At
The Pioneer Project, we aim to be a Gap Year Program that helps people find their purpose and then act accordingly to create a more fulfilling life. So why do we think this matters? Well, we believe that without purpose it is easy to waste time doing things that you don’t really want to be doing, but mysteriously feel like you have to do. We burden ourselves with self-created goals and aspirations that then may imprison us in a life we never actually wanted – especially if we haven’t taken the time to examine these aspirations carefully.
We’ve all asked ourselves how to figure out what our purpose is and been bombarded with questions about what we want to do with our lives throughout our schooling and beyond. So how do we figure this out? And once we have some idea, how do we live that purpose?
Well, here are our humble suggestions that may just give you somewhere to start. We’d love to know how you have found purpose and what you suggest we add or subtract from this list.
(ONE) Dabble in diversity
Without exposure to a wide variety of experiences, it’s easy to choose something mildly exciting from a suite of mediocre options. If, on the other hand, you find continually seek opportunities that thrust you outside of your comfort zones, all of a sudden you may stumble upon something that brings a brand new perspective and lights the way towards a whole new segment of your journey. It’s easy to get stuck in a comfortable routine, and though that can provide a sense of security, it can also limit your options in life. Remember that you don’t have to go far geographically to leave your comfort zones. Taking a class in something you’ve never explored, befriending someone from a different cultural background, even taking a different way home from work can help you break deep-seated habits that may be prohibiting you from finding your passion and your purpose – or at least knowing your options.
(TWO) Reflect on your passions
So now that you’ve enrolled in a Tai-chi class and are taking the scenic route home on your new recumbent bicycle, you then have to actually give yourself some time to reflect on how you feel about those things. We are surrounded by distractions and responsibilities that can obscure our passions from us. Though checking your phone can be important, it can also take you away from a few precious seconds of contemplation. Give yourself a daily break from all those distractions to sit, meditate, do some yoga, go on a walk, write in your journal, or do something that will allow you to connect with your deeper self so that you can think clearly about what is working and what isn’t in your life. I like to ask my students the question of "What would you do if you had all of the money and certifications you needed to do whatever you wanted?" This seems to relieve them from the worries of making a buck and refocus on their heart's desires. Without asking these tough questions and giving this time to yourself, your purpose and passion could be right under your nose without you ever giving yourself the time to smell them.
(THREE) Listen to your body
During your reflection time, you may be waiting anxiously for an epiphany about your purpose to smack you in the face and be disappointed when it doesn’t. Don’t despair! The forces of intuition can be much more subtle than you may anticipate, but will become more pronounced the more you learn to decipher the language. Your body is the instrument of your intuition and can tell you lots about what you REALLY want.
Try this…Take any big question in your life and ask it out loud to yourself. Then, as you say the different answers you are entertaining aloud to yourself one-by-one, allowing time after you say each answer, pay attention to how your body feels. Do you tense up? Do you feel at ease? Do you feel pain, nervousness, or what? Investigate each of these feelings to see what memories, thoughts, and beliefs are associated with those bodily sensations. They may be shrouded in symbolism that you have to decipher – like the pain in your stomach being represented by a spider - but can start to give you a good indication of how you really feel about certain decisions and experiences in your life. When you find one answer that feels “right” or “doubtless,” go with it and select that option, even if the logistics are frightening. The body can lead you to your passion if given the attention it deserves.
If you find it hard to connect with your body, try a practice like yoga, meditation, or Qi Gong to start tuning into yours…
(FOUR) Dare to try
Interestingly, many people have a good inkling of their passion and purpose already, but are choosing not to follow it fully. It’s scary to leave the comfort and security of a life you’ve created if it doesn’t align with your purpose. Being an attorney when you dream of traveling to Tajikistan to start a non-profit can be very difficult, especially if you need the income from your day job to pay off loans or provide for a family. But, what if you are hopelessly unhappy with your job and know that you will never forgive yourself for not trying to achieve your dream? As they say, the first step is always the longest when it comes to taking a risk. But, if you never take the risk, life can start to feel more meaningless and less vibrant. So, sit down and figure out what the first step towards your purpose would be. Our disgruntled attorney might look into visiting Tajikistan and investigate the feasibility of starting your organization there. Most importantly, commit yourself to aiming your life at your purpose and eventually manifesting your dreams. Setting that intention and acting on it step-by-step may just start a ball rolling that will clear the path towards your purpose.
(FIVE) “Hold on loosely, but don’t let go”
Once you feel that you have found your purpose after reflecting on your diverse experiences and have committed to aligning your life with it, remember that you can’t control every aspect of how your dream comes into being. We may want to plan every little detail and meticulously work at achieving our step-by-step goals, but if we aren’t careful we won’t allow enough serendipity into our lives to help us. When you commit yourself to your passion, no matter how risky it may be to follow it, the universe will always conspire on your behalf. If you spend too much time thinking about the “how” of manifesting your purpose, you may lose sight of the “what” and “why” that are the fuel for your fire. Be open to people helping you along your path and pay attention to the signs along the way. Your body can be your compass and your reflection time will help you see the map. So create your vision, be specific, work hard at it, but don’t hold on too tightly to how it will come to pass and be open to it becoming even better than you expected.
So go forth, my friends and dare to live the life you dream of! See if these tips work for you and adapt them if they don't.
Posted by Adam Haigler
The Pioneer Project is a Gap Year Program in the USA that focuses on Homesteading, Craft, and Wilderness skills that aims to help students achieve clarity of purpose, empowerment and a sense of interdependence through community-oriented semester programs.
Working as an outdoor educator who often accompanies "city folk" into the wilderness, I always enjoy watching my students' reactions to their environment. It generally follows a somewhat predictable arc - from disgust and discomfort during the first few days to a reluctance to leave during the last few. It all makes sense in my eyes. Going from living in a house or apartment to living under a tarp; pooping in a toilet to digging a hole; eating fast food to eating dehydrated food, is understandably shocking for most and often leads to voluntary fasting and constipation among students. There are always questions about the usual suspects - "What if a bear tries to eat me?" and "What if a snake comes into my sleeping bag?" - but after a few sleepless nights, students often succumb to a sense of peace and relief that comes with living in the wilderness. In my view, they succumb to a primeval connection to a place from which they are truly inseparable - the natural world.
Once you take the extended trip into the wilderness to confront irrational fears and become comfortable with a little bit of discomfort, you may also get "stuck in the wilderness." Afterwards, you may just yearn to get back to the place where you can actually feel the evening breeze, hear the birdsong echo through the canopy, and soak in the views that can only be had by those courageous enough to walk to them. I'll see you there.