Navigating the Terrain of Purpose 11 tips from John Gordon

Embarking on a journey to find meaning and purpose can be as daunting as staring into the vastness of the night sky. In the vast expanse of life's journey, I've found Christ as my guiding light, leading me through challenges, from the struggles of mental health to the quest for true fulfillment. It's through my unwavering faith in God and His boundless strength and guidance that I've persevered, acknowledging His sovereignty over the heavens and every aspect of my life. From an insightful post by John Gordon, this episode is a treasure map that leads you through the terrain of purposeful living. I unravel the interwoven threads of passion and calling, sharing personal vignettes from my shifts in the medical profession that illuminate the profound realization: aligning what we do with who we are is not just desirable, it's essential. This isn't a mere conversation; it's a resonating message that inspires you to live out the reason for your existence and to differentiate between mere hobbies and true life's work.

Patience paints itself as a virtue, not as a passive waiting, but as an active engagement in each step toward our aspirations. I'll explore the potent metaphor of being a seed planted in the world, with the capacity to foster positivity, gratitude, and service. This episode is not simply a passageway to greater self-awareness; it's a call to recognize your unique potential and the remarkable impact you are destined to have, reminding you that your journey's worth lies in the metamorphosis you undergo along the way. Join me, with John Gordon's wisdom as the backdrop, as we embrace the transformation that personal growth and purpose can bring to our lives.

Transcript

Lorayne: 0:01

All right, my friends, welcome back to another episode of the Bite Size Podcast. I'm your host, lorraine Michaels, and today is a solo episode. I wanted to go deeper into some lessons that a friend of mine, john Gordon, had posted. He posted this 11 Lessons for Graduates, and as I was reading it and meditating on it, a lot of it resonated with me, because a lot of it is what I talk about, a lot of it is what I coach about, and so I wanted to take those lessons that he posted and I wanted to dive a little bit deeper on it. So, without further ado, 11 lessons for graduates, but for you, and I'm not just addressing graduates, that was his post, I'm addressing you. I'm addressing the person who has found my podcast and who is wondering is this for me? Spoiler alert yes, it's for you, and I really want to give you some inspiration. I want to give you some value and I want you to walk away feeling a little bit better about yourself and your journey and what you are doing on earth and what you were created for. So here we go. Lesson number one you are here for a reason, and the most important thing you can do in life is to find, live and share your purpose. This, my friend, is what I help coach and teach and guide my clients to and through. I say this I'm sure you can listen to all my episodes and at the end of every episode I remind you that you were created on purpose, for a purpose. Everybody has a purpose and a reason for their life. I am a huge advocate for mental health because I once struggled with anxiety and depression. Crippling anxiety and depression, and so I have battled with those thoughts before of my life isn't worth it and I don't have a reason or a purpose to be here. And, friend, you do, and that is part of my coaching is I help you discover that through God. I am a faithful believer of Jesus Christ and he is the creator. He's the one who created you. The creator, he's the one who created you. And well, god did, but anyways, um, so that is that is how I help you is through you know your walk, and through spirituality and finding your gifts, your talents, your abilities, your passions. There's a whole plethora. I can go on forever about that.

Lorayne: 3:00

Lesson two follow your passion, and I'm going to read what he wrote. It so often leads you to your purpose. You may not know what your passion is right now, and that's okay. The important thing is is to make it your life's mission to find it, live it and share it. To help find your passion, seek out jobs and experiences that allow you to utilize your strengths and gifts. Do what energizes you. And this is, ironically, another piece of my coaching, because a lot of times clients come to me and they are just burnt out. They're tired of living a mundane life. The day-to-day, day in and day out, get up, go to work, pay my bills, and they are not filled with passion and purpose and they feel like they don't have a purpose and they're just burnt out on life and they are not doing what they love. And so that's one of the things that I help you discover is your passions, because typically, when you find your passions, you discover your purpose, and so I help guide you through that and I help walk alongside of you so that you can find that there's various ways that we do that and it's fun side of you, so that you can find that there's various ways that we do that and it's fun.

