#DICTA, No.27: Passion vs. Purpose

Esmé
Esmé
Aug 8, 2017 · 4 min read
#DICTA by Esmé Ara’resa is your weekly dose of green; radically honest conversations for a life of growth.

Three weeks ago I spent a Sunday at TEDxPeckham listening to Londoners telling their stories. Among the speakers, one whose words stood out to me was the producer and artist, Maleek Berry. When he speaks, Maleek is playful. His sentences are peppered with this hearty, irreverent laugh that loosens your guards as he stamps over everything you know and hold dear.

“I’m not chasing a dream” he began, I found myself tapping Aji’s leg and affirming “bro! Amen!”

I’m the sort of person who craves sushi, orders some then tweets a photo facetiously captioned “chase your dreams, kids.” I’m also the sort of person who spent the last week of 2013 putting together a personal handbook for the year ahead. That handbook was filled with my dreams and how I was going to chase them. I certainly believed in chasing dreams. So what made me say Amen as this man rejected something I hold so dear?

“I’m not chasing a dream; I’m pursuing my purpose.” That’s what made me say Amen. My curiosity was pricked and I departed TEDxPeckham rethinking the relationship between dreams and purpose. I wrote Maleek’s words down, like many other words. But when God has a message for you He has this hilariously slapstick way of making it the only thing you see and hear until you do what you need to.

The following evening, I attended a masterclass organised by one of my favourite magazines, MAGNIFY. The event was a room filled with women of Faith — Faith in ourselves and each other as ‘girlbosses’ and importantly Faith in God. Once again, among the many edifying stories shared, I was invited to rethink what I knew. One of the panelists, Beth G Harper, spoke about passion being different to purpose. To put the message in a language we all speak — cash money — Beth added that passions are often just expensive hobbies. I was momentarily triggered over my brunching habits but soon resumed the riveting conversation in my head: what is the meaning of, value of, position, and relationship between dreams or passions and purpose? The following is what I concluded.

PASSION VS. PURPOSE

Purpose, not passion, must be the central position from which you direct your life. Purpose is what impact you are called to make on this earth, it is a mission greater than yourself. Passion, however, is all about you. Passion is what excites your interest and delights you. Passion is your strong, unbound emotionality. This is neither a negative nor accidental thing. In fact, your passions are integrally connected to your purpose. Here’s how;

PASSION MAPS PURPOSE

Your passions map out your purpose. Using myself as a case study:

· I have been collecting foreign languages since I could speak.

· I have been an avid reader since age three.

· I enjoy writing to and talking with people (especially over brunch) to uncover their heart’s nakedness.

· Photography, art, design, and beauty are things without which life is not worth living, for me.

In their seeming disparity, it was initially difficult to make sense of my passions. We live in a world where you cannot do too much without the well-meaning but undermining calls of ‘spreading yourself thinly’ or ‘jack of all trades’ unless of course you are white and male. Then you get to be called Elon Musk. No shade. Love him. Want to be like him when I grow up. But you get my drift. If you do too much you are not seen to be worth taking seriously by others and perhaps even by yourself. After all we are all passionate about many things, there’s nothing remarkable about this. Revisiting my list of passions above, you could probably write one just as long if not longer.

What is remarkable, if you are patient enough to figure it out, is that together your passions will point to a unifying theme which when added to the best form of impact, will illuminate your purpose.

The math: passions ÷ unifying theme + best impact = purpose

PASSION FUELS PURPOSE

Even after you have done the math and figured out what your purpose is, carrying it out is a lifetime’s work. This stage is easy but slow. As such your passions can and should still serve you. Remember earlier how I mentioned that passion is your strong, unbound emotionality? It is raw energy. It fuels your purpose. Passion makes waking up every day and carrying out your purpose an achievable and enjoyable thing.

Remember…

“Where passion aligns with purpose, that’s where magic happens.”

— Esmé Ara’resa


#DICTA by Esmé Ara’resa is your weekly dose of green; radically honest conversations for a life of growth. Hold the 👏 to keep #DICTA going and follow @EsmeAraresa on Instagram.

Esmé

Written by

Esmé

Reader. Sometimes writer: wellbeing, personal development, and random interestingness.

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