My Purpose And My Vision

This essay aims to answer the question “Where are you going and why are you going there?”. It will be divided into two parts: where are you going and why are you going there? The first question rings out a bell of my vision that will be discussed in the subheadings; hard work, skill of S. M. A. R. T, perseverance and faith. The second question addresses my purpose and is set out in the subheadings: self-concept, patience, tender loving care and prayer. I'll begin by talking about my purpose and move on to my vision.

Purpose

I define purpose as my reason of being born on earth. This term raises the question; why am I here? Merriam-Webster dictionary (2019) Defines purpose as something set up to be accomplished as an end or object. Lexico dictionary’s (2019) definition of purpose does not vary with us because it says that this is the reason why something is accomplished or produced or for which there is something.

My purpose is to help people and impact lives of individuals to change their bad character to good. I have realised my purpose through my passion, character and contentment. My passion is to be a clinical psychologist so I could help people to rise from their worst states to a better position. I also have much interest on motivational speaking, as I believe in the power of words. My character has been set as a pillar for most of the people in my life. I have confessions from them explaining how some part of their character changed by just observing my life. My principles and values are very different from my peer group, so I don't fit in. They regard me as awkward. Although, it's the same individuals who come back to me with their problems and ask for assistance. What is more surprising is how new people I meet get too comfortable with me and start talking about their profound injuries, secrets or future plans attached to the notion, “don’t tell anyone” I have identified four factors that will help me achieve my purpose and they shall be discussed below.

Self-Concept

Gecas (1982) describes the concept of self as the notion of the person as a physical, social, spiritual or moral being. He cited the definition of self-concept by Rosenberg (1979), which is said to be the totality of the ideas and emotions of an individual referring to himself as an object. My self-concept is very vital because how I view myself either lifts me up or pulls me down. Concisely, I see myself as an individual who can achieve anything I am determined to do regardless of the circumstance. I believe that if there is someone before me who has done it then I can do it too, but also if nobody has done it, I think I can change it and do it first. When I attempt to do something and fail, I embrace my failures and come up with a new plan to rise up because I believe that there is great potential in me. I also see myself as peculiar and thus cannot do everything everyone is doing but rather do what is best to achieve my purpose. As such, my self-concept will be auxiliary to achieving my purpose. However, my self-concept only will not help me satisfy my purpose, I also need patience.

Patience

Stevens and Stephens (2008) explain that a delayed gratification is patience. They also say that it is choosing to do so later than now, keeping it in mind if it's worth waiting. Patience will help me achieve my purpose in a sense that I can choose to wait and start small until I grow instead of wanting to start at the top. As I want to be a motivational speaker, I do not rush and start holding seminars trying to motivate people, instead I begin first with my class presentations and use them to build confidence and fluency and move on to reading a variety of books and articles to equip myself with knowledge. A quote from Lao Tzu says, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” to achieve my purpose I need preparation and it is through patience that I may get well prepared. One colloquial expression close to my heart says, “Patience is a virtue” which means that patience gives you the power or energy and integrity of character for excellence. It is through patience that I do not make decisions when I am excited, instead, I wait to cool off and assess if it is worth it. To achieve my purpose I also need tender loving care.

Tender Loving Care

TLC as it is also known is defined as a considerate and solicitous care. I was once complimented that I had TLC which by that time I had no idea what it meant. Later, I realised that TLC is needed as it makes people become more comfortable and open with you, which I will need for my purpose. Kendrick and Robison (2002) mention that TLC generates a sense of empathy towards the client and makes you want to comprehend and assist the person. I always feel the need to extend my helping hand to those who are weak and at risk, but sometimes I cannot, because the environment or circumstances do not allow me to do so. Having said that TLC is a component God has placed in me so I could use it to achieve my purpose. The latter authors also enunciate that it helps the client have a sense of mattering and that he or she is valued. As such TLC will help me to become a better motivational speaker and clinical psychologist and help my clients best. Above all, I need prayer to be able to achieve my purpose.

Prayer

I believe that there is a greater being that created me and put me on this earth purposefully. The greater being is God whom I communicate with through prayer. Bade and Cook (2008) defines prayer as thoughts, attitudes and actions designed to express or experience connection to the sacred. They continue to explain that through their experiment they have realised that it is through prayer that one can discover himself or herself and also cope with the stresses of the world. Stump (1979) defines prayer as an invocation or act that seeks to activate a rapport with an object of worship through deliberate communication. He talks of the petitionary prayer which he describes as a prayer of request. With this type of prayer, I ask God to help and guide me as I work towards my purpose. The book of proverbs: 16vs3 in the bible says that we should commit whatever we do to the Lord and our plans will succeed. As such, as I pray and commit my plans towards achieving my purpose to him He will help me succeed.

