Have you ever wondered what your purpose is in life or on this planet? Have you ever thought you fell short of that purpose or did not yet get to do what you wanted? Many people just give up on their dreams and “settle” and say, “It wasn’t meant to be” or “Maybe next lifetime.” If you have felt this way before or feel you are playing small, pay attention to this concept of precession.
R. Buckminster Fuller explained, in the theory of “precession,” that any body in motion affects other bodies in motion. If we are moving toward a goal, we are creating an effect. The moon and the sun are two bodies in motion that affect each other. When you drop a stone in a pool of water, it creates a ripple effect. The effect we create depends on the intention we have while moving toward a goal. Once you achieve a goal, you may ask yourself, “Now what?” If the destination of completing a goal ends up with “Now what?” the question is why make goals in the first place? The answer is because you are moving toward something and creating an effect.
You may never know what your purpose really is. When a bee flies toward his goal of the nectar, he just sees the nectar. But in the grand scheme of things, the bee’s true purpose is to cross pollinate the flowers. However, the bee does not wake up every morning and say, “I am going to cross pollinate today!” All he does is move toward his goal. Like the bees, we have a goal and move toward it, and while we are moving we create an effect that in the grand scheme of things is the real purpose of our being. That is the root of the saying “It is the journey, not the destination.” That is why after reaching a goal we continue to keep moving.
One of my favorite demonstrations of the precessional effect is the movie It’s a Wonderful Life. James Stewart believed he had failed in life until an angel showed him what the world would be like without him. He realized the impact he had on the whole town and how much of a difference he had made. From that knowing of self-worth, he became the richest man in town. He realized his worth in the world and the world reciprocated.
No matter what you might think, you are important to others and you make a true difference in their lives. You may not be aware, but your kindness, personality, energy, or attitude may be the one thing that helps make somebody’s life brighter. As long as you are in motion, you are creating an effect, a ripple. As long as you are adding value along the way, your effect will add value. Your ripple will make a difference. That is the real power that you hold, and a very good reason to always carry yourself in a positive light. With so many things being interrelated, the smallest positive thing you do could have a huge impact.
Remember, the value you add along the way is really what matters, not the goal. Keep moving forward and adding value and the impact you have on the world will matter and add value. That is your true purpose.
So many times, as we learn to embrace all aspects of our natural abundance (such as self-love, life passion, financial satisfaction, and our ability to grow healthy relationships), we help others and never even have to know it to feel the power of it. You make a difference—at home, in business, and within your community. You may never know what impact you make with someone just with a smile, a hug, or a kind word.
Keep moving toward the “nectar” and know that you are important, you matter, and without you, there is a hole in the Universe.