The one question I’d like to ask everyone.
I've had this desire in my heart for a while—to ask people I encounter everywhere:
"Why do you think you are here in this world?"
"Why do you think you are here in this world?"
I know I will get many different answers. I also know I may get many “I don't know” responses. And the answers will vary depending on age and current life situations.
I'm particularly interested in the answers from middle-aged people, as that is my age bracket, and I know I've come a long way to where I am today.
In my 20s, my focus was on my education and residency, and a big chunk of my attention was on getting married, the wedding, and being in love and living happily ever after. This was a fun time of my life. I thought this pace of life would continue forever. The fairy-tale part of life.
My 30s—whoa!!! Not so much fun. Busy, busy, and busy! Having kids, raising kids, being a wife as expected culturally and socially, kicking off a new practice, and struggling to take care of myself and my individuality in the midst of all this made my 30s extremely tough. During this time, I had a burning desire to know who I was and why I was here, but I could not find the answer.
By my early 40s, I had lost a sister to cancer, gotten divorced, moved a few times, and my kids were entering adolescence. I started to gradually understand the reason I was here. I read many, many books on the meaning of life, lots of memoirs and biographies, just trying to figure out others’ stories so I could grasp the meaning of my life path so far. I did start to get it! Finally. A big shift started in me, and I was finding peace, happiness, and contentment in myself and in my heavenly Father. I fully understood those were the only two places I could find permanent happiness—within my soul and with the grace showered on me by God.
Which takes me back to the question—if someone had asked me in my 20s why I thought I was here, I may have answered: "to be happy, to be a good wife, and to do well in school and in my career."
In my early 30s, I may have answered: "to be a good mother, to see my kids do well, have a successful practice and open many more and be successful, have a big home, and be a good wife."
In my mid to late 30s I'm sure I would have said: "I just want to be happy, to be free, to have peace in my heart—that's why I'm here." (Because I remember my soul was in so much chaos, that's all I longed for, and I just wanted to find myself again, my true self.)
Now in my 40s, having been through all of the above, self-educated myself by reading a lot and listening to people's stories, asked God uncountable times to show me why I'm here, I am now getting it…really getting it.
I can now answer in my late 40s, with so much freedom, peace, and certainty in my heart, that I was placed in this world "to be a light, a positive influence in others’ lives, to inspire everyone, especially the younger generation, and to make sure I do my part in leaving the world much better than when I entered it." This will then always make me enjoy the state of permanent happiness.
That is my answer in my 40s, and I'm so happy I'm living it.
I look forward to my 50s and beyond, to reflect on that answer, and to finding out how much of that I've been able to do.
I'm so excited for what the future holds.
What is your current answer, at the age you're at now? How do you think you may have answered in earlier decades? I'd love to hear from you.
"Why do you think you are here in this world?"
Above all, find a way to be permanently happy!