Your Purpose is Revealed Daily
You just have to recognize it.
This is not just another post on how to write and make money.
It is a post to show you what happens when you have a flexible attitude toward life and work.
Using your thoughts, skills, and desires with intention not only brings in the bacon but, also gives you some incredible life experiences and affirms a solid purpose!
The catch? Be sensitive to recognize it as you go about your day.
This post is a little peek into my life over the last 30 years in America. (No, this is not an all about me post either).
Importantly, I hope it strikes an illuminating thought in you.
High Flying into a Life of Missions
I left a really lucrative job working for Saudi Arabian airlines to become a missionary.
Yes, you read it right.
Flying all over the world did not excite me as much as I thought it would.
I wanted a purpose in my life.
So, quitting Bombay in the early nineties I headed to Baltimore.
I knew that the life I was choosing was going to be tough.
I won’t go into details but suffice to say it was rough.
Noble Purpose but No Money for Rice and Curry
Many missions people live on support from the church and its members.
I decided it was not for me.
I wanted to take care of myself but still, work on missions to help people.
I knew the Saudia money would run out quickly.
So, I had started a little home furnishings business back in India.
Armed with a suitcase, I marched into stores in Maryland showing my creations until a design store took them all on consignment.
One stream of income — albeit little, but still a few dollars more.
After I graduated from Seminary, I wondered what I would do.
Should I go back home and work in a village?
Or, should I stay and work here in the inner city of Baltimore?
Walk forward until the purpose gets clear
I decided to stay for a bit until I figured it out.
I got up the next day and the next doing what was in front of me.
Someone needed help moving into a dorm.
Someone wanted me to visit them to comfort them.
Outreach to the hookers and junkies in the projects of Baltimore.
I just kept walking forward and enjoying what each day brought.
Side Note: Your purpose, (the things you are supposed to do and the money you will make) will get clearer each day.
I liked hanging out with the other college students. I got to know people from over 150 countries in our organizational network.
What a rich experience!
I had two Finnish roommates and three Americans. And oh! The stories!
And the food!
Pulla for breakfast! Italian pasta for dinner and the obligatory dhal and rice was my contribution! Chicken curry for special occasions!
Trips to see the sites around us, sledding in the winter with hot chocolate after, and heart-to-heart conversations about life and purpose.
Nothing better than that.
Small beginnings lead to amazing opportunities
Soon, someone asked me to teach them the language and culture of India.
Me?
I am a half Goan, half South Indian who speaks English at home.
I had to have a tutor in Hindi back in school.
Plus, I had forgotten the little Hindi I knew.
Still, it was an opportunity and here I was, doing a carpe diem.
No problem, let me find that travel phrasebook. It's a start.
Bingo! In a few months, I was working at the college — as an adjunct professor of Hindi. $12 a month.
Side Note: In time, I bought every textbook teaching Hindi and re-learned a language that I had failed in from scratch. I now consult with various government entities and organizations on the Hindi and Indian cultural curricula.
However, at that time I was lucky enough to bring my experience of living and working with foreign nationalities as a flight attendant to my organization.
See, those flying days did not go to waste!
I do not believe anything is an accident. It all weaves together in a tapestry that is our lives.
What others may feel is a failure is not if you look at it through the lens of a larger purpose in your life.
I actually wrote a short book on Failure. I know the feeling.
God as I like to call Him or the Universe as you may address it, works things into our lives daily.
We meet people and circumstances meet us as it is decreed.
Just knowing that should give you the sense of being part of a larger plan and purpose.
You are important. And so is the purpose.
Back to the story…
Then, I got hired by the chancellor to work as a liaison for college students. Making $5.15/hour. Ka-ching!
I was elated!
I went out and bought a Toyota Tercel. And my first apartment at $350/mo.
And guess what? I had a purpose. A real one preparing people for the mission field.
To maintain my budget, I learned how to house hack — more about that later. Watch for that post!
More importantly, I was happy.
Life throws that curve ball
Ten years later, married and still working at the organization, I found out I was pregnant.
If caring for another tiny human being does not excite and scare you at the same time, you need to check your pulse.
Needless to say, it lit a fire under me.
It is amazing what being backed into a corner will do to you.
Necessity is the mother of invention.
I decided to capitalize on my language skills when another opportunity was presented very casually.
A friend asked if I knew Hindi.
Why, of course.
The next thing? A government contract, making more money per week than I made in a month.
I devoured every language teaching book in Hindi that I could and took the contract.
And the rest is history.
Enjoying the meandering path
Have you ever liked doing something so much that the process excites you more than the outcome?
Never in a million years did I think I would become a language and culture consultant.
I was now writing, creating, and enjoying my two-fold purpose. To be there for my kid and two help others find their purpose.
It is important to note that while you look for the clients, jobs, and career and purpose lean into the daily.
Lean into the mundane.
You will find your purpose in simple things sometimes.
We often wait for the bells to chime or for some great epiphany or for the opportunity to land in our lap.
But, that is not the case for many. No Einstein eureka moment.
Just the quiet revealed opportunities day to day as we stay open-minded to life.
Pivoting During a Crisis
Every path has curves, steep inclines, and unexpected drops. Mine did too.
The contracting honeymoon, even with the government can end. And this is something to remember. No matter how lucrative, fulfilling, and glam your contract is — there is an end date.
Soon, Hindi was not so much in demand anymore.
But, I liked teaching and facilitating knowledge.
A friend mentioned my local county was hiring teachers.
Me? Again.
Public High School? Kids intimidate me.
They do not know English.
Seriously? Wow! I would love to get them acclimated.
What have I to lose?
Interviewed. Got the job.
4 years later — loving it!
Lesson Learned — Your greatest opponent is yourself. Your greatest competitor? Your own potential.
My Current Situation
Creating content out of my thought life is an adrenaline-producing activity, whether it is physical content, pillows, and throws, or digital content.
I write language and culture books and self-publish.
I teach other linguists to do the same.
I love blogging on here. And blog in two languages elsewhere.
All ye bilinguals did you know you can do that?
I like stories and being the curious person that I am, I started a podcast called ‘They Did It Their Way’ some months ago.
The aim was to pick people like me who have not followed conventional career paths.
These people have thrived no matter what they find themselves doing.
It was a rough start sound-wise. You could tell we were amateurs at this podcast thing.
But gosh! We so enjoyed this quantum leap into cyberspace!
I recorded conversations live with a creative friend, Carl. Ten episodes helped us figure out sound editing, adding sponsors, and creating a format.
Of course, I heard all of Carl’s stories as he traveled through Europe and Russia. And got invited to co-host his podcast.
We are about to start the third season of the podcast and are excited to see who we meet and interview.
My path has been convoluted for sure. But my purpose reveals itself daily.
Let yours do too. It keeps things exciting. Wouldn’t you be bored if it was all revealed at once?
Your thoughts? Let me know in the comments.
Disclaimer: This post has a link for which the author may get a commission.
