Work, purpose and prepping the escape pod

"I know not what the future holds, but I know who holds the
future. "~Unknown

I’ve been thinking lately about the huge differences between work and purpose.
Work is what we do to pay our way through this world—to pay our bills, to buy food, to have shelter, and so on. Unless you're independently wealthy, it’s usually necessary for all of us to work in some capacity.
Purpose is quite a different thing, however.
If work is what we do, then purpose is an activation of a deep knowing of who we are, what we value and how we can contribute to the greater good.
I believe we all share the common purpose of helping and serving others. Without that, no matter how luxurious a life we create for ourselves, we often feel like something’s missing.
Curiously, our purpose can often feel foggy and vague—like something we can’t quite wrap our hands around but deeply sense. But I’ve found that when we pay attention, there are always clues that lead us closer to embracing and engaging our purpose more fully.
 Think about something you love to do. Maybe it’s photography or poetry. Maybe it’s rock climbing or kayaking or hiking. Perhaps it’s painting. Or sailing. (I have a hunch is something nature-related, 'cause it usually is) Whatever your thing is, the love you have for it—the way you lose yourself doing it—is a clue to your greater purpose. Because when you’re doing “that thing” you’re suddenly quite
unmoored from regular daily activities. You’re free and connected at the same time. Your mind—typically so busy with repetitive thoughts or over-stimulated by technology or both—is suddenly wide open and receptive and aware.
 I think of these activities as a kind of escape pod—but one we’re called to get in to at every opportunity, not just in case of emergency.
 My escape pod happens to be horse-time. I’ve always felt one of the most therapeutic aspects of being around horses is that when we’re near them, we really can’t let our thinking go sideways. They are naturally fully present in the moment at all times and model that mindfulness for us. We sync up with them naturally, probably because we have so closely co-evolved alongside them over thousands of years.
 I want to encourage you to pay attention to the nuances and messages of your own escape pod.
What? You don’t have one? Then it’s time to find one. Your purpose needs you.
 That little pod, however it appears to and for you, is the clearest path to dusting off your deepest purposes and calibrating your highest connections. Notice what comes up when you’re in that space and what you feel called to do. It’s a divine dial-in time that only requires you show up and listen. Like a cosmic download, it will aid you in understanding and crafting your own way of serving.
The only prerequisite? A desire to make the world just a little better than you found it.