My name is Sterling Lynk and I am on an adventure. I believe everyone has their own personal purpose, but most of us are unaware we have one, are looking for one, or are ignoring the one we know we have. I am guilty of this too, and that is why I started this website. If this is your first time here, then I suggest you check out my first post here.
In that post I promised to share with you how I did on the test that sent me on this adventure. So here are those results.
In that post I promised to share with you how I did on the test that sent me on this adventure. So here are those results.
The Measuring Test
Some adventures begin with a test you fail. Here is one you should try right now.
Last time I shared how I rediscovered a quote from George Bernard Shaw and how this quote gave me a test that I did not measure up to. That Shaw quote consisted of two sentences that each was a challenge in their own right.
Challenge 1: "This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap; the being a force of nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy." (Short Version: A Mighty Purpose + Leave All on the Field + Be a Force of Nature.)
Challenge 2: "I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community, and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it
whatever I can." (Short Version: My Life for the World.)
Here is how I measure up.
There many things I could be used for that I would consider mighty, but none would be mightier than helping one person (and then two, then many, and then everyone) find their own purpose in this world, live that calling everyday and discover and share their own story. I believe this is my calling.
Here is how I use my time.
I serve as the Executive Director (non-profit speak for CEO or President) of the Madison Area Down Syndrome Society (www.madss.org). I serve on the board of the national trade association Down Syndrome Affiliates in Action (www.dsaia.org), on the council of my church (http://lakeviewlutheranchurch.org), and have been a Junior Achievement volunteer in my daughter's classrooms for the past 6 years (http://danecounty.ja.org/dane-county).
I am honored to be an active mentor for two people full of powerful potential, and there are at least a dozen other past mentees who know they can call me anytime and I will be in their corner. My wife and I are even blessed with a daughter (10) and a son (5).
Clearly, it would be the worst kind of false modesty to say that I am not doing "good" in being used for a purpose I consider mighty. Look at the links I shared and you should see alignment between what these organizations are about and what they do, and my calling. Being a mentor, a father and a husband certainly aligns as well.
In that vein, many of you have reached out to me over email (sterlinglynk@att.net) to tell me that I am already doing a lot or even doing enough. Thank you for that. I am not always a force of nature, and I definitely need encouragement.
Here is where I fall short. Yes, I am doing many things I consider important and mighty. But, I am not being thoroughly worn out. I feel like I am not doing enough because I feel I should be doing more. When it comes to living your purpose, I question if sustainability is an intrinsic value, at least for me. Should I really hold back something in anticipation of a future need, when there is plenty of need around me?
Before I could measure myself against the second challenge, I had to make sure I understood it. What does it mean for one's life to belong to the community?
It certainly means that one has to give value to the world around them every day, and maybe all the time. I believe it also means that one cannot be purely selfishly motivated, or maybe not selfishly motivated at all, when giving that value. These seem reasonable and I think I do well enough against the lesser of these standards, and I sometimes have my moments when compared to the greater of these standards.
What if I really should not approach this second challenge "reasonably"? What if the standard is living life as a sacrifice to the world? I don't do that and maybe I should.
There are plenty of well-admired, religiously and non-religiously inspired, people who seem to have lived this standard, people who many of us would hold up as models even if they were not perfect. Below is an admittedly incomplete, historically skewed and embarrassingly gender imbalanced list to start considering.
Some adventures begin with a test you fail. Here is one you should try right now.
Last time I shared how I rediscovered a quote from George Bernard Shaw and how this quote gave me a test that I did not measure up to. That Shaw quote consisted of two sentences that each was a challenge in their own right.
Challenge 1: "This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap; the being a force of nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy." (Short Version: A Mighty Purpose + Leave All on the Field + Be a Force of Nature.)
Challenge 2: "I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community, and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it
whatever I can." (Short Version: My Life for the World.)
Here is how I measure up.
There many things I could be used for that I would consider mighty, but none would be mightier than helping one person (and then two, then many, and then everyone) find their own purpose in this world, live that calling everyday and discover and share their own story. I believe this is my calling.
Here is how I use my time.
