Do you remember way back at the very beginning of this journey, I shared this quote from Deepak Chopra;

“Everyone has a dharma or purpose in life.”

Everyone.

That means me, and you, and everyone you know, and everyone else on the planet.

We are all here for specific reasons, we all have a unique role to play, a unique job to do.

This is not a new idea, but what I would love to suggest, in line with our vision for Your Creative Dharma, is that creative joy is at the heart of this purpose.

What I am proposing is that what we love to do is what we’re meant to do.

It’s all one and the same.

We don’t need to sacrifice our own needs, our own joy, to live our purpose.

Quite the opposite – we need to tune into them.

We need to nurture and value and pay attention to them.

We need to trust and be guided by them.

We embrace what brings us joy and offer our contribution from this foundation of delight, creative fulfilment and having our own needs met – not instead of living our purpose, but actually in the pursuit of it. 

On the path to Your Creative Dharma, purpose and joy are not mutually exclusive – they are partners in your spiritual navigation system.

After securing our basis of Joyful Expression, our next focus of the dharma zone sweet spot is Joyful Purpose.

I believe that anyone called to this work of dharma and purpose cares deeply about helping their fellow humans and doing their bit for humanity.

And that’s admirable, generous and to be applauded.

But in our vision of infinite possibilities, we are aiming to find the highest form of this work – service that only helps others, not only is something that we can do – but something we want to do.

Something we LOVE to do.

In Your Creative Dharma, the criteria for purpose and contribution is joyful service.

This is for two reasons;

1.  Firstly, because…well, why not?!

If it’s possible to serve others AND simultaneously enjoy ourselves – why not go for this double whammy of goodness?

Devoted service does not require the absence of joy.

Delight and contribution can co-exist.

So, if it’s possible to have both purpose and passion – why not at least aim for this mutually beneficial path?

As empowered cocreators, blessed with infinite potential and divine support, why not aim for this optimum expression of our desire to serve?

2. To illustrate the second reason, picture the scene…

Imagine you’re on the receiving end of an offer of help.

The person helping you is driven by duty and a desire to serve.

They are generously sacrificing their precious time and life energy to help you out, because they believe they should be selfless and give of themselves without any thought for their own need.

They may not enjoy what they’re offering you, but they’re prepared to do it in the name of service, purpose and contribution.

They may find it draining, or they may secretly resent the sacrifice of their own needs and desires, but they’re doing it, suppressing their own joy for the good of others.

They are worthy souls, admirable givers.

Martyrs to the cause of humanity.

But…

How do you feel about receiving from them?

Could you take freely, without any sense of guilt or pity?

And how long do you think they could continue to give and give and give, without receiving in return?

Now picture a person who is lit up to offer a particular service to you.

They are delighted to help you.

It is their joy to serve you.

They’re actually grateful to you for giving them an opportunity to express and give in the way that delights them and fills their heart.

Both of our examples are generous and devoted souls, committed to serve and do their bit, and both are assets to the human family. 

But which one would you prefer to receive support from?

And which flavour of service would you prefer to offer the world? 

This idea is not about selfishly choosing joy over duty.

It’s about pursuing our purpose, duty and generosity of spirit driven by both compassion and a joyful heart. 

It’s about aiming for the ultimate level of service; service with a genuine smile. 

So, I hope I have convinced you or confirmed that Joyful Purpose is the optimum goal for any true humanitarian.

In the name of serving from our highest level. 

In the name of increasing the levels of joy on the planet. (Which can and do make a difference to mankind.) 

In the name of sustainability – being able and willing to continue to serve and help and contribute.

Now that we know the kind of purpose we are seeking, I’d like to share with you the power and benefits of including purpose in the formula for that magical dharma zone sweet spot…

Being human, it is naturally much easier to embrace and eagerly pursue our purpose when we know it can – and should – be a life-enhancing joy.

And there is power in this approach.

Being connected to our purpose has a force behind it, a power that can fuel us when we run out of our personal motivations.

It can help us tap into a larger vision, to lift our hearts and minds to a larger goal – bigger than our fears and doubts.

Because sometimes, we will persevere for the benefit of others when we wouldn’t do it for ourselves.

This can be a mighty and precious source of resilience and love that can support us through times of feeling fearful, doubtful or weary.

Knowing that our work can touch hearts and change lives can help us to keep the faith and keep going when we would otherwise give up.

Embracing a larger vision and a sense of purpose can also eliminate some of the subconscious blocks that may come between us and a goal that might feel self-serving.

It seems to be a cultural norm to feel guilty when we do things purely for our own enjoyment or benefit.

(I speak from experience. Joy Guilt is something I have had to work on for quite a while. Happily, I am making good progress. 🙂 )

However, the inner voice that resists our ‘selfish pleasures’ is quietened when we have a clear and devoted intention to serve others.

As we do our joyful creative work in the name of service and helping others, there’s less room for guilt and its subsequent damage to our self-esteem.

By including purpose in our formula, we are troubled less by any old ideas that we shouldn’t pursue our joy.

This is a powerful liberation from many subconscious blocks that prevent us from truly going for our vision and dreams and goals.

Purpose is not simply a lovely aspect to include in Your Creative Dharma, it’s a powerful resource and a driving force that we can use to fuel and guide us on this journey.

Getting ever clearer on the benefits to others from your work, your creations and your unique expression will inspire, strengthen and embolden you.

So, there are multiple benefits to including this powerful element – and that’s even before we start exploring the concept of good karma! (More on that coming up.) 

And now that you know the power and benefits of tuning into your most joyful expression of purpose, it’s time to explore precisely how you can begin to align your life and work with this soul-satisfying ingredient of your sweet-spot formula.