Peace, Purpose & Passion - Part 2

Three words that changed my life.

It was several weeks into my spring semester marketing class when my professor made an impromptu comment that would shape the following twenty years of my life.

He said, “I want you to write this down: peace, purpose and passion.”

And so, I did.

Peace, purpose, and passion. I thought about what he would say next.

“Go home and write those Three Ps down and connect them together. Draw it out on a piece of paper and see what provides you happiness.” And so, I did, but I didn’t wait until I had gotten back to my dorm. I sketched out a quick, ad hoc Venn diagram with the words “peace,” “purpose,” and “passion” within each of the interconnecting circles while class continued. My classmates seemed to have ignored his comment, but I was locked in. My mind was firing on all cylinders.

What will make me happy? I had never asked myself that question.

As I sat there in class I began writing down words into my Venn diagram doing the best I could completing a task I had never given a moment’s thought to.  

Words and phrases like, work in NYC, outside, sun on my face, sports, build something, and use my hands quickly covered the sheet of paper within minutes. I didn’t know what it all meant, and it was more confusing to me than anything else, but this was the first time I had ever thought about my future beyond simplistic, surface level terms.

It was obvious from the words and phrases I had written down that I had not given any time  to identifying what would make me happy. Everything I had written lacked depth.

Even in its rather simplistic state this exercise seemed to provide a more tangible view of what I could achieve in my life. I saw a road map to possibility. What I saw jotted down on paper seemed to offer clarity amidst the confusion. Up until this point I was still undecided about what major I would pursue.

Would I really enjoy doing something twenty-years from now? The commitment and decision of picking a major terrified me.

Maybe others faced the same trepidation when faced with the daunting task of career decisions.

What do I really want out of my life? Again my mind wondered. Maybe that was the real question.

As I continued to muse to myself about what I had drawn meant I began, for the first time, to really think about my future.

What type of career did I want?

Who did I want to share my life with?

Where did I want to spend the remaining years of my life?

How would the answers to those questions lead me towards a place of peace, purpose and passion?

Questions that now seem very profound for a twenty-year-old kid just trying to navigate the new responsibilities of adulthood.

I continued working on my Three Ps for the next fifteen years. I continued revisiting, revising and reflecting. Each time my life’s journey became a little clearer. Past confusion now offered clarity. The Venn Diagram that once housed only simple words had blossomed to pages of detailed thoughts and visions.

All the time spent identifying what I wanted out of my life pulled me toward entrepreneurship. I wanted nothing more than to start my own business.

Starting my own business would be come my calling in life. My purpose.

As days, months and years passed that calling became louder. It was unavoidable. It was my destiny.

I accomplished this goal by 2017. I started my own coffee roasting company, and then, a short time later, expanded the business to include a micro-brewery.

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What does this all mean? Why am I telling you this?

Peace, purpose, passion.

Aren’t those three words linked to virtue and destiny?

I had come across the Three Ps inadvertently while reading Seneca’s Letters from a Stoic, once I realized that the virtues of Stoicism – wisdom, courage, temperance, and justice–were simply another way of describing them.

What will make us happy?

Is it to have the wisdom to know and do what is right even during times of distress, heartache, or pain?

Is it to have the courage to act with honor and integrity in all that we pursue?

Is it to have the temperance to remain calm under pressure?

Is it to live absent of ego regardless of convenience creating a state of personal justice?

Won’t that make us happy?

Yes, I want to live in peace. Peace with myself and toward others.

Yes, I want to live with purpose and be useful to others.

Yes, I want to have passion in all that I do and radiate that towards others.

Toward others.

Giving outwardly is the gift. Words are merely strings of sounds. They hold no weight or obligation to do what is right. We do right by acting. By doing!

Our actions are where virtue lies. It remains hidden unless we have the self-awareness to stay present and see it.

Whatever you do, just do it! Focus on the task. Commit yourself to a goal. Realize it will be uncomfortable at times, but you’ll get there if you continue forward.

Peace, purpose and passion. Make your own Venn diagram and sketch out what will make you happy. Revisit, revise and reflect as you continue forward. Learn from it and craft your own adventure. See where it will take you!

What is it that you want out of your life?

Disclaimer: My blog is written in journal entry form. I write to myself. I write to improve my writing skills. There might be grammatical errors, but that is okay, because I am human. So please forgive me. It’s not perfect, but neither am I.