A man must be prepared to give 100 percent to his purpose, fulfill his karma or dissolve it, and then let go of that specific form of living. He must be capable of not knowing what to do with his life, entering a period of unknowingness and waiting for a vision or a new form of purpose to emerge. These cycles of strong specific action followed by periods of not knowing what the hell is going on are natural for a man who is shedding
A layers of karma in his relaxation into truth.
s you open yourself to living at your edge, your deepest purpose will slowly begin to make itself known. In the meantime, you will experience layer after layer of purposes, each one getting closer and closer to the fullness of your deepest purpose. It is as if your deepest purpose is at the center of your being, and it is surrounded by layers of concentric circles, each circle being a lesser purpose. Your life consists of penetrating each circle, from the outside toward the center.
The goals we pursue early in life are often shaped by the expectations and experiences we inherit from our parents and childhood. For instance, if your father was a firefighter, you might aspire to follow in his footsteps, or, in contrast, rebel by choosing an opposing path. These early ambitions, though significant at the time, are often distant reflections of your true, deeper purpose.
If your ultimate calling is to meditate and connect with a higher power, you may first need to navigate through the outer layers of life—exploring relationships, experimenting with experiences, starting a family, building a career. Only after moving through these phases and losing interest in them can you truly commit to your deeper purpose.
As you shed each layer, you get closer to living from your core, aligning more with your deepest purpose in each moment. However, you’re likely not there yet. You may still need to burn through your current obsessions and distractions before moving forward.
It’s easy to feel disillusioned by life when success doesn’t bring the fulfillment you expected. This happens because achieving smaller goals doesn’t offer lasting satisfaction—it’s merely a stepping stone toward living out a greater purpose. Every goal and mission must be fully experienced until it loses its meaning and becomes tiresome. When that happens, it’s time to let go and move forward. This is a sign of growth, not failure, though it’s often misunderstood.
For instance, you may take on a business project, work at it for several years, and then suddenly find yourself totally disinterested. You know that if you stayed with it for another few years you would reap much greater financial reward than if you left the project now. But the project no longer calls you. You no longer feel interested in the project. You have developed skills over the last few years working on the project, but it hasn’t yet come to fruition. You may wonder, now that you have the skills, should you stick with it and bring the project to fruition, even though the work feels empty to you?
Well, maybe you should stick with it. Maybe you are bailing out too soon, afraid of success or failure, or just too lazy to persevere. This is one possibility. Ask your close men friends if they feel you are simply losing steam, wimping out, or afraid to bring your project to completion. If they feel you are bailing out too soon, stick with it.
However, there is also the possibility that you have completed your karma in this area. It is possible that this was one layer of purpose, which
you have now fulfilled, on the way to another layer of purpose, closer to your deepest purpose.
Among the signs of fulfilling or completing a layer of purpose are these:
- You suddenly have no interest whatsoever in a project or mission that, just previously, motivated you highly.
- You feel surprisingly free of any regrets whatsoever, for starting the project or for ending it.
- Even though you may not have the slightest idea of what you are going to do next, you feel clear, unconfused, and, especially, unburdened.
- You feel an increase in energy at the prospect of ceasing your involvement with the project.
- The project seems almost silly, like collecting shoelaces or wallpapering your house with gas station receipts. Sure, you could do it, but why would you want to?
If you experience these signs, it is probably time to stop working on this project. You must end your involvement impeccably, however, making sure there are no loose ends and that you do not burden anybody’s life by stopping your involvement. This might take some time, but it is important that this layer of your purpose ends cleanly and does not create any new karma, or obligation, that will burden you or others in the future.
The next layer of your unfolding purpose may make itself clear immediately. More often, however, it does not. After completing one layer of purpose, you might not know what to do with your life. You know that the old project is over for you, but you are not sure of what is next. At this point, you must wait for a vision.
There is no way to rush this process. You may need to get an intermediary job to hold you over until the next layer of purpose makes itself clear. Or, perhaps you have enough money to simply wait. But in any case, it is important to open yourself to a vision of what is next. You stay open to a vision of your deeper purpose by not filling your time with distractions. Don’t watch TV or play computer games. Don’t go out drinking beer with your friends every night or start dating a bunch of women. Simply wait. You may wish to go on a retreat in a remote area and
be by yourself. Whatever it is you decide to do, consciously keep yourself open and available to receiving a vision of what is next. It will come.
When it comes, it usually won’t be a detailed vision. You will probably have a sense of what direction to move in, but the practical steps might not make themselves clear. When the impulse begins to arise, act on it. Don’t wait for the details. Learn by trial and error what it is you are to do.
For instance, perhaps you were a stockbroker and then finished that particular layer of purpose. You saved up some money, so now you are waiting for a vision of your next layer. After three weeks of going crazy, not knowing what you are going to do with your life, you begin to feel that you want to work with people. You begin to fantasize about using your financial skills to help people set up their own businesses. You have a few friends who have great intentions to save the world, but they are lousy businessmen and can’t seem to get off the ground. So you call them and offer your help.
As you help them, you continually feel for the “groove” of your purpose. You might have a few false starts. But, eventually, you find that dozens of non-profit groups are telephoning you, asking for your advice. It feels as if the universe is supporting you in this direction. You have no idea whether you can earn a living doing this, but it feels right for now. So you apply yourself fully to it. You give your gift 100 percent, without holding anything back.
Soon, a wealthy man finds out about what you are doing. He admires your total commitment and your orientation to serve others. He becomes your patron. Now, you are set. You have a good income, you are doing what you really want to do, and you are helping others. You love what you do, so you generate love in those who come in contact with you. Your life feels full.
And then, one day, a few years later, it is finished. This layer has dissolved. And the cycle begins again, and again, until you have penetrated all the layers into your deepest purpose. Then, you act fully, until that purpose, too, is dissolved in the bliss of the love that you are.
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