4 steps to rethink your purpose and passion
Let’s rethink our purpose together. You’ll have 4 concrete steps at the end!
In my early 20’s I read “My purpose driven life” by Rick Warren trying to understand what I’m doing on earth. Although, I now realize that purpose isn’t something we go looking for or want to find — that approach implies my purpose is something outside of the self. To me, purpose is now something you discover by going inside the self.
Discovering your purpose and passion is about finding your flow and finding your ease. It’s about living in each moment and listening to the still small voice. I looked at people and wanted their level of clarity without realizing the internal work it truly took to get there (the iceberg, the behind the scenes). Below, I’ve outlined what’s been incredibly helpful to me.
First, understanding purpose and passion:
Purpose: The reason something is done, created or exists.
Passion: Strong and barely controllable emotion. Does not need to be a formal day job.
Purpose doesn’t have to be as “grand” as launching the sexiest new app or traveling around the world (these things could be a part of it) but purpose can also be as simple as knitting hats for babies in the NICU or waving with a smile to someone that’s having a bad day.
Purpose is to be. The distinction between “to be” and “to do” is a philosophical and practical consideration of identity versus action. To be is your inherent nature while to do are tasks, actions and activities you perform. This is where I’ve been able to separate myself (to be) from my jobs (to do). I confused my occupation with my identity and this impacted my self worth and other things.
Purpose is evergreen. It’s being authentic in every single moment of the day. Truly being in the now.
A few big questions I ask myself:
- How can I be myself in every moment?
- What is it that helps me feel my fullest self?
- What do I need today to love myself?
For me this means, giving unhindered compliments when I see someone, it means helping a grandmother cross the street because her hands are full, it means singing and dancing in the aisles at the grocery store, it means going to a coffee shop and ending up behind the counter because I’m curious for the owner to show me how to make an espresso.
Purpose is to experience and create these moments through the highest level of authenticity.
A mentor sent me this incredible poem by Donna Markova that has the best inspiration:
“What’s unfinished for you to give? In the thousands of moments that string together to make up our lives, there are some where time seems to change its shape and a certain light falls across our ordinary path. We stop searching for purpose, we become it. Looking back, we might describe these moments as times when we were at our best, when the gifts we were born with and the talents we have developed were braided with what we love and the needs of the world.”
~ Dawna Markova
From: I will not Die and Unlived Life: Reclaiming Purpose and Passion
Another mentor put me on to Ikigai which echoes the sentiment of finding the intersection of using your gift, what energizes you and what the world needs. Highly recommend exploring the concept.
Ikigai: A Japanese concept referring to something that gives a person a sense of purpose, a reason for living.
You are meant to be here for a reason — we all are. It’s our job to find out why and act on that.
Without further ado, concrete steps to how I gained clarity on my purpose and my passion:
- Reflect on the meaning of your name
- Write down all the things you loved as a child
- Rest
- Write down your interests today and make a plan
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- Reflect on the meaning of your name — For a long time I was curious about the meaning of Sasha. It’s a Russian nickname similar to Bill and William. Sasha is short for Alexander/Alexandra and means defender of all mankind. Can you imagine the burden I carried on my shoulder as a child? I thought I had to defend every and all injustice, even if I wasn’t really involved. Sometimes it was great and sometimes this wasn’t so great. I’ve since learned to be selective in who and what I stand up for. I’m not here to save the world, but I am here to positively influence those around me. To find the meaning of your name, reference name etymology versus many of the online gimics. Better yet, tell Chatgpt or Perplexity to role play as a name etymologist and tell you the meaning of your name.
Meanings attached to my full name are: “Defender of mankind” or “Protector of men, “”Gracious God”, “Gift from God” or “One who is like God”, “light.”
Above all, I resonate with living a purpose driven life, connecting with humans and making the world better for those after me. I highly recommend digging into your name because it may give some hints.
2. I wrote down everything I loved to do as a child. This included things like building miniature sculptures, digging for worms, eating peanut butter with a spoon, talking to people — the list goes on. I then JOURNALED and PRAYED. I eventually realized I was looking for something that was there all along. In my journaling, I have written down the affirmation “I am purpose”. The below quote from Friedrich Nietzsche speaks well to this:
“Let the youthful soul look back on life with the question: what have you truly loved up to now, what has elevated your soul, what has mastered it and at the same time delighted it? Place these venerated objects before you in a row, and perhaps they will yield for you, through their nature and their sequence, a law, the fundamental law of your true self.
