“You do not belong to you. You belong to the universe.”
~ Buckminster Fuller
I hate life purpose statements. I live deeply from my life purpose, and whenever I try to write a life purpose statement I feel incongruent, like I’m trying to get a good grade from my coach. A life purpose statement, no matter how well crafted, will always to be smaller than truth.
And it shifts.
Buckminster (Bucky) Fuller tells a wonderful story about purpose. The honey bee goes to the flower for nectar. While he’s there his feet get coated in pollen and he pollenates the world.
He thinks his pupose is nectar. His TRUE purpose, invisible to him, is the nectar. (We serve our true purpose whether whe know what it is or not.)
Bucky, being a mathematician, argued that our true purpose always lies 90 degrees to the side of whatever we pursue. When we catch site of our true purpose and turn towards it, a new true purpose starts to develop yet again, just over your shoulder.
I don’t think you can capture all of your purpose in one sentence. And there will always be something deeper.
If you really insist on dragging out ye olde life purpose excercise, go broad and vague.
“To teach.” “To be.” “To love.” “To learn.” “To know myself.” “To be happy.”
I’d hazard to guess these purposes are true for us all.
FYI: The closest I ever came to a life purpose statement that pleases me is “I am the juicy fruit that draws forth your authentic self.”
Tags: Buckminster Fuller, life purpose
