Do you know what your life's purpose is? Have you had a glimpse of this purpose but have not yet found a way to live it fully? Does living your life's purpose mean that you must financially support yourself using it? Are there rules or beliefs that you live by that stand in the way of living this purpose?
I want to dive deeper into exploring the essence of our true calling and the complexities that keep us from living our life's purpose.
In Buddhism, Dharma may represent the nature of reality or universal truth. But, I would like to offer that our Dharma represents the discovery and exploration of our innate talents, gifts, and competencies. It is how we use these gifts and passions to serve a purpose and perhaps impact the world.
On the other hand, Dogma is defined by a principle or set of principles laid down by an authority as indisputably true. This could include doctrine, teachings, laws, and beliefs.
I suggest that we have all had certain conditions placed on us, whether we are conscious of it or not. It could be a rule or conditioning imposed or chosen to adopt in your life because of certain expectations or social norms. This part of your life is being lived/ruled by Dogma.
A client once shared that his interests and passions were music and theatre in high school, but because his dad did not support it, and his older brother and friends all played sports, he chose to give up his interests and conform to others' expectations. Twenty-five years later, he struggles because he has lost sight of who he authentically is, feeling like an imposter!
I don't believe I have ever met a single person who didn't have a natural gift or talent; we all have gifts and talent. Yet, how do we allow them to be seen and used? How do we allow our true nature to be revealed and allow ourselves to channel this nature to support our passions and gifts and true happiness?
What if the answer is letting go of chasing it and instead allowing it to unfold, to reveal itself organically, and trust that as you mature and become ready, you will use these gifts in the most authentic way possible.
How our lives are threaded together by experiences, events, passions, and gifts absolutely intrigue me and I have always been fascinated with personal life stories. My most recent obsession is the personal journey of Dr. Atul Gawande. This is an abbreviated version of his life and even abbreviated, it's a journey worth sharing.
Atul was born to Indian immigrants. His mom was a pediatrician, and his dad was a surgeon, living and practicing in a small rural town in Ohio. Today he can find humor in his parent's response when he announced that he wanted to pursue a degree in philosophy and not medicine – he called it the best form of Indian rebellion! With a degree in philosophy and talent in writing, he began publishing articles in the New Yorker Magazine.
Shortly thereafter, he acquired a job working for a Tennessee congressman that led to working for the Clinton Campaign, followed by a position working on public health policies and reform in Washington. He realized that he was ready to complete his medical degree specializing in surgery, which led to becoming part of the teaching staff at Harvard.
As a well-established, respected surgeon, one day, he received a letter from a gentleman who had experienced a horrible accident that left him with multiple surgeries, one of them to remove his spline. This organ supports the body's ability to fight infection. However, the surgeons missed a vital step, forgetting to give him the vaccines to prevent bacterial infections.
The consequences were devastating. This 34-year-old lost his feet, fingers, and nose as a result. Atul discovered that this was not an isolated incident but very common in hospitals throughout the nation and world. This prompted him to create a global training program and system of instituting pre-and post-surgery Checklists that take less than 10 minutes to adhere to, hence successfully decreasing post-surgery complications and death on average by 50%.
If that wasn't enough in one person's lifetime of accomplishments, Atul's best-selling book, Being Mortal, shares insights on how doctors and patients define what matters most at the end of life. I recently learned that he has also been selected to serve on the President's Covid-19 Advisory Board.
Atul's gifts and passions have allowed him to excel as a Surgeon, Journalist, Educator, Author, Public Health Expert, and Global Leader.
Yes, perhaps Atul's natural born nature bearing a gift of communication, an insatiable curiosity, a passion for innovation, and his innate leadership skills certainly helped carve his path. However, he also attributes his significant life and career choices to being raised by socially conscious parents who instilled deep values for serving the community and compassion for the suffering.
And, of course, there are life's defining moments that leave an everlasting imprint. For Atul, just 6-days after starting his surgical residency, his son was born prematurely with a serious heart defect. An experience that gave him an acute awareness of how it felt to stand both as the doctor and the patient.
You see, I believe that knowing one's Dharma is to consider all things; our nature, our conditioning, environment, and certainly the experiences, events, and adversities we face in our lifetime. All of these ultimately shape and define our path.
As Atul's story show's us, our Dharma is not just one thing. One gift. One talent. One passion. Our Dharma is a culmination of several personal attributes. This nature of reality, universal truth, right behavior can serve us to be the President of a nation, to be a surgeon, and these same gifts and talents can also serve us to be a great cashier at the local supermarket.
This is where free will comes in, and this discovery can take a lifetime for it to unfold— in perfect order.
And, just because you have a gift, does that mean it has to become your job or career? You may be a good cook, that does not mean that you must open a restaurant, simply using that gift to feed your family may be enough. And that is living your Dharma!
To be authentic or the best-version-of-yourself requires self-inquiry.
First, I would suggest making a list of your qualities, gifts, talents, passions.
And, if you are not feeling in alignment with your true nature or deeply desire a shift or change, I would suggest you begin by exploring where Dogma is ruling your life. Is there any part of your life that is a result of rules, expectations, and desires imposed by anyone or anything else?
These imposed conditions can be reflected in your work, where you live, your relationships, spiritual practice, what you eat, wear, or how you spend your free time.
Lastly, if the answer is yes to any of the above mentioned, what are you willing to change?
You may be surprised by these small steps and how they may bring you more clarity, peace, and direction.