When Your Purpose In Life Changes

Shonna discusses the stages of life and how we can't concentrate on one purpose for our lives we've settled on. Opportunities and experiences can change our purpose in life as we travel through different stages of life.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Hello and welcome to His Light in the Darkness podcast. I am Shauna Fontaine. I started this podcast inspired by a devotional that I wrote talking about depression, anxiety, grief, fear, worry, addiction, basically bringing some light in the darkness. Do you ever feel like you don't know what your purpose in life is? I was thinking about that the other day. So what we go through many different phases of life. And if you're really young, you don't know that yet. But we go through various phases of life. And a lot of people think, What is my purpose in life? As if it's one sole purpose, right? You're trying to get to that one purpose and you're trying to fulfill it every day. But then you think, you know what? Life changes, stages of life change, and maybe your purpose in that moment changes. Sometimes we get so stuck on what we need to be doing, so stuck on something that we should be doing that we completely miss what alternate uh purpose we have. I was thinking about that today. I was taking a walk, getting some nice fresh air, because when I need to be out of the office, that's what I do. I take walks, breathe in the fresh air, and say, wow, I have the best life. I was I was sitting on my property going, I have the absolute best life. I mean, I really do. I'm in a wonderful place. I'm making dreams come true with God's help, of course. And I'm sitting there thinking and going, okay, you know, I do this periodically, is I'll sit and I'll think, am I accomplishing what I need to accomplish? Am I being distracted? Am I going down a different road that I shouldn't be down? You know, like going, being uh going towards goal A when really you're supposed to be going towards goal C, meaning your purpose in life. And I'm sitting there thinking, going, am I doing what I need to do to achieve my purpose in life? And I'll do this periodically. This is like maybe an every six months thing, you know, it's not an every 10-year thing, it's in every probably three to six month thing. As I sit and think and say, okay, am I fulfilling, you know, what God wants me to fulfill? Am I doing what I need to do? Am I going down the right path? Do I need to focus my energy on something else? And I was thinking about that today, saying, what can I do better? So I didn't do it the past few mornings, which I should. Hey, nobody's perfect, right? So I had to remind myself. I'll wake up and say, what am I supposed to do today that's good? What am I gonna do that's positive today? Or for believers, what does God want me to do today? What how am I gonna fulfill something or do something good, make a positive impact on the world? What am I gonna do today? And I was just sitting there thinking, going, we really that's like a mindset that we have to do every day. Not, hey, what's your purpose in life? My purpose is to be a rock star. So I'm going to spend my entire life pushing to be a rock star because hey, that may be one, but maybe you're supposed to create a business that gives jobs for people. Or maybe, you know, you become friends with a young kid that changes the world. You know, they're it shouldn't be so one-dimensional. You shouldn't keep yourself in this, you know, tiny little box and say, okay, well, here's my my goal, here's my purpose in life, and I just need to stick to that because as we know, life changes. Phases of life change. Our dreams change. You know, there's things that change, and we just kind of have to go with it. And I think that a lot of times you keep yourself to this one-dimensional thing when really you could be doing so much, not only for others, but that makes yourself happy. You know, I think that doing things for others really does bring joy. Now, with that, that's a loaded thing, because you know, you want to do things for others in the right way, you know, not enabling them to do something bad and say, hey, well, I did it for my friend, even though it's a bad, you know, road. I'm talking about the positive, which I'm sure most of you know. But it is, it's assessing your life and going into the different phases that you go through because I'm about to be 50. That's so weird, you know. For those of you who are 50 or over 50, you're going, okay, you don't know nothing yet. You know, this is just the beginning. But you get to a point and you go, wow, that's really weird. I mean, it's like I know I'm in this time frame of my life. I know I'm this age. I'm happy, you know, being, I wouldn't want to do life again. That's for sure. I'm happy where I am. It's just, it's so strange. And as I'm looking at it, I'm like, okay, well, you know, up to my 20s, I was doing this, between 25 and 30, this, 30 and 40, 40 and 45, you know, different stages. Things change, kids grow, jobs change, dreams change. I was um talking to someone who just retired and they said they just wanted a simple life. Now, these were people that were ready for the action when they were younger, ready for the action and the go, go, go. And it's like, but now I just want to spend time with my grandkids, is what they told them. I just want to enjoy life, take a seat in the back seat, and just, you know, change the phase of life. And I think if we push so hard and we just force ourselves to be in that box and go for that one thing, you can really miss out on amazing experiences and you can limit yourself to happiness. You know, you can limit your happiness, you can limit the effect that you have in the world. You never know. I always dream big, you know. I don't put a top to my world. I figure God will give me wings if he wants me to accomplish something, I will soar like an eagle. And I taught my son the same way. Don't put parameters on your dreams. Go for your dreams, but your dreams may change, and it's okay. Sometimes we get so invested in this one idea, and you're like 30 years down the road, I'm still doing it, and you regret that you didn't take the detour and go a different path. It doesn't mean that it uh diminishes the beauty of what you did in the beginning, it's just things change, life changes, seasons change, and it's okay. It's okay. And if you're at that point where you're like at a crossroads and you're going, okay, this is where I am. I really want there, but you know what? I don't know. Something's telling me. I always say trust your gut. Because believe me, I've had enough times in my life. I didn't trust my gut. That's my book, Red Flag Run. Didn't trust my gut, that's what I got for it. Trust your gut. If your gut is telling you, you know, that's that's not where we should be. We should go that way. I think that's a good idea. You know, trust