I have been asking what is my purpose, and I think I got my answer a long time ago in my dreams, it was about service. But last night it came simply to me, purpose is not a beginning point, like excellence is the result of much work, not the starting point, purpose is the result of service. A better question is who am I serving? And follow up with how am I to serve this group, community, people. Because if you start with who are you serving, then proceed with how (skills, talents, time) inevitably this path will lead you to purpose. It is hard to start by wanting to find your purpose, like it is a bird laying around in your head and you have a lightbulb moment and aha you now know your purpose, go about fulfilling it. Purpose is a destination you arrive at, after you decide to serve others with your natural talents and gifts. The problem is we think gifts are societal professions or college majors. A gift is a perception, ability or embodiment that is natural to you. For me, a natural gift was realizing as a young girl the gender differences in Cuban society that were not serving any gender when my grandma mandated I should do my bed and my cousin’s and I asked why. No one has asked why before. My mom did her brother’s. For me, it was also writing my thoughts and feelings out without being prompted or asked to, and getting lost when doing so. A natural gift can be as simple as a new perception of a situation for your environment. Like a fish taken out of the pond, you can now see the pond while the other fish keep swimming like the pond is the world and the only way to be. 

We are always serving something. Someone. We might not realize who they are. Or what systems are we serving. This is why it rubs me off badly the saying you don’t do anyone a favor by hating yourself or your body. You definitely do a favor to some people and systems by hating on yourself. Your thoughts of unworthiness, of ugliness, I will never be enough for them serve the people who benefit from you not believing in yourself enough to stand for yourself and your goals. Systems and industries benefit from your thoughts of shame related to your body and never quite being right. You have to be intentional in selecting who are you going to serve each day, with each thought, word and action. Because most of us that grew up believing in these perceptions of our own humanity, have a default to think this is the norm. It has never been. And even if it had, it is time for disruption. Change systems by believing in yourself, start at work, it might make others uncomfortable, because now you might start asking questions they are used to not expect from you. Work can be a place for spiritual development, it might as well be the canvas of your development. Break patters by speaking slightly better each day to yourself about your body. Change systems by being compassionate after the day’s end. 

The buddhist have eight principles of the path of which the first is Right view or perception, an accurate understanding of the nature of things. In Buddha tradition the Eightfold path has to be followed in order. The steps of the Noble Eightfold Path are Right Understanding, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration. You can’t get to Right Concentration without having the Right perception. 

I think about this a lot. As I began asking what is my purpose as the place where I should start, and later arrived to starting with serving others, as I was looking for mindfulness as a starting point, I forsake that understanding the nature of things is the prerequisite for many other paths we so much seek. Who are you serving? And what are the perceptions that are leading you to serve the very people, systems and institutions that benefit from your lack of understanding of the nature of things?