Posts tagged purpose

I had always wanted to be a doctor. A medical doctor.

Well, at least up till 17 year old when I had to choose my A-level subjects, my determination to become a doctor was still very strong.

The source of this determination was my aunt.

I spent a large part of my childhood with my grandparents as my parents were busy with their work. When I was still a little boy, my aunt was a teenager and she spent a lot of time helping my grandmother to look after me and to “entertain” me. So, she quickly became my constant companion and idol.

I remember my grandmother always saying that it is best to have a doctor in the family so that the family’s medical needs are taken care of. I think she meant “…taken care of for free” since there are clinics and hospitals around.

My aunt was an excellent student and consistently did well in school. And she had the opportunity to go to medical school and eventually became a doctor. Thinking back, I am not sure if she became a doctor by her own freewill.

In any case, during her studies in the university, I always had the opportunity to play with her school stuff – set of surgery knives, skeleton, stethoscope, spatula, doctor’s white garb, books, etc. Although, these were just toys to me, I was regularly exposed to the medical profession. And before I knew it, I was writing essays in school about wanting to be a doctor.

My reason? I wanted to saving lives and to help others live better lives.

This decision had steered me to choose to study the subjects in secondary school necessary to prepare for medical school. With that kind of determination, there was no reason to not perform well in the secondary school exams. I got into one of the top junior colleges for my advanced level subjects and it was time to choose subjects again.

At that time, my aunt had graduated from university and officially become a doctor.  I remember vividly the day I told her about the subjects I intended to choose and she asked what I wanted to do in the future.

“I want to be a doctor, just like you”, I answered confidently.

“Don’t be a doctor. You’ll work like a dog!” came her response.

At that moment, my whole world shattered. To have someone I admired and respected so much say what she did to me at that time was devastating.

All of a sudden, I felt lost.

In the end, I chose the path of computing and emerged from the process with a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering. I didn’t exactly wanted to carve a career in the IT industry. Computing was simply something I was interested to toy with as a hobby having used and programmed an Apple II since 12.

Thinking back, what intrigued me most about computers is that it is a fantastic problem-solving tool. And I LOVE troubleshooting issues and solving problems.

Now, what is the work I am doing now? What am I absolutely committed to?

Teaching, training, coaching and guiding.

It is now very clear to me why I became a teacher.  The reason has been consistent all my life in the things that I find pleasure in doing!

It is because I want to save lives and to help others live better lives. Instead of being a medical doctor, I am somewhat a “doctor of the mind” today. I am also in business and I see business as a problem-solving tool. Where there is a problem (i.e. need), there is a market.

So, that’s my own example of how to find your life purpose. Start by thinking about what you wanted to become when you were young(er). Consider why you wanted to become that or do that. Once you arrive at your root motivator (most times this will be one of your personal core values), you would have found your calling and life mission.