Two simple questions from Lynne Twist to find your purpose
Two simple questions from Lynne Twist to find your purpose
“We are far more united and have far more in common with each other than things that divide us” – Jo Cox
I first heard of Lynne Twist through a podcast interview that Marie Forleo did with her a couple of years ago. She was talking about her new book, Living a Committed Life, but they spent quite a lot of time talking about Lynne's career too, and specifically her work with The Hunger Project, and I remember watching it and thinking, wow, there’s someone who’s actually done something really significant with their life.
I found myself in awe of how much she'd achieved and how she'd dedicated her life to something that most people would consider to be impossible; solving world hunger. It's not that I think we all need to take on such a huge project, but I think we can certainly be inspired by that.
I went on to read both of Lynne's books, The Soul of Money, which, as a fundraiser, gives a really exciting alternative perspective to asking for money for your cause, and Living a Committed Life.
But the one thing I really wanted to share with you today was, and again this was part of her interview with Marie Forleo, was that she suggested asking yourself two questions. Since hearing these two questions I can't get them out of my head.
Every time I have a little wobble or a moment where I lose sight of my purpose or my goal or what it is I'm working towards, I find that these two seemingly simple questions pull me back on track.
The questions are:
What breaks your heart?
What makes your heart sing?
Now I'm not sure whether she put it quite like this, this could be my interpretation of it, but for me, what I've found is that in trying to answer those questions and looking at where they overlap can give you an insight into where you may feel at your most useful, powerful even, and in the flow with the type of work you want to do in the world.
My answers go something like this:
What breaks your heart?
On a day-to-day basis, what breaks my heart are the stories I read in the news, the way that people treat each other. The sights and sounds and impact of war and poverty and the general unfairness and inequality in the world. It’s the way we've been conditioned to think about the human race and our differences when, as the late Jo Cox (MP for Batley and Spen) said “We are far more united and have far more in common with each other than things that divide us”.
Check out the charity that has been set up to continue her legacy.
What makes your heart sing?
In many ways it's the opposite of that for me, and aside from the love I have for my family and spending time with them. It's those moments I find in my work where I see somebody doing something really worthwhile. Acting from the heart, taking something that may have almost broken them, certainly challenged them, and then using that experience to help others. People who start up charities and community groups and businesses for good. It's the general goodness of the human race, which you sometimes have to look a little bit harder to find, but is absolutely also there. It's those small acts of kindness; those moments where somebody does something for you and you weren't expecting it. The little things that we can do for each other that make someone’s day a little bit easier or brighter or that help us feel less alone.
So I think it's probably fair to say that given those answers, where they overlap is where I do the majority of my work. It’s in considering those insurmountable problems in the world, whether that's on a global or a national or a very local scale and working with people who in some small way are doing something about it. They're not just sitting there complaining, letting it break their heart and accepting that that's just how the world is. Those are my people and that’s where I most love to be.
So I'll leave these questions with you today.
What breaks your heart?
What makes your heart sing?
And when you put those two answers together, what is it that you want to be spending your time doing?
Rachel x