I love cartoons! I especially love the Disney and Pixar movies because there is always a lesson to learn. I believe there is a lesson to learn from the Incredibles, an animated movie that came out in 2004. Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl, his wife, are forced to assume mundane lives after all super-powered activities were banned by the government. While Mr. Incredible loves his wife and kids, he longs to return to a life of adventure. In other words, he is searching for a sense of purpose. He lost it and he wanted it back!

I think we all want a sense of purpose; even if we don’t know where to find it. When we don’t have a clear sense of purpose, we feel something is missing. Purpose is personal. Purpose doesn’t have to be about something grand. It’s finding work that’s meaningful to us for where we are at this moment in our lives.

If you want to find sense of purpose, it is time to do some self-reflection. What are you good at? What do you like to do? What is that thing you would do if no one paid you? Spend some time answering these questions. Then do an honest comparison against the work that you’re currently doing. You may realize that you can reframe your current job to be more purpose-oriented. Or you might see that it’s time to make the switch. 

Mr. Incredible was able to return to a life of adventure and discovered that to achieve it for the season he was in required his dependence on others which made them INTERDEPENDENT. According to Steven Covey, interdependence is the highest level of maturity.  You might discover that too and that is okay. Normally, your purpose will be tied to others!

Spicing Up Your Soul