Vision

My definition of vision is basically where I am heading to for the future or where I see myself at a certain period of time. Stoner and Blanchard (2011) describe vision as knowing who you are, where you going and what will guide your journey. The authors added that vision is how the results will look like if the purpose is fulfilled.

My vision is that in 10years I will be influencing lives through pursuing a career in clinical psychology, holding motivational classes and have published my first novel. I also plan to have a performing arts academy that will gather young talented people and enable them to pursue their passion in performing arts. Factors that will contribute towards achieving my vision includes hard work, S. M. A. R. T skill, perseverance and faith. These influences shall be discussed in detail.

Hard Work

Connors (2017) defines hard work as working intelligently and vigorously at a given task to complete it with maximum efficiency. He used an eye catching word which is intelligence, this means that we do not only need to work hard but also we need work smart. In smart working, we put our efforts in the most efficient manner. The author continues to mention that we work hard for something we believe in, we have thought about and planned for which will lead us to happiness, success or well-being. I perceive hard work as strategically putting all of my effort on what I want to do and ensuring that it occurs. I am working hard when I come with short term goals to achieve each year, semester and simply a day. As these goals are achieved one by one, they add up to one big goal which is my vision. As such, to achieve these goals I need the S. M. A. R. T skill.

S. M. A. R. T skill

The s. m. a. r. t skill is usually used when setting short term goals to be achieved in a period of time. To break it down, the S stands for specific. My goal should be straight to the point and clear. M stands for measurable which means that my goal should be something I can manage to do within that given period of time. The A stands for achievable, can I be successful with my goals. R is for realistic, is it something that exists. T for time which means that does the given time allow me to complete my goal. With this skill, I can set for myself goals that I can achieve and also that can make me take a step forward. Since, the road to my vision is bumpy, I need perseverance.

Perseverance

Perseverance can be defined as the ability to keep doing something in spite of obstacles. It can help me achieve my vision in a sense that even when the going gets tough and rough, I may not give up but still push on towards my goal. Wheatly (2010) describes perseverance as seeing through to the end or not yielding or maintaining our activity in spite of difficulties. The author continues to mention that human experience is the story of perseverance. I value academic excellence; therefore, my experience which I consider perseverant is when I became sick a day before examinations. In all levels of my education, every time I was in an exam period, I was attacked by sickness a night before one of my papers. Even though my body was weak, tired and a reduced cognition speed, I still sat for my paper like a normal student and passed because I had a dream I need to achieve. On that note, Laursen (2015) mentions that perseverance is part of a non-cognitive factor called grit which is the tendency to sustain interest in and effort towards very long term goals and it is the grit that contributes significantly to successful outcomes. The author quoted Albert Einstein who says, “It’s not that I’m smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer. ” The book of Joshua: 1vs9 in the bible reads, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. ” In all difficulties I face, I still push on because there is a goal that needs to be achieve and I know and believe that I am not alone. What helps me to continue to strive regardless of the situation is faith.

Faith

I take my definition of faith from Hebrews 11:1, “now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. ” So in a sense, faith is a belief in something and requirement to possess other things. Faith is the inner strength that keeps us going, it is hope in a hopeless situation. I show faith through my thoughts, words and actions. It was faith when I sat down and wrote my senior level examinations, as I believed that I would pass them and proceed to another level. It is still faith that I came back to school for another academic year because I believe that I can make it. Faith makes us to yearn for and keep pushing to achieve our dreams.

In conclusion, I have broken down the question into two parts namely purpose and vision. I described purpose as the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists. My purpose is to impact lives of individuals and change their crooked mind-set towards life. I have discovered that my self-concept, patience, tender loving care and prayer will help me achieve my purpose. I have also explained vision as knowing who you are, where you going and what will guide your journey. My vision is that in 10 years I will be impacting lives through pursuing a career in clinical psychology, holding motivational classes and have published my first novel. To achieve my vision, I will need hard work, S. M. A. R. T skill, perseverance and faith. As such this essay has fulfilled its mandate and has clearly showed my purpose and vision.

References

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• Wheatley M. J (2010) Perseverance. San Francisco, California. Berrett-Khoehler publishers