Michel Eyquem de Montaigne wrote, “The great and glorious masterpiece of man is how to live with purpose.”
My grandmother was always fascinated by the fact that with all the billions of people who have lived, there have never been two people exactly alike. When you think about it, it is a bit mind-boggling.
There are 8 billion people on the planet. And never before have so many had such easy access to what’s going on around the globe. With all these people and all this knowledge of what others are doing, it’s easy to feel inconsequential.
We sometimes compare ourselves to others and wonder what unique talent we have to offer. What difference can we make? What’s our special place in the world?
The truth is we’re all unique. We each have something special to contribute. The challenge is in discovering what that is. I consider it our sacred duty to discover and demonstrate our unique potential. And I think we’re unfulfilled unless we’re doing
so.
It is to this issue that Sir Cecil Beaton was speaking when he wrote, “Be daring, be different, be impractical, be anything that will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against the play-it-safers, the creatures of the commonplace, the slaves of the ordinary.”
And yet, it appears that few people spend much time thinking about what their purpose is, what they really want, what they have to offer and preparing how to best deliver that to the world. Most people spend more time planning a family vacation than they do planning their lives.
How can you leave your unique mark of distinction upon the world? Think about it. Ponder it. Open yourself to the belief that you and you alone have a special purpose—because you do.
And when your days are done, you can say you truly lived—that you have made a difference.
Recommended Reading
Discover Your Empowering Purpose
Live Your Life with More Meaning, Significance and Fulfillment
Empowering Purpose is a real game changer. If you’re looking for more direction, inspiration, motivation, determination and devotion, read this book, go through the exercises and watch your life catch fire.
