I learnt that two important things are essential for leading a meaningful life - Platform and Purpose
Platform - Includes our body, education, experience, family, networth and network
The sequence to this list varies based on our individual choice to reap on each factor/s.
Though Platform serves as a very critical factor, it is not enough, there is something equally important required. It is our purpose. To make a difference to ourself or to the others around us.
Like most of us, I too was blind to this realization. I was hard core focused on working on strengthening my platform. Pursuing different educational courses which will give me an advantage in my career, working on my assets were my priorities.
Today this realization hit me. The platform is equivalent to a railway platform to get to the destination (Purpose) where I need to go to. The platform is not a place to live on, need to decide my destination and not lose out on my time at the platform not being sure of the train I need to board. This eye opening realization was the result of the insightful thought shared by Subroto Bagchi, Gardener MindTree.
Very confidently I thanked Subroto and wrote to him that no doubt I will continue to work on enhancing my platform but we definitely give a serious thought to the purpose I will like to pursue.
I thought this will be an easy exercise, nope it wasn't. It really threw a lot of questions before me.
Where should I focus? On my self or do my bit to make a difference to the others?
After a lot of thought I came up with a list of purposes that I could pursue. This list turned out to be a laundry list, which seemed difficult for me to recall by memory! I was zapped with the task of zeroing down on the big ones that I wanted to pursue. I have two catergories to my purpose:
For self - I will live life to the fullest. I shouldn't regret about not living my life the way I want to, when I am on my death bed:-)
My gift to my other fellow beings - I will volunteer for causes like education, self awareness which will make a difference to the lives of the needy.
So after having given a clear thought to my life purpose, I was all set to get going. But something funny happened. The more I thought about the two things I had zeroxed down, more things started getting added to the list. I was confused and did not know how to limit them.
Now, I exist in a state where different purpose peep out of my mind like the way I thought about the careers I would pursue during my childhood days. For sometime I wanted to be an air-hostess then moved on to dream to become a Industrial Relations officer and then a teacher and many more professions.
It took me a long time to really understand what I wanted to pursue as my area of profession, and I belief this will happen to me even in the case of understanding the mega purpose of my life!
So I am currently juggling with multiple purpose and platform.
