Here comes the A-C-T Blog! Here I give you an Awe moment from research or own experience, a Citation supporting the topic and a Take away for you to ponder on.

Awe moment

V.S. Ramachandran knew he was different. As a lonely child raised in Madras, India, he used to take long walks along the beach and became fascinated with collecting seashells. He would analyse them, discovering anomalies no one has ever discovered before.
His fascination with collecting and analysing as a child, eventually led him to take a interest in abnormalities in the human body such as phantom limbs and devote his life to studying neurological disorders, leading him to making many exciting discoveries about the human brain (Ramachandran, 2012).

V.S. Ramachandran, like many others, possessed an internal force as a child. This force directed him toward specific activities and subjects, fitting his natural interests and inclinations, sparking deep curiosity, ultimately leading him to his life long career and purpose of discovery.

Citation

“Sooner or later something seems to call us onto a particular path.
You remember this something as a signal calling in childhood when an urge out of nowhere, a fascination, a peculiar turn of events struck like an annunciation: This is what I must do, this is what I’ve got to have.
This is who I am.”

James Hillman

Take Away

With all the available podcasts, books, opinions and ‘how to’ guides today, finding your purpose has never sounded so complicated. Many resources over complicate finding your purpose, to the extend where we find it too much and simply give up, continuing on whatever path we have stumbled on until now.
Well, I have some good news for you! Finding your purpose doesn’t have to be complicated. Actually, our purpose is usually very close to who we were as a child.

As kids, we knew exactly what we liked and disliked. We had powerful impulses and human drives which make it blindingly clear. Over time, we just loose touch with our child selves and become occupied with other things and people around us, in our teenage and adult years.
Here are a few steps to get you started on the right track to finding your purpose again.

Step 1 – Reconnect with your childhood obsession
Each of us had something we just loved doing as a kid. It excited and fulfilled us. It could be reading, playing sports, writing or dealing with numbers. You had the obsession for a reason! If you cannot remember anymore, ask someone who recalls your childhood, what they remember about your interests? Ask as many people as you can and note those things down, there could be many!

Step 2– The obstacle is the way
For those who haven’t exactly found and followed their purpose from early in life, we can become more concerned with the limitations of it, normally by internalising the judgements and criticisms of others over time. However those limitations were created for you, don’t run from them! Climb over, break beyond, think your way out of those obstacles. Get creative and confront one of your limitations today.

Step 3- Embrace your strangeness
What’s that different, unique thing about you? Maybe you hide it from others to avoid judgement or you got bullied for it as a child. That uniqueness is special, it is what makes you, you. How could you combine that uniqueness to your fascinations or calling from childhood? Silence the noise from others and keep an open mind. Concentrate on maintaining that high sense of purpose and let it guide you.

What would you work on if no one was watching? If money were no object?

Until next week,

Nela Ferreira
Founder of Elev8 Networks,
CPD Certified Life Coach,
Self-Development enthusiast

References

Ramachandran, V. S., 2012. The Tell-Tale Brain, Unlocking the Mysteri of Human Nature. s.l.:Random House.