New Paths. Rediscovered Passions.

Karen is a lovely woman in her late 40’s.  She is well educated, having gone to college and achieved her undergraduate degree in fine arts.  Her career was put on the back burner, however, and she married and had children just after college.  For 22 years, she fulfilled the roles of wife and mother with grace and efficiency.

Now Karen finds herself in a different place.  She has just sent her last child to college and has discovered that she has new space in her life.  Her days of taxi driver, snack provider and science project coordinator have ended.  She can now focus on the things SHE wants to do.

But what DOES she want to do?  As she wakes up to the reality that her life is shifting, she wonders how to navigate all of this open space.  What is her purpose?  Her family doesn’t seem to need her so much any more.  Who is she, really?

Up to now, Karen had been a great mother and wife, and her purpose was clear: Raise the children and tend to the home.  Now that she has more time, how can she begin to make a new kind of difference? Making a difference is what each of us wants most to do in this life.  It’s what we were created to do.  Our purpose is intricately linked to our desire to make a difference.

Sometimes people mistakenly think that purpose is something they must find.  The truth is, your true purpose is always inside you.  Looking for your purpose is like looking for the keys to your car, even though they have been in the ignition the whole time.  We already know we want to make a difference, and that’s what we’re really seeking.

Through the cycles of life, we rise to new challenges and opportunities.  What’s important is to always be clear that our actions drive something larger than ourselves.  Living with purpose requires that we not settle into a mediocre life.  We alone are responsible for our happiness; nothing outside us ever makes us happy.  Happiness is a choice, and it always comes from within. 

Living with purpose by making a difference in the world creates a happy life.  The key is doing things we love and looking at life optimistically.  We are more creative and productive when we shift into positivity.  Conversely, when we view ourselves as a victim of our circumstances, we sink into futility and lose our connection to higher purpose.

As Karen begins to understand this, she contemplates the activities over the years when she was most happy.  She discovers that she was always happiest when she was creating, whether it was with science projects for the kids or decorating their home.  It was then that she felt most productive and useful.  With this new insight, she can imagine a life where she spends more time using her artistic talent.  She can clearly see how creating art could fill the void in her life.

Karen always knew this love was inside her – this passion for art.  She knew that her creativity was an asset somehow and now is eager to build art pieces that inspired people.  By doing what she loves, she will bring something new into the world for others to enjoy.  She will continue to make a difference.