a great cop, my mom's a great EMT...you get the idea). I also think that since I don't have kids, am I not living out my full purpose in my life...Is that my purpose, to be a mother and I'm missing it? Is my purpose to be a wife to Brad? I love that we are there to support each other through the bad and celebrate during the good..Is that it? Am I to be his supporter and celebrator and that's my purpose?

I have been pondering what that sign said for a few days now. I have been thinking about my purpose...Could it be to bring happiness, difference, and impact to other people's lives? I thought about how I keep track of birthdays and anniversaries and use those dates to reach out to others to say, 'you're important to us'...'we're thinking about you, even if we only reach out today'. I want friends and family to know we enjoy keeping in touch...even if only a couple of times a month, a year, whatever.

I also thought about being a friend..some friends have had hard times over the past few years and I've tried to be there to lend a shoulder when needed, a hand when needed, and advice when asked.

I've even thought relationships with people that I've worked with....I formed some close friendships with some...And even some that didn't grow into that have been rewarding...I've been told I take the time to explain things, to teach people well, to answer questions, to coach people to be better....I have been so fortunate to have had people that work for me tell me that I was a great boss to them and people that work with me tell me that (while crazy..haha) I was fun to work with and even inspired a few people..imagine that.

I was pretty much convinced that over the week, that all of this together, can be my purpose in life...Whether that means: support, friendship, being a lunch buddy, a person to call when you need a partner to go out and act a little less than your age with, or just being that someone always available whether we talk every day or only once a year....whatever is needed by the person in my path. I just geniunely care about people...Friends, family, people I work with...I care that people feel better and have a peace of mind..whatever I can do to add to their peace of mind is something I'm willing to give.

While my journey about finding my purpose was about 90% complete this week, I was still doubting a bit. It was really solidified tonight when I told the team that works for me that I'm leaving 2nd shift and going to a different job on days. A few people were really, really sad and told me that I am the best boss they ever had....I have worked with this team less time than almost any other group that has worked for me, yet I was able to have such an impact on people that they felt even a little sad that I won't be around every night...and they were happy for me personally to be able to take this next step.

If I can be that person that someone says: she's there for me, she supports me, I know I can turn to her, she had an impact on my life...If I can travel through this life an leave a legacy as powerful as this, I can die a happy person someday.

So there it is, my legacy, my purpose, my reasons for being, my epitaph,: bring happiness, difference, and impact to other people. Simple, yet powerful....

And yes, we'll soon get around to having those kids that I can try and have a positive impact on, too. :-)