Lorayne: 4:31

Number three be aware of hobbies. Just because you love spending time on Facebook doesn't mean you would enjoy working for the company. And just because you love to cook doesn't mean you would enjoy owning a restaurant, for example. This is John is his post. For example, I owned restaurants but I realized I didn't love the food business. I loved service and marketing aspects of the business. So I love this also because I walk you through your hobbies and sometimes, just like John says here, sometimes your hobby, your passion is not your purpose, but it's your outlet. And that's something that I help you realize is sometimes all we need. Sometimes you are living in your purpose but you're burnt out and you have lost or forgotten the things that light you up and give you passion and energy. Sometimes those two are separate and that's okay. We just need to incorporate those things that you enjoy doing. We don't necessarily have to make your life mission out of it.

Lorayne: 5:39

Number four quit for the right reasons. I love this and I'm going to read what he wrote and then I'm going to dive deeper into it. Don't quit because work is hard or you're experiencing challenges. Quit because in your heart, you know there is something else for you to do. Quit because you are not benefiting yourself or the organization you work for. Quit because you are absolutely certain you are no longer supposed to be there. I love this for one, because I have quit my job, now my career, twice because of that.

Lorayne: 6:25

Because one, the first time I knew that that was not for me. I knew that my values and the things that I once got into it was medicine. So the reason why I first got into medicine was to help people, to help heal people, to help guide people, to help teach people. I have an extensive history in the health and wellness industry as well, with coaching and fitness and everything. So that was a part of it. And Western medicine no longer aligns with who I am and what I believe in, my values and what I talk about and what I believe in my values and what I talk about and what I teach about.

Lorayne: 7:07

And so the first time I quit was because it was right after COVID and my eyes got open to a lot of things and, um, we're just going to leave it at that. Uh, we don't have to agree on it and that's okay, but that is why I quit. It was no longer in alignment and I figured out, I realized that God didn't create me to live there and to do that, and it was to help people, to help encourage people, to teach people, to educate people, to coach people and to get them on the right path to where they are supposed to be, where they were designed to be created to be, to help them step into their best self version of themselves. And so that was the first time and that kind of fell into because my heart in my heart, I knew that there was something else for me. The second time I was there and I made great connections and I absolutely loved some of the people that I worked with, and it also opened my eyes once again to the ugliness of it and of people. Unfortunately and that's going to be in any industry that you're in there's going to be people that are for you, against you. There's going to be people there that are in it for the right reasons and in it for the wrong reasons. That goes in every single industry.

Lorayne: 8:34

That being said, the second time I quit for different reasons. I quit because I was no longer going to work under someone who was undermining and who was just unkind and who was participating in the negative aspects of the department and in gossip and in slander, and who would bash you at the same time as praise you who, anyways, I was not going to put myself in that position anymore and I was not going to subject myself to that type of behavior, that type of treatment, because I knew that's not where I'm supposed to be. Anyways, I was just there, it was to get me to another place, but I knew that I was not supposed to be working with that organization any longer and it was not benefiting me or them, and so I want to remind you to hold true to your values. Don't conform to something that is against your beliefs and everything inside of you, don't? You know, as a Christian, we are supposed to walk different, talk different, act different. We are called to be not of this world, right, we're supposed to stand out, and that's another podcast in and of itself. So, anyways, I don't want you to follow your heart in this or your feelings, because your feelings are fickle, but what I do want you to pay attention to is how are you showing up when you are here? If you are selling yourself short and the company short, you need to think about what it is while you're there and plan an exit strategy. Don't just quit and not have a job or a means for income Plan, an exit strategy. I can help you with that too.

Lorayne: 10:50

Number five learn from every job and experience. I love this because, again, I learned from this job and this experience. I learned that there's going to be times where people are going to come against you and people are going to say stuff about you. And how are you going to handle it? Are you going to just take it? How are you going to respond and how are you going to handle it? Are you going to just take it? How are you going to respond and how are you going to react? So before I would have just reacted and I would have come back with insults, I would have thrown a fit about things, I would have been just ugly and I would have fought back in a really ugly way. Not anymore. Now I respond. Now I'm professional about it and I know my value and I know my worth and I also know that this was just a stepping stone for where I'm supposed to be, and so I had the knowledge, the confidence and the professionalism to say you know what? I'm not going to lower myself to this person's level and play this game and I'm going to exit. And I learned from this experience, I met some great people, possibly even some potential clients, which is amazing, because I love to help people out, step into their calling. I love to help people and I love to encourage people to follow their dream and their passion and to do what they were created to do.

