Found this piece on NL by mentorandfriend
PART 1
What Living On
Purpose Really Means
Living on purpose simply
means being able to give a
correct account of the
WHY for every of your daily
actions. It means to
live your life like a
man/woman on an
assignment; having
short term, medium
term, and long term
goals for your life. It
means living a planned life. Living on purpose
implies a longer life for you; and not just that alone; it
also means a life full of impact and meaning. It is a life
worth living.
Nothing can be
more frustrating
as drifting
through the
days of your life robotically, feeling vaguely
lost and dissatisfied; angry at life, angry at
people, blaming everyone else but yourself.
People with a lack of purpose float rather than swim.
They are passive in life rather than active. They flow
with the tide and will rarely row hard against it.
They are shortsighted, helping fulfill everybody’s
dreams but their own. Their lives are an emotional
roller coaster, with more troughs than peaks; bored
with themselves, often finding a way to distract
themselves whenever possible. They rather find joy in
foolishness such as strategising on how to get laid,
flagrant display of clothes and its accesories, flaunting
of electronics that are already outdated in Europe,
binge drinking, joining confraternal brigandages in
campuses, etc.
This may be sounding vitriolic, or looks like a cynical
viewpoint, but I’m afraid it isn’t. This is reality. I was a
victim of lack of purpose for many years.
Some of those days, I stayed awake all night,
pondering what on earth I was born to do in life. I was
so easily distracted by anything at all; lacking focus
and direction; spending my life on 2go and facebook
looking for fine girls to ask out.
PART 2
My Story
Between my first year in the medical school and fourth
year, I vascillitated constantly on what I wanted to do
after school; because I clearly lacked direction. In my
first year in school, I wanted to specialise in
Orthopaedic Surgery because I had an uncle who
was a successful orthopaedic surgeon. Problem arose
when I tried to get close to him to be my mentor then,
but sadly, I discovered that he didn’t believe in me. He
thought I would never make it through medical school.
He constantly spoke words of fear each time I visited
him; telling me stories upon stories of young chaps
who couldn’t make it beyond the 2nd MBBS
examinations. I lost my confidence and self esteem
listening to him constantly, so I stopped visiting him.
I later changed my mind to Ophthalmology in my
second year; then Obstetrics and Gynaecology in
my third year. Later on, I decided I was going to
be a top entrepreneur, with a focus on
importation of drugs and running a one stop
pharmacy complex. But my contract with confusion
had not been severed. There was more confusion to
come.
In my fourth year in school, I decided that I was
going to be a pastor with my church, Living Faith
Church, aka Winners’ Chapel. I greatly admired my
Bishop, Dr David Oyedepo; thus in pursuit of the
annointing for the ministry ahead, I abandoned my
academic texts for many months as I went on
many personal retreats. I missed tutorials and
clinics while reading up on several books on Faith,
Miracles, Power, etc, and I listened to hundreds of
tapes in the process. I was the president of our
fellowship then in campus. Needless to say, I
dropped in my academic performance in
school during this period of my search for the
annointing and I’m sure you know why.
Due to this effect on my academic studies, I gave up
on being a pastor when I leave medical school and I
faced my books squarely in order to return to my
academic best. It was during this time that I
became angry at God and at the religious
folks around me. I rebelled vigourously against
God in my mind. I cared less anyway since I clearly
couldn’t diagnose my problem.
It was not until my fifth year that it all came together. I
had more clarity than ever before. Nothing gives
more clarity than a sense of purpose.
Are you feeling like a confused automaton trapped in a
cold and unforgiving matrix? I’ll show you a way out;
how I solved my own puzzle of living without a
purpose and a direction. Grace to you.
PART 3
How I Discovered My Purpose.
1) I spent one weekend alone, thinking and reflecting
on my CORE VALUES.
You see, our values are a pointer to where our calling
lies. For instance, I discovered that my core values
included
~Integrity and Sincerity
~Curiousity (Yes, it’s true. I’m a curious person. I lack
discipline and order). The meaning is that I hate
routine and would likely rebel against norms than
follow them.
~Hardwork
~Dedication
~Respect
~Loyalty
~Love, Compassion and Sharing
~Impact, Recognition and Appreciation
~Family and Friends.
I wrote them down, and decided that I would walk
away from people, associations, societies, and cliques
that do not share at least half of these values. There is
a correlation between purpose and your values.
