The Pressure of Purpose

What if the idea that you must “find your purpose” is actually putting unnecessary pressure on your life?For as long as I can remember, I felt this quiet weight that I was supposed to do something significant with my life.Not in my twenties.Not after a career change.When I was twelve.I was already reading Louise Hay and other self-help books while most kids were reading teen magazines.I still have the You Can Heal Your Body blue book.Even back then, I had this deep sense that I was here to do something meaningful with my life.But what that meant, took a very long time to work out.And to be honest, I’m not even sure I’ve completely worked it out now.For years I carried this quiet pressure.Find your purpose.Figure out why you’re here.Do something meaningful with your life.Don’t Waste Your Gifts & TalentsIt sounds inspiring when you say it like that.But it can also feel heavy.Like there is some enormous destiny you are supposed to uncover.And until you find it, you are somehow missing the point of being here.About three years ago, I had a realization that changed how I see all of this.I realized that my purpose might simply be joy.Just that.To live in the joy of having this human experience.To be here.To feel.To create.To connect.And then on top of that, there are missions.The missions change over time.Right now, my mission is supporting women in midlife to fully express themselves.Through their work.Through their creations.Through their voices.Through Books. Podcasts. Substacks. Card decks.But these missions are separate from my purpose.The mission is something I am doing right now.The purpose is something deeper.And simpler.And I think we have overcomplicated this whole idea of purpose.What if our purpose is simply to live fully?To fully express ourselves.To explore the potentials inside us.Not all of them need to be birthed.But there are usually one or two or three that want to come into the world through us.Creations that want to take form.Not from ego.Not from the idea that we need to leave some grand legacy so people remember us when we’re dead.Because the truth is…You’re going to be dead.And when you’re dead, you won’t care if people remember you.You’ll be off on your next adventure.What About Your Living Legacy?What interests me much more is something I think of as a living legacy.The impact you’re having while you’re still here.Not something people talk about after you’re gone.A living legacy is made up of tiny moments.The way you show up in the fabric of everyday life.The way you speak to the person at the supermarket checkout.The random conversation you have with someone in a queue.The moments where you hold space for someone who needs to share something real.I recently joined a gym.When I was signing up, I ended up having the most unexpectedly deep conversation with the assistant manager.Within minutes he was sharing something quite harrowing from his life.I simply held space for him.Listened.Later I ran into him at our local department store.We spoke again and he shared some more, and I gave him a hug.Those moments matter.They seem small.But they ripple.You’re kind to someone.They soften.They’re kind to someone else.And suddenly that small moment travels further than you will ever know.This is how the fabric of life is woven.Purpose doesn’t always look like a grand mission.Sometimes it looks like presence.Sometimes it looks like kindness.Sometimes it looks like creating something that only a handful of people ever see…but that changes something inside them.So if you’ve been feeling pressure to find your purpose, maybe you can soften that question a little.Maybe your purpose isn’t something you need to hunt down like hidden treasure.Maybe your purpose is simply this: To be fully here.To live.To create.To express what is alive inside you.And then from time to time, to take on missions that feel meaningful in the season you are in.That feels like enough to me.And more than enough to fill one precious life.I’d love to know something.Have you ever felt the pressure to “find your purpose”?Or have you come to see it differently over time?LoveAyesha xoxIf this space resonates with you and you’d like to go a little deeper,you’re warmly invited to join the Fully Expressed Collective.PS Maybe we are all just hear to be earth angles, sharing joy! Get full access to Fully Expressed with Ayesha Hilton at fullyexpressedwithayesha.substack.com/subscribe