It’s easy to understand that we are born with a purpose. And many of us may even have a clear idea of what the purpose is. But did you know that we have both an inner and outer purpose?

Our outer purpose generally revolves around our desires and passions. And this can change over time. While we are young, our purpose may be related to raising our children, getting our education, or getting a business up and running. As we get older, our purpose may involve sharing information with others, or being a mentor or teacher in some capacity.

But our inner purpose remains the same throughout our life. Our inner purpose is directly connected to how we see ourselves and others. Our inner purpose is to wake up to the truth of who we are.

But what does that mean? Aren’t we all just people trying to get through life one day at a time?

Well, yes.

But we are also more. Sometimes we forget, and believe that we are “what” we do. We are housewives who sometimes feel unappreciated or students who sometimes fear the future. We are fathers who work hard to bring home what sometimes doesn’t seem to be enough. We are single parents who are lonely, or maybe we are lonely in marriages that no longer seem to fit us. Maybe we have careers that don’t fulfill us, and maybe we long for a relationship or children.

Maybe we are the victim of a crime, or the victim of poor parenting. Maybe we are a victim of religion or the victim of a system that continues to let us down.

But these are just roles. These are experiences we can choose to (or not to) learn from.

Who we are inside never changes. Who we are inside gives us the power to make a difference in our world.

“Waking Up” simply means to remember that all things of this life are just situations, and that we always move through them moment by moment. Waking up means that we are aware that we are not the car we drive (or don’t drive), or the job we do. The things we “want” are not what make us who we are. You may have noticed this when you finally get something you’ve really wanted, only to find that it satisfies you for a while, but then you “need” something else to make you happy and fulfilled again.

When we wake up, we find inner peace without needing a flashy car or designer handbag to make us feel good about ourselves.

When we wake up, we realize that we have an Inner Light that gives us the gift to transform ourselves with love and compassion.

Now we can remember to see that Light in those around us. We can have patience with that driver who cuts us off at a stoplight. We can have understanding for the person in front of us in line at the grocery store who can’t seem to figure out how to use their ATM card. We can show non-judgment to a person who has beliefs that are different from ours.

We all share more similarities than we do differences. We have all felt overwhelmed and frustrated at a world we know needs to be transformed. We have all felt fear at the changes that happen too quickly around us and we have all needed someone to show us kindness and compassion. Ultimately, we all just want to know that we are loved and that in some small way we can make a difference. When we can remember our inner purpose, we help those around us to also remember that they are so much more than their possessions and experiences. When we wake up, and help those around us to also wake up, we have the power to transform ourselves and each other.