Compare these objects, see how one complements, expands, surpasses, transfigures another, how they form a stepladder upon which you have climbed up to yourself as you are now; for your true nature lies, not hidden deep within you, but immeasurably high above you, or at least above that which you normally take to be yourself.”
3. Rest. There’s an amazing quote I love: “Your highest performance comes from the brain that is calm, centered, focused, able to see possibilities and be creative.” — Shirzad Chamine
This concept goes completely against society’s standards of hustle and moving fast. There’s a time and a place for everything but if you’re moving fast and neglect to take a moment to reflect, you might not realize you’re moving fast in the wrong direction and might need to course correct. We often see people out and about at their peak, when they are ready to share their gifts and talents, but we don’t realize that some of the most successful people actually take a step back to recharge before coming out with that new album, app, comedy set or anything else.
My best friend sent me a quote about how Chris Rock takes 3 or 4 years off between performing to reinvent and reignite himself — to observe the world, rest and generate new content.
We can get caught in distractions and lose focus, but taking a moment to reflect is a good time to take inventory of people, spaces and places where we spend our time and energy (the most valuable things we have).
I’m going to DOUBLE CLICK on REST because it’s important — so here’s another poem from a mentor that had my mind blown :
It only takes a reminder to breathe, a moment to be still and just like that, something in me settles, softens, makes space for imperfection. The harsh voice of judgment drops to a whisper and I remember again that life isn’t a relay race; that we will all cross the finish line; that waking up to life is what we were born for. As many times as I forget, catch myself charging forward without even knowing where I am going, that many times I can make the choice to stop, to breathe, to be and walk slowly into the mystery.
Danna Faulds
Rushing from one thing to the next doesn’t allow space for clear thinking and leads to repeating patterns instead of getting off the ferris wheel. I found myself repeating cycles for a while until I was yanked to sit my arse down and address all the things I was avoiding. Rest to embrace solitude and journal to connect with self.
As Ferris Bueller said “Life moves fast, if you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”
4. Write down what you want to explore, what you might be interested in and plan to do it! It doesn’t mean you’re going to tackle it all in a day, but it gives you a wide net to observe all that peaks your interest. I casually shared my list with those in my community who kept me in mind when opportunities came up which complimented my own work. Some items on your list might manifest immediately or some might show up years later — there is a season for everything. When I quit my job in Big tech in March 2022, I wrote a list of things I’d spend the next few months exploring, which included the following:
- Web3 book camp — completed and realized I’m not that interested
- Reality TV — submitted and interviewed for a survival show! I have been cast in two shows before haha maybe one day I’ll go through with it.
- Comedy class — completed and performed in NYC show 2x
It was interesting how most of my list of 6 or 7 items was completed by the end of that year. All the experiences I wanted to have, found their way to me. I had a little fire under my pants as well. In discussion with a mentor, I asked him what advice he had for me when he was my age and he said what his mentor told him “enough is enough”.
It’s important to follow your curiosity and explore, but equally important to ground yourself in clarity. By the end of the year, I found that comedy and art continued to bring me the most joy and always had. This epiphany wasn’t anything new as these two themes have been present in my personal life from the beginning, felt natural and nourished my soul.
Looking for more? Check out this talk where I joined a startup to talk Art, Rest and Purpose with employees.
If you try these steps, let me know.
If you need encouragement, let me know.
If you want to chat, book time with me.
Love,
Sasha Mack
P.S Thank you to the incredibly wise mentors who have expanded my world and thinking through our deep and meaningful conversations.
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Sasha Mack, a graduate of Cornell University with a BA and an MBA from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, is a multifaceted professional who seamlessly blends business acumen with artistic creativity and personal development coaching. Born and raised in Fairfield, Connecticut, Mack has leveraged her education and experiences to make significant contributions in various fields. Her professional journey includes roles at Bridgewater Associates and Meta, board membership at a non-profit and private school, and involvement with Lawyers for Children. As an accomplished artist, Mack is known for her unique handmade creations, particularly her “Black Sheep Collection,” which explores themes of individuality and non-conformity. Additionally, she works as an authenticity coach, helping others uncover their purpose and passion. Mack’s diverse achievements, from academic excellence to artistic innovation, reflect her commitment to personal growth and positive impact in both business and community spheres.
© Awaken Labs, 2024
