Life Purpose
Thoughts from the air…
I get some of my best ideas when I’m FLYING.. literally AND metaphorically !
On a flight yesterday from Barbados to Miami, I was reflecting on a conversation I had last summer. While giving a concert in Scotland, I met a wise young woman from Romania, and we got to talking about life purpose. She asked me what I thought my purpose was in life. She said, “In my opinion, life purpose is something that you do for others that brings you a deep inner satisfaction.. it’s a service to others. This is different than the ego that is satisfied by reward and flattery… it’s a satisfaction that you feel in your heart, not in your head”.
My grandfather, Reverend Ken, was a Methodist minister… a very untraditional one who was enlightened about the true meaning of unconditional love for one another. My father Ron was a clinical psychologist and gave therapy for 40 years. My grandfather and father were both great men who had their own “ministry”… a way of reaching many people in need, and shining light into their lives.
Like my grandfather and father, I feel I am the third generation man in my family to have my own “ministry” of shining my light to large groups of people through my music and words.
For 15 years now, I’ve traveled the world playing music and speaking. I gave a concert recently on a cruise ship docked in Oslo, Norway. I closed my show with a saxophone version of “I will always love you”. (Link below!)
My grandmother, Edith Solomon , passed away recently and I dedicated the song to her saying, “ I know she’s looking in on me tonight with love. I believe no one’s ever really gone”. After the show, a couple from Windsor England came to me with with tears in their eyes and said, “ you have no idea how much your tribute and that song meant us. Our son died 20 years ago when he was very young and we really felt like he was here with us tonight”.
WOW! Can you imagine how much that made my heart soar and gave me such a feeling of connection and deep satisfaction? When I experience moments like that with people who have been touched by me sharing my gifts and shining my light, I feel that I am absolutely living with purpose.
I wish that for every single person… to uncover your gifts, your passions, and to share them with others… and to do it because you feel a deep satisfaction in your heart.
What makes you come alive? What are your gifts? Remember, talents and gifts are not only skills like arts and intelligence. Being a good listener, having someone’s back, cooking someone a meal…I would assert that these equally are talents!
What’s your passion? What’s your purpose? Happy soul-searching! :-)
“Purpose is something you do for others that brings you a deep inner satisfaction that is felt in your heart, not your head”.