Almost two decades ago, I passed through a toll booth on the San Francisco Bay Bridge. I held out my money to a toll taker, and in return he beamed at me, his smile radiant and his eyes kind. With the buoyant warmth of a parent talking to their beloved child, he asked, “How are you today, sweetheart?”
I thought to myself, “This person is spreading love to every single person who passes through. Amazing. What a meaningful way to spend your day.” He taught me in that 30-second exchange that anything we do, when imbued with love, can be deeply meaningful.
Every single human on this planet needs meaning and purpose. A sense that our life has a positive impact, and that our existence matters. An experience of making a meaningful contribution to one being or a lot of beings or the entire world.
What is your life’s unique purpose? What feels genuinely meaningful to you? And what keeps you from fully living that purpose?