2) I looked inward to discover what my PASSION
really was. For instance, I have more passion for public
speaking and making power point presentations than I
have for hospital job. Thus while my value for Love,
Contribution and Sharing will keep me in the practice
of medicine, my passion for communicating hope and
direction will keep me afloat as a public speaker.
3) I analysed the things that gave me PAIN and
STRESS.
Many of us have been hurt and disappointed severally
by people. For instance, I lost a sibling who was
supposed to be my elder brother to a careless doctor
who was treating him for malaria for several weeks
while he was suffering from anaemic heart failure;
which eventually took him. He was the only son of my
parents then; with five girl-children ahead of him
already, so you can imagine the pain of my parents at
losing a son they’ve been waiting for.
You see, there will be defining moments in your life.
You don’t have to forget them; but heal from them
and turn them into a message/career. Make sure
someone close to you does not have to go through the
same things that hurt you in the past.
4) I took a look at the PROBLEMS around me.
I believe that problem solvers are men of purpose.
Problem-solving will shoot you to relevance and make
you a man-on-assignment; a man of purpose. I found
a problem.
When I was a student, one problem I saw was a sea of
people who didn’t know why they were in school.
Some naive girls as young as 16 or 17 years were
readily snapped up by smooth talkers who go on to
persuade them to move in with them. Every night is a
night of rumble under the sheets. These girls enter the
university as good, homely girls but are turned to sex
objects before they leave school. These are people’s
future wives for that matter. I saw it as a social
problem that needs to be solved. It pained me, so I
started talking about it. I will enter a class early in the
morning before a lecturer comes in and plead for
attention from them to hear me out. I talked in hostels
too. Little did I know that I was sharpening my public
speaking skills and perfecting myself in the art of
persuassion; at the same time, making an impact in
the lives of first year students.
5) I spent time bathing myself in PRAYER; asking God
why He created me, and sent me to my family, my
community, my state, and Nigeria. Why was I born in
Nigeria and not in Luxemburg?
I prayed until I had peace in my mind that God wanted
me to practice medicine and not to be an
entrepreneur/importer of drugs after medical school.
Lol.
You see, I believe the bible is a universal book that has
sold more than any book on earth; filled with so much
wisdom. Thus whether you’re a christain, muslim, or
an atheist, I hope you draw inspiration from a story I
read in Habakkuk 2vs1-3 that taught me this 5th point.
Prophet Habakkuk said he will stand on his watch (the
place of prayer), to hear what God will tell him. Then
God gave him his purpose and told him to write it
boldly and in plain letters. God further encouraged
him with further words of hope. You can find your
purpose like this.
PART 4
Warning:
1) Ladies, please never marry a man that clearly lacks
purpose. They are everywhere, parambulating up and
down without a purpose/plan for their lives. It will be a
Holy Padlock, not a Holy Wedlock; because they will sit
over your purpose/plans/ambitions; feeling
threatened at your progress since they themselves
lack purpose. They are the type of men that graduate
into abusers; battering their wives at the slightest
issue because they try so hard demanding for respect
instead of earning it with their grand purpose/plan/
ambition/sense of direction. The stories on internet
portraying all sort of abuses meted out to women are
enough lessons. Beware, lest you forget.
2) Gentlemen,please do not marry a clearly clueless,
naive woman who is unsupportive, directionless, and
totally dependent and needy, without a life of her own.
As a single lady, her highest calling is spending time
strategising on how to tie down a man of her own;
warming a hundred beds in town without planning on
how to be a wife/mother/resourceful partner/efficient
manager of resources/home-maker.
A sense of Purpose/Assignment solves all that. It has a
way of confering wisdom for living to people who
discover theirs.
PART 5
My Prayer For You
If you’re currently reading this, I believe you’re a
messenger; and you need to know that. You were
designed with an end in mind so you should discover it
and fulfil it.
The spotlight is on you now. May your life never lack a
sense of purpose. You’ll never drift through life again.
You’ll go from wandering aimlessly to possessing your
future. You will own it.
You shall experience a quantum leap – a radical ascent
of grace, shooting you up into new realms of life, not
traceable to your natural ability.
You shall experience unpredicted emergence; a show
up on the scene supernaturally, like the Wind, and
taking your space by storm!
You shall experience a mighty rescue from habits
stronger than you, plus the licence for a future better
than your past.
God will take over your life and you will become a
different person by grace. Your soul will be emptied of
pain, and the curtains will lift for new light.
Grace to you. Grace to me too.
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