By Danny Pettry II, M.Ed., M.S., LPC, NCC, CTRS-BHS, Certified Success Principles Trainer.
Living the Dream.
People often say :”Living the dream,” as a sarcastic way to indicate they’re not satisfied with their station in life.
Do you know your mission or purpose in life?
I believe in a Higher Power that is loving, kind and compassionate.
This High Power gives us some freedom to choose our path in life.
I know my mission in life.
I discovered it from Dr. Raymond Moody’s book, Life After Life.
It’s a book about people who had Near Death Experiences.
Dr. Raymond Moody studied people who had these experiences.
Some of these people were pronounced dead and yet they returned.
It’s unlikely to be a conspiracy because the people in the study were from different countries and parts of the world. They often spoke different languages. The studies were pre-internet so people lacked communication with others in Moody’s study.
People were often faced with a light that was all loving.
People were often presented with various questions.
Two of these questions included:
- What did you learn in this life?
- How did you love others in life?
My personal mission is based on these two questions.
Danny Pettry’s Mission: loving to learn and learning to love more.
I keep an open mind to learn everything that I can in this life.
I love knowledge, books, courses, trainings, insights, Ah-ha moments, and Eureka moments.
What is the point of gaining any of this knowledge and wisdom if we’re going to eventually die anyway?
The purpose of knowledge helps us give our love to the world.
Different people have different passions.
- A car mechanic learns everything she can about cars so she can provide her best love to the world, working on cars.
- A teacher learns everything she can about teaching so she can provide her best love to the world, effective teaching.
- A farmer learns everything she can about farming so she can provide her best love to the world, producing food.
- A mother learns everything she can about raising kids so she can be the best mother for her children, producing outstanding human beings.
We have freewill. We can have, do, or be almost anything in this life (to some extent).
Of course, that Higher Power that governs us all has a little touch. That Higher Power planted you with certain gifts that are unique to you and not others.
A person who is over 6 foot tall is better suited to be a basketball player than a person who is five foot two inches. Of course, the person who is five foot and two inches would be better suited for gymnastics. We all have gifts.
We must live authentically in alignment with who we are.
- A vegetarian wouldn’t feel satisfied working at a meat packing plant.
- An environmentalist wouldn’t feel comfortable working at a lumber yard.
I (Danny Pettry) am self-aware. My Myers–Briggs Type Indicator is INFP, also known as “The Healer.” INFP stands for Introversion, iNtuition, Feeling, and Perceiving, which are four core personality traits based on the work of psychologist C.G. Jung.
I felt different for being a budding introvert during my youth. I enjoyed alone time and I often admired those outgoing extroverted people. I thought there was something wrong with me. As an adult, I realize that there wasn’t anything wrong with me. Introversion is okay. I have sympathy for those extraverts who have to spend too much alone time. I know see my own strength in being able to enjoy alone time.
How I live out my mission:
I’m a healer. That’s what I’m here on Earth to do.
Loving to Learn: It is my personal responsibility to learn everything I can about healing the mind, body and soul. I read books and take courses and trainings on ways to help people heal. I read books about mental health and wellness, physical health, spiritual health, and self-improvement.
Learning to love more: I practice my gifts, my love, by working full-time as a practitioner at psychiatric hospital. I’ve been doing this work at the same hospital since August 2002. I’m approaching 20 years.
I provide my gift by teaching other practitioners knowledge through my business, Rec Therapy Today. This doubles my personal mission with healing. I can reach more therapists so more people can receive the benefits.
Gratitude:
- I feel very grateful that I know who I am.
- I’m grateful that I know my primary mission in life.
Opportunity:
None of us get off Earth alive. We all die one day.
We only have one chance to do something with this life we’ve been given.
I keep this in mind daily. I’m not promised an extra day of life on this Earth.
Do you know your mission?
Here are some tips to help.
1.) Answer this question 100 times: Who am I?
My answers would include: I’m a son, a brother, a practitioner, a West Virginian, a coffee drinker, a healer, former skateboarder, humanitarian, volunteer, etc.
2.) What do you love learning about? What is something you’re passionate about? If you could spend a day in a great library studying any one thing, which section would you be reading about?
My answers include: Healing, Spirituality, Social Psychology, Interpersonal skills (boundaries), Positive Psychology, Grit, the Growth Mindset.
3.) Answer this question list 100 things you’d like to have, do, and be in life.
- Have: a family, a dog, a job, a car.
- Be: a provider, protector, healer, son, uncle, Godfather.
- Do: write a novel, give to those less fortunate. Visit the holocaust museum (for empathy).
4.) What do you think your mission could be today?
And missions can change over the years.
It’s okay to change your mission in life as you growth:
In example a Peanut Farmer from Georgia or a Hollywood actor might decide to become President of the United States.
A Republican like Elizabeth Warren might decide to change and be a Democrat.
A Democrat like Ronald Reagan might change his mission to become a Republican.
A doctor like Michael Crichton might decide to quit being a doctor so he can write novels like Jurassic Park.
People change. Your mission at age 5 or 15 is a lot different from your mission today.
Final Tips:
Be Authentic.
Be Compassionate.
Live a life worth living.
Final Task:
Post your comments below: