I went to church on Sunday, the first time in a while. The pastor’s message moved me to reflect on my life. He talked about finding your vocation – a place where your talents meet need, and you find your purpose in life. He said that when vocation is talked about people often think in terms of what makes them happy and brings them joy. But he said he wanted to turn that around a bit. Instead, he believes that when we find sorrow, disappointment, or heartbreak, we find our purpose.
I have thought about that a lot today. I recently met a couple that lost their son to suicide. They started an organization in his honor, called Kevin’s Song, to help others. I thought about starting Happy Go Lucky Girl to honor my mother’s legacy and share her spirit with others. I thought about my daughter in law school because she was so concerned about the most vulnerable in our society and felt she could help.
I think it can be about pursuing happiness and joy to create a purposeful life. But like the pastor, I also think it can also be about when our sorrow, disappointment and heartbreak point us to a need, we find our purpose.
Ask yourself, what matters to you?
What breaks your heart about that?
Draw a circle. In the center of a circle, write and/or draw the things that you are passionate about.
Draw another circle around it, write and/or draw what breaks your heart about these things.
In the final circle, write and/or draw your ideas for the ways to resolve these heartbreaks.
“If you want to find your passion, surrender to your heartbreak” ~ Umair Haque
