Purpose vs Through-Line

One of the recurring observations that people tend to make about me is that I have my hands in a lot of different things. This observation tends to come bundled with advice to pare down and focus on one area. “Pick a lane,” is what people say. Thanks, but no thanks.

From time to time I hear this:

Jack of all trades, master at none.

Well-intentioned advice? Sure.

Does it have merit? Perhaps.

And yet …

Quick sidebar: Isn’t it funny, how even in an era where we know people will have multiple careers (not just jobs), our culture still wants us to “pick a lane?” It’s like people can grasp that you’ll have multiple careers, but they can’t seem to grasp the concept of having multiple endeavors all at once.

I say screw that. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t have multiple projects and side projects. The variety is what fulfills me.

I am not a one-trick pony. I am a multi-faceted messenger.

I wouldn’t be me if I was confined to one narrow lane.

I’m naturally curious, and I like to go deep. I can’t simply turn off my observations or my desire to learn. And why should I? I get some of my best ideas by cross-polinating from one industry or experience to another. To me, this is a hallmark of true innovation.

I also don’t buy into the belief that I do so many different things. I realize that it may appear that I work in a lot of different areas and that this perception can confuse people. While I fully acknowledge that a little more focus would benefit me, I also believe that I would be well served to improve how I communicate what I do.

The need for better articulation does not necessarily mean I need to “pick a lane,” which is the advice I tend to receive often, but rather that I need to clarify what I do – both in my own mind and in my communication to others. It can be a challenge to communicate clearly when so many different thoughts are rambling through my mind.

More specifically, it would serve me well to identify what Todd Henry calls my “through-line”: the common thread that unites my body of work.

I am always on the lookout for clues that reveal my through-line. Occasionally, the through-line will pop out at me, like a rainbow against a clear blue sky. And other times, it’s as hidden as the sun in a thunderstorm.

Sharing My Process

I decided it might serve others to share my process, rather than waiting until I have the whole thing figured out. First, I believe that “the juice is in the journey.” A through-line, by definition, isn’t a one-time discovery. It is a process of continual iteration. Each experience creates another dot on our map, and calls us to reexamine the other dots to re-evaluate how they all connect.

Second, I don’t know that I’ll ever have the whole thing figured out. I think that’s kind of the point of this.

So many people write about discovering their Purpose like it’s this magical thing you just find and then life is sunshine and sprinkles.

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via GIPHY

I don’t think it works like that, and I don’t want to imply that it does.

Purpose vs Through-Line

Over the course of a lifetime, we may find that we have multiple purposes. We may be called to do different things at different times, or we may be called to serve in different ways at the same time. The idea that we have one big capital-P Purpose seems very limiting. At least it does to me.

It’s so easy to get stuck when we buy into the limiting belief that we have one “Purpose” to fulfill in this lifetime.

Rather than sitting and waiting for the divine download of my “purpose” so that I can go out and serve it, I can follow the signs pointing me to serve where and how I feel called losartan pill. Then, I can look at those experiences and extract the common threads.

This at least gets me moving in a direction. And, to the extent I’m destined to serve a purpose, this purpose may be revealed by the through-line.

Win-win!

At least that’s my thought for now.

What do you think? Are you a one-trick pony or a multi-faceted messenger? Have you looked for clues to your through-line, or are you waiting to discover your purpose?

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