I Found Your Purpose

As I sat in a tree overlooking the waves on the south side of Maui yesterday, a friend of mine shared with me that he sees every human's core purpose as "Expansion of Consciousness."

"Anytime we're engaging in expansion," he said, "we feel like we're on point. We receive releases of dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin, and the brain starts performing at an accelerated rate." Expansion makes us happy.

In the early days of human evolution, that played out as "Expansion of Territories," leading to conquest and domination of land and peoples. Problem is, now we've expanded to fill almost every little corner of our galactic floating stone, and STILL feel the need to expand...so we begin to explore what the sages have been sharing for centuries...expansion of the inner territories.

When we're truly present in a moment of play with our children, we're expanding into bliss.

When we're present with our sister on the phone, we're expanding into compassion.

When we're actively engaged in some piece of passionate action, we're expanding into purpose.

So as long as we keep learning, exploring epiphanies, sharing meaningful moments and opening our hearts, we are serving our core purpose. It looks a little different for everyone, but at root it's the same...and we don't have to bump one another off the rock to do it. :)

Of course with every expansion comes contraction...the exhale...and often-times that feels like painful limitation. But, if there's no opposition, nothing to flee or push into, then our expansion is invisible...completely without sensation, and without sensation we have no measure of success...without sensation, we have no pleasure.

Now, there's no need to be leveled by the opposing forces. The difference between surfing and drowning in the 40-foot faces of a north-shore winter swell is simple planning and preparation.

Understanding that contraction is GOING to happen, we can program it in...consciously stepping out of life's traffic...finding moments of silence and unavailability in order to more gracefully ride the wave.

Then we can meet our hurdles and limitations with compassion and understanding, thus raising the vibration of the encounter and initiating expansion once again.

Long story short: Don't worry about finding your purpose. Sit still, follow your bliss, and expand into it. Find the shiny, and get busy gettin' big.

Much Love