To live purposefully, or not to live purposefully? 

That is the question.

Dear Reader,

An integral approach to purpose requires us to embrace the dark as well as the light.  Embracing purpose requires the ability to metabolize joy and the willingness to soberly see the big picture.

The light: Embodying purpose brings your life more meaning, abundance, and impact.  Knowing your purpose lets your impulse to serve express itself.

The dark: Human civilization is in desperate need of a radical evolutionary purpose awakening, a legion of purpose-driven leaders to restore integrity to democracy (The United States is an Oligarchy - Princeton, 2015), civility to our economy (Inequality and ecocide are features, not bugs, of unbridled capitalism - Piketty, 2014) and  restoration of the Earth's ecology (As little as 15 years before human colony collapse - NASA, 2014, UN/IPCC, 2014).

However, humanity is not equipped to meet this challenge, as 87% of the world's workforce remains purpose agnostic and disengaged in their careers (Gallup, 2014), and 80% of the world's CEOs do not know their life's purpose (Harvard Business Review, 2014), despite identifying it as a top priority (IBM, 2012).

I believe humans contain the evolutionary potential to become a purpose-driven species. 

Imagine what kind of society would have evolved, if over the last 1000 years we had embraced the notion that we all have a unique life purpose.  What I see today, is a species lost in default purposes.  We end up elevating things we enjoy (entertainment, junk food, financial security, technology) to the status of "purpose."  Ask yourself...

Are you addicted to being entertained?

Are you addicted to junk food?

Are you addicted to financial security?

Are you addicted to technology?

(I'm looking at you compulsive email checker...yeah you!)

"Choice"...it's one of my favorite words.We can choose, as a species to transition from a life of default purpose to one of true purpose.The consequences of NOT evolving into a purpose-driven species are hard to ignore.

We can continue to be driven by default purposes that lead to this...

...or become a purpose driven species that leads to this.

For the sake of future generations and all life on Earth, I invite you to join the Purpose Revolution by uncovering your distinct life-enhancing purpose.  If you feel called to be at the center of the purpose movement, by becoming a midwife to purpose-driven societies, contact me to discuss the possibility of becoming a Purpose Guide.

Sincerely,
Jonathan Gustin

               Illustrations: By the amazing Steve Cutts