Purpose

More Than a Paycheck

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This life should be about more than money collected on the first and fifteenth. At least, it should be that way for me. And while I am too young to talk about my life's work, I know I need more than paychecks and the comfort they provide. I need to look back at my life and see a defining accomplishment. Not a success on my part, but rather something done for the betterment of my fellow man. 

This longing creates anxiety. I often feel as if I am wasting my life and not living up to my potential. I get concerned, if I stay in one place for too long. I rarely take stock of what I have accomplished, instead, with maddening attention to detail, I move onto the next big thing. 

This may ultimately be my lesson. In this short life, I have done and seen things that should make me proud. They SHOULD make me proud. I should be proud of the paycheck and the work I get to do. I get to make a difference. 

 

Thanks for entering my world, 

-Nathan 

My Strength

Some people find strength in their relationships. They look to loved ones for guidance. Their trusted partner or spouse acts like a sounding board providing wisdom, concern and direction. 

I haven't been afforded this opportunity in a very long time. To some degree, friends and family have filled the void. Try as they may, they can never offer the advice given by someone who knows you on an intimate level. 

Instead of a reliance on others, I have had to reach within to pull my strength from without. Which made me recently question the source of my strength. It comes from several places: 

  1. Pride 
  2. Humility 
  3. A deep seated desire to leave this world better than I found it
  4. A desire to help those who cannot help themselves. 
  5. A wish to make those around me smile
  6. Promise from those I love
  7. A simple notion, "this life is not my own" 
  8. A simple quote from Mr. Hemingway, "The world is a fine place, and worth fighting for." 
  9. A simple Greek proverb, "Society becomes great when old men plant trees whose shade they shall never sit it." 
  10. An unyielding pursuit of the truth through knowledge

So, strength can come from many places, but the key, as always, is how to use the power. 

 

Thanks for entering my world, 

-Nathan 

The Cause of My Life

I have written much about struggling to find my calling in this life. The people I admire and look up seemed to have discovered their passion much earlier than me. Meanwhile, my passions have shifted a multitude of times: environment, commuter/off-campus/nontraditional students, volunteer engagement and human services. 

I was beginning to become disillusioned and worried I would never come across a cause for my life. I have known for some time that I needed to focus my energy in an effort to avoid burnout. But again that question was, what? 

Then, in the course of a research assignment in grad school, I stumble upon the answer: The end of human trafficking and sexual exploitation. The stats are alarming: 30 million slaves worldwide, 200,000 slaves in the U.S., human trafficking estimated to be a $32 billion business annually. 

I want to end this. I want to dedicate my life to this cause. I want to venture to the ends of the earth to meet its demise. I want someone by my side who pushes and inspires me to bring this atrocity to an end. Now, all that is left to do is to get to work. 

 

Thanks for entering my world, 

-Nathan