“If you could wake up tomorrow morning and set out on a course to do anything in the world you want, knowing that everything you need to accomplish it was going to be provided, what would you wake up and do tomorrow?” During the last few weeks of my father’s life, this was the constant question that turned out to be one of the most meaningful conversations I have had in my life. I had spent the seven years prior to this conversation on an intentional journey to figure out my personal purpose and live it. But this conversation grabbed my soul. My father was dying. He knew it and I did too. He was diagnosed with stage 4 inoperable cancer when he started having health concerns, and with hospice on board, he knew his death was imminent. And this is what he wanted to talk about. So talk we did.
A trip or shopping. I can hear him say in his corny way, “Yeah, yeah, and then what would you spend your life being and doing?” We settled into the conversation about life passion and work. He let me tell him my vision and the dreams that tied it all together. But what he asked me next changed my life.
“Why aren’t you doing it?”
“Well, but … I don’t have …” I am well versed at integrated system planning and design and I was an expert at sharing all the obstacles that could possibly hinder any of my dreams from ever being realized. He reminded me of the parameters of his first question. “All the resources you need will be provided.”
What would stop me from living my purpose? Fear was my final answer. I feared a long list of things.
My father quietly and lovingly listened to my list of excuses. Then he told me a story that I had heard before. He told me a parable about birds. How they are living their purpose when they are doing what birds do. When birds are being what they are created to be, the universe provides for their needs. “When you are being what you are born to be, the same universe provides for you, daughter.” He told me that if I let go of my fear of death and all the fears on my list, I could set out on a course in life where I could live life fully. He told me all I needed to do was to live life fully TODAY. If I went through today doing all of the things that were important for today, the tomorrows, if I had the opportunity to live any of those future days, would be taken care of. He showed me, every day until his last, how to live life.
He started every morning with his version of old man corniness and said with a gasp, “I woke up! I’m alive! I guess that means there’s something for me to do today! I’d better figure it out because I’m alive on purpose.” He said, “Live life fully, today! And if you wake up tomorrow, do it again.”
I have reflected on his words often since his passing. He was not talking about some general “live your best life.” He was specific. He meant today, this day that you woke up to, your waking up is on purpose. There is a reason for your existence, today specifically. Live today well. Do what’s important. Leave today with no regrets. That conversation changed my life. Living my purpose today is what matters. And if I wake up tomorrow, I’ll do it again!
As we enter a new year I challenge you to resolve to live life on purpose. Live life fully, today!