your gut. Your gut is actually gonna protect you. Overall, I'm saying 90% of the time. Now, for the other ones that are like, you know, I trusted my gut and it didn't work out so well. Well, okay, that's a different story. But overall, if you trust your gut and your gut's going, you know, it would be nice. It would be so nice to go down that road. Because what if that dream could happen? You know, we don't have to stick with the one, like my life. A lot of people laugh and joke, Shauna, what don't you do? Well, it's because I have a lot of loves. I uh do film, I'm a filmmaker and a director, I'm a singer and songwriter, I'm an author, I'm a massage therapist, I do taxes, I do there's a lot of things that I do, but in those I've accomplished different dreams. And it's not that I've given up the one completely, or maybe I've taken a detour from that for a couple years, went this way, and then came back like film. I think the last film that I did was three or four years ago, and I'm working on a documentary right now. Well, that's three or four years. It's still a dream to make film, but it wasn't the right time. It didn't mean that that wasn't a purpose that I had. It was just, you know what? Seasons change, life changes. You know, you gotta roll with the punches, and you can accomplish so much. I just don't want you all to limit yourself because you feel like you should be on this road and it's just one-dimensional. When there are so many things that you can accomplish and fulfill your purpose by not confining yourself into a box, it's like trying to put God in a box. Here you go, God, you can operate, but you gotta operate in here and you gotta do what I want, but it's gotta be within the box. Wow, God's going, uh yeah, sure. Okay, that's gonna happen. Same with you. Don't put yourself in a box where you can't accomplish amazing things in your life. And it doesn't mean you're giving up one thing to go for the next. Put a pause, you know. Put a pause on this and go to that. It's possible. Just never keep yourself down, never limit yourself because know that your possibilities are just enormous, and you may say, Well, you know, you just don't know me. My life isn't that great, I'm stuck in this red job, and that's just the cards I were dealt. Well, we all were dealt cards, you know. I hear people say that, and I'm like, but you can still play the game, you know, you can still do something. Don't just say, here are my cards, and I'm out of the game. Bummer. Oh well. You can still be something, do something, embrace the life, embrace the world that you have. Don't confine yourself, don't limit yourself. And especially if you're in one of those ruts, you're in a bad place, you're sad, you're depressed. Get out and get some air. I know that some people ask me, sure, okay, because that's the answer. It's a start. Fresh air is a start. It's good for the body, it's good for the brain, it's good for the soul, it's good for the whole, the whole thing. It's good for, and it's a start. Don't limit yourself or say, This is the carbs I was dealt. I work in the factory, and this is the way it's gonna be. Okay, but that doesn't mean that the rest of your life has to be simple. It doesn't mean that the rest of your life has to have these box parameters that you can't accomplish other things, you know. Yes, we are put in different places at different times, all of us. I've been there, you know. It's it's not that everybody has the dream. And even if you see people from the outside, you look in and you go, Oh, they have the dream. And then the next day you go, oh wow, they didn't have the dream. Everybody's life is different. You can't look from the outside and go, yep, this is what it should be, because that's a different, you know, it's a completely different life. And you're not living their life, same as people aren't living yours, you know, and that's a completely other topic, but looking and wanting somebody else's stuff or looking and judging, I always say, let's look inward. And I, I mean, it's human to look outward, but I try to correct myself and try to say, let's look inward. What can I do for me to change me for the better, to do things right, to do, you know? And it's a constant, you know, we're human, we don't do everything right all the time. Some some people may be like, Well, I haven't done anything right. What are you talking about? But it's a constant look inward. What can I do different? What how am I going to be the best? How am I going to achieve the dream dreams and the purpose? What is the purpose today? Your purpose 10 years ago may not be the same as today. What is your purpose? And sometimes it's just waking up in the morning and going, What's my purpose today? Not three years, but today. Wake up, maybe you have kids, give your kids a hug, you know, take them to school. Maybe you have grandkids that love to hear from you, call them on the phone, maybe your kids, you know, you've got adult kids that don't have kids but need you, and you're there. You know, it's sometimes we want to make this purpose out to be something big. It's gotta be big, it's gotta be, you know, notorious, it's gotta really, you know, take the world by storm. And it's like, but it doesn't have to be that way. Purpose comes in waves and for different things. Like today, your purpose may be helping your neighbor, and tomorrow your purpose may be helping your kid. You know, it's not one of those things where we have to, here's my purpose in life, because like I said, with me, I do what film, I write books, I'm about to work on my next novel. And is it coinciding? Yeah, I have to, you know, sometimes get the schedule accounting where I spend enough time on everything, but usually it's in phases, it's not always at the same time. A lot of people think that, wow, you do everything. It's not all at the same time. I may do all of it, but today I'm working on editing a documentary. Tomorrow I'm gonna work on another two chapters of my novel. You know, I mean, it's not every single day has to be this one thing. Don't limit yourself, don't put yourself in a box. And if you're dreaming and you say, I've always wanted to, life is short, time is short, time is not promised. You know, if you can, if you can go for those dreams, if you can go travel, you know, if you can uh if you have kids and you really feel like I'll call them tomorrow, call them today. You know, time is not promised. Time is not to be uh taken advantage of. Embrace every moment. Embrace every moment that you have because we do, we get in the life where eh, I'll do it tomorrow, do it tomorrow, but do it today. Why wait? Just do it today. Thank you so much for joining in. Please like, follow, subscribe, share. And if you would like to be on the podcast, or hey, if you have a story, please share it. His Light in the Darkness podcast at gmail.com. And we look forward to seeing you next time.