Lorayne: 12:25

Number six your current job may not be your ultimate purpose, but it can serve as a vehicle to live and share your purpose. I'm just going to give this example again, as where I was just previously at the job that I just quit, I knew it wasn't my end goal. I knew I wasn't going to retire there. It served a purpose for a purpose, and that might be where you are at right now, friend. So don't get down on yourself. Have some patience and map out where it is that you want to be and if it is not where you are currently at, let's figure out how to get you there to the end result. But keep in mind that you are where you are for a reason, for a season and for a purpose. So let's not miss that part of the journey. I don't want you to throw the baby out with the bathwater and quit altogether. Like I said, I know some people are not fortunate enough to just quit without another job in place. I get that. I was once there too. So realize that where you are at is for a reason and a purpose. And what can you learn from where you are at?

Lorayne: 13:44

Number seven, whatever job or jobs you take after, in this case, graduation simply decide to serve. So how I want to spin this for my audience, for you, whatever job you take, simply decide to serve. So I'm taking out the word after graduation and what I'm saying is whatever job you are in, decide to serve. So, wherever you are at, whether you are in a job or a position that you enjoy or that you don't enjoy, check yourself, check your heart and your heart posture. And if you come from a place of service and a place of gratitude I talk about this all the time, gratitude, but also service you will notice a difference in your attitude and how you show up and how you perform. And I want to encourage you to keep that on the forefront of your mind that you're here to serve. How can I serve? How can I help someone? What can I do to make someone's day better? Right, how can I serve in this place, in this time, in this season?

Lorayne: 15:04

Number eight your dream job is likely not the one you dreamed about. This is so true because I could tell you that I never, ever, ever, thought in a million years that I would be speaking, that I would be coaching, that I would be in this personal health and wellness and personal development space. I never thought that. I never thought that I'd be going to conferences and networking events. No way, not in a million years. What I did think was I was going to be a flight nurse, that I was going to live, breathe, die in medicine. Was I was going to be a flight nurse, that I was going to live, breathe, die in medicine? That that was my lane. And so this goes to show you that you might not be in the dream job that you're at right now, but also and your dream job might not be what you are dreaming about, it might be something completely different. And if you hold that space for yourself and for curiosity and for growth, friend, you will get there. I promise you that. So hold on to that loosely.

Lorayne: 16:09

Number nine the quest for your purpose is not a straight line. Let me tell you that it is not a straight line. It is like this, and if you can see me. I am going up and down, and up and down and around and through. It is not a straight line. Never is it a straight line. I don't want you to ever think it's a straight line. And it's never going to be easy. It is difficult, it is challenging.

Lorayne: 16:33

Being in the personal development growth space has been the most challenging, hard, strenuous, stressful but rewarding path journey I've ever taken in my life. It is incredible, and I have only grown and become a better person because of it. So I want to encourage you in that to think of how you can be better. What can you do to think of how you can be better? What can you do to do better? How can you elevate yourself as a person? Is it reading a book, reading a personal development book? Is it enrolling in a course or class? Is it enrolling in personal training? What can you do? And then, don't rush it.

Lorayne: 17:25

Number 10, don't rush the future. Don't rush this process. Don't rush where you're going. Enjoy the journey. Don't be so focused on the end result, the end goal, that you miss this whole transformational journey. And then number 11 is to be the seed. I love this because what does a seed produce? A crop, a plant, and so if you are going around planting seeds, planting goodness, planting, gratitude, planting service, you are going to reap a beautiful harvest, friend, because it's not about you. It's about your gift and how you serve and how you show up and what you can do to make this world a better place, because that's what it is all about. It is about loving and serving others and being selfless instead of selfish. So, friend, I hope this has helped you in the most magnificent way and I hope you have a fantastic day, because you were divinely created for a divine purpose and there is no mistake in you.