Awakening to WHY

What do you remember most about your awakening to why? That time when you realized that you were not the center of the universe, and you discovered your life is full of possibility, meaning, and purpose. You realized you have gifts, talents, and abilities and you made yourself available to share those with others and in service of some cause.Was your awakening an epiphany? One of those magical moments where it seemed as though lights were flashing, trumpets blaring, and suddenly you had a Eureka moment?Perhaps yours was more of a gradual enlightening; like climbing a mountain and then you arrived at a vista where you could see for miles and miles. You saw the path that led to the vista just as clearly as you saw the way forward. The splendor and majesty from your vantage point were breathtaking and awe-inspiring.Who knows? Your awakening might have contained elements of both. Or might have happened in an entirely different way.[clickToTweet tweet="#Awakenings are not one size fits all; they are one size fits one, you!" quote="Awakenings are not one size fits all; they are one size fits one, you!"]Or maybe you’re sitting there with your face scrunched wondering, “What is this ‘awakening to why’? How does it happen? Sounds kind of Gucci, can I schedule one for Friday at 3:00?”Maybe you can schedule your awakening for Friday at 3:00, but I’ve never seen awakenings arrive exactly on schedule. But that is not to say yours can’t or won’t.But it is entirely possible that your awakening still lies in your future. It would be awesome if you reading this blog post somehow contributed to your awakening?While awakenings may happen at any moment and are not geographically bound. Yes, there are some special places where people gather when they are in a seeker mode, but awakenings are not restricted to conference centers, retreats, college campuses, or sanctuaries.Awakenings are just as likely to occur in a coffee shop, at a restaurant, in a park, at the beach, in the mountains, or even in your car. As I said, they are not geographically bound. However, it is very common for some human agent to be involved. I call them Awakeners.Awakeners are people whose gifts, talents, and abilities are used to awaken other people to the fact that they, too, have gifts, talents, and abilities along with destiny and purpose.The Awakeners arouse people to the reality that your greatest joy in life will be found when you are using your unique skills in service of others and not just live for yourself.Here’s how one Awakener from a past generation, Frederick Buchner put it,

Vocation is the place where our deep gladness meets the world's deep need.

You may be related to the Awakener(s) in your life — maybe it was your mother, father, aunt, uncle, grandparent, sibling, or cousin. Or maybe they served you in some leadership capacity like a coach, teacher, preacher, or counselor. It’s equally possible your Awakener briefly crossed your path in an airport, on a plane, at a conference, camp, or retreat. Maybe you sat in an audience of hundreds or thousands of people. Or maybe it was an intimate one-on-one conversation. It’s also possible that you were reading a book or watching them on some screen.Whoever it was and wherever it was, the Awakener communicated something that stirred deep within you. It connected and resonated deep within and awakened you to your life of purpose and meaning. They got you started on the journey.Remember this, living your WHY is a journey. It’s always a journey, a lifelong one at that.[clickToTweet tweet="If you’ve got a pulse, you’ve got a #purpose. Keep pursuing it." quote="If you’ve got a pulse, you’ve got a purpose. Keep pursuing it."]What next? Well, that depends on where you are on your Journey to WHY.1) Maybe as you read this post, you identified the Awakener(s) in your life. Perhaps you realize that you’ve never expressed your gratitude or lost touch. If you are rocking your why perhaps this provides an excellent opportunity to reach out and connect, or reconnect with your Awakener(s). You could send them a note for the role they played in your Awakening or provide an update on recent developments on your Road to WHY.2) If reading this has awakened you to the reality that weeds are crowding out your why perhaps it is time to revisit and reconnect with your why — maybe this is a wake-up call to reawaken yours.3) If you have yet to discover your why then look around. Who are the Awakeners in your life? Invite one to breakfast, lunch, or coffee and ask them to help you with the discovery process.4) If you want to connect with like-minded people for connection, conversation, and community on your way to why, join the LYW Facebook group or drop-in on one of The WHY Conversations on Blab. You can listen live or watch the recording.