Too Late to Find My Purpose, Thriving with Depression Series (Part 24)

 

Welcome back to the Thriving with Depression Series! Thank you for joining me on my adventure! 

To view the full series, check out our archive! As a reminder to new readers, you can start anywhere, even here as articles do not need to be read in any particular order. 

Please see the last four articles Why Am I Here, The Purpose of Life; Getting Better , Finding You; Your Purpose Explored, and You and Your Purpose. They focus on finding your purpose. 

The last four articles talk about finding your purpose and what happens if your purpose negatively affects others in your life. The examples I provided were more likely applicable to younger people starting out in life. 

But what if you are a little bit older? Maybe you're closer to middle age and saddled with too many responsibilities to think about yourself. You may believe it is not possible. 

True, you may be more limited in what you can do. Certain opportunities are harder to break into as you age such as swimsuit models or professional athletes. So, if your dream is to be a professional ballerina and you're 40, that probably isn't going to happen. But that doesn't mean ballet can't be a part of your life. Here are some ideas:

• Take a class.
• Teach a class.
• Go the ballet.
• Volunteer at a ballet theatre.
• Volunteer with a ballet company.
• Donate to a ballet organization.
• Sponsor a ballerina in training.
• Read magazines/books about ballet.
• Work at a company that sells ballet supplies.
• Work as a ballet theatre.

It may seem like this is not enough; that it's not the same as being a ballerina. However, if your love is ballet, then you may find being associated with the field is enough. We also have a tendency to focus on the positives when we look back and think of the past. We believe we missed out on the excitement and gracefulness of being a ballerina. We don't always look back and think of the injuries, being on the road a lot, the long hours, or the stress. 

Other dream jobs or activities are not as limited such as working with animals or coaching a high school sport. Based on your education and qualifications, you may still have the opportunity to work in your desired field. 

What if you are older (70s or 80s) and you feel life has passed you by? You never became a teacher or joined a band. You may not be physically able to do what you could before. If you are older, you may feel it is too late for you. Even if you cannot leave your house or are too tired to do anything, it does not mean it is too late. As long as you draw breath, you still have life ahead of you. You can still join an association of like-minded people or speak with those in the desired field to hear their experiences. You can write about what moves you or read about it. 

Most people struggle with regret. Regret is a normal emotion. The biggest thing people regret is missed opportunities. Americans’ six biggest regrets involve education, career, romance, parenting, self-improvement, and leisure. * But regret, just like any negative emotion we deal with, is a signal, a stop sign. It is not a comfortable feeling but a notice to us that there is something we meant to do but did not do it for whatever reason. We may not be able to re-live our life, but we can live the life we have left. 

If you look back at the earlier articles, where I discuss what I believe to be the purpose of life (becoming a better person/a better you), there is no due date. The journey continues as long as you exist.

Using your passion, your gifts, is how you become a better person. That does not mean that there is only one way to do this; that there is only one role for you. Perhaps you love space and always dreamed of being an astronaut. However, you dropped out of school years ago. You are now filled with regret as you look back on your career choice. You went into business instead and plan to retire in 4 years. It is too late for you. But is it? Your passion is space. Even if you had the chance to become an astronaut years ago, there is no guarantee that you would have even enjoyed it. Perhaps becoming an astronaut is not in the cards but becoming an astronaut is just one role, one avenue of expressing your passion for space. Here are some other ideas:

• Buy a telescope.
• Read about astronomy.
• Become involved in astrophotography (taking pictures of celestial objects).
• Attend astronomy lectures and events.
• Join an astronomy society or club.
• Visit dark sky sites (places away from light pollution for better stargazing).
• Visit observatories and planetariums.
• Become an "expert." Pick a topic and learn as much as you can about it. 

Learning to become a better you is not about a job or role but about exploring your passion. It is never too late for that!