I serve as the Executive Director (non-profit speak for CEO or President) of the Madison Area Down Syndrome Society (www.madss.org). I serve on the board of the national trade association Down Syndrome Affiliates in Action (www.dsaia.org), on the council of my church (http://lakeviewlutheranchurch.org), and have been a Junior Achievement volunteer in my daughter's classrooms for the past 6 years (http://danecounty.ja.org/dane-county).
I am honored to be an active mentor for two people full of powerful potential, and there are at least a dozen other past mentees who know they can call me anytime and I will be in their corner. My wife and I are even blessed with a daughter (10) and a son (5).
Clearly, it would be the worst kind of false modesty to say that I am not doing "good" in being used for a purpose I consider mighty. Look at the links I shared and you should see alignment between what these organizations are about and what they do, and my calling. Being a mentor, a father and a husband certainly aligns as well.
In that vein, many of you have reached out to me over email (sterlinglynk@att.net) to tell me that I am already doing a lot or even doing enough. Thank you for that. I am not always a force of nature, and I definitely need encouragement.
Here is where I fall short. Yes, I am doing many things I consider important and mighty. But, I am not being thoroughly worn out. I feel like I am not doing enough because I feel I should be doing more. When it comes to living your purpose, I question if sustainability is an intrinsic value, at least for me. Should I really hold back something in anticipation of a future need, when there is plenty of need around me?
Before I could measure myself against the second challenge, I had to make sure I understood it. What does it mean for one's life to belong to the community?
It certainly means that one has to give value to the world around them every day, and maybe all the time. I believe it also means that one cannot be purely selfishly motivated, or maybe not selfishly motivated at all, when giving that value. These seem reasonable and I think I do well enough against the lesser of these standards, and I sometimes have my moments when compared to the greater of these standards.
What if I really should not approach this second challenge "reasonably"? What if the standard is living life as a sacrifice to the world? I don't do that and maybe I should.
There are plenty of well-admired, religiously and non-religiously inspired, people who seem to have lived this standard, people who many of us would hold up as models even if they were not perfect. Below is an admittedly incomplete, historically skewed and embarrassingly gender imbalanced list to start considering.
- The Mythical Arjuna;
- Moses of the Hebrew and Christian Bibles;
- The Historical Buddha;
- Socrates;
- The Historical Jesus;
- Francis of Assisi;
- Gandhi;
- and, Martin Luther King, Jr.
Who am I to say that these eight luminaries had it wrong? I should follow their lead. Then again, how can I responsibly, or even ethically, follow in their footsteps? I don't know.
I have more ideas about this and I will share those in the next couple of weeks. Maybe you can help me.
Next time, we will actually start on our adventure, and we will run into a test that must be confronted and overcome at the beginning of our odyssey. This is a big one and this test's specter will haunt us our entire journey.
Please join me.
If you have read this far then I hope you care enough about this pursuit for purpose to help out. Here are some ideas:
I have more ideas about this and I will share those in the next couple of weeks. Maybe you can help me.
Next time, we will actually start on our adventure, and we will run into a test that must be confronted and overcome at the beginning of our odyssey. This is a big one and this test's specter will haunt us our entire journey.
Please join me.
If you have read this far then I hope you care enough about this pursuit for purpose to help out. Here are some ideas:
- If you haven't done so already, please take a few minutes to complete the survey linked below. Please do this, even if this is the only thing you can do to help. Your participation will give me clues as to where I need to look on this adventure. I won't associate your name with your answers, but I will share some of the results of the survey on this website in the future.
- Are you willing to forward a link to this post to some folks you know will find this interesting, or who you believe is "seeking" something?
- If you are not too shy and you really want to help, then please use the comment function to share with this community your reaction to how I approached this test. How did you measure up to the two challenges that made up the test? Am I wrong about the value of sustainability? How should the "my life for the world" challenge be understood? Who would you nominate to add to the list of luminaries I proposed?
Thank you in advance for your help. I have three small gifts that I've collected and I will them with three of you as a personal token of my appreciation for helping this community. The random drawing will happen on Monday, November 12th.
Please join me.
Please join me.