"Do your little bit of good where you are; it's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world."
-- Archbishop Desmond Tutu
"Why are you here?" I asked the diverse group of college students. They were participating in a university program to learn more about business. Their responses were interesting and wide-ranging. And a few of them had a question about my question.
"Do you mean, ‘Why am I here?' " one student asked, somewhat puzzled. I looked around the room at the students' faces without providing clarification and repeated the question: "Why are you here?"
"I am enrolled in this program to gain knowledge about business," one student responded. Others took a broader view. One student said her major purpose in life was to one day help students get a quality education.
That is at the heart, or the essence, of the question "Why are you here?" It is about your life's purpose and the things you want to do, see and experience in life, so that at the end of it, you -- by your own definition -- would say it was a success.
My initial response was similar to that of the students when I first came across the question in a thought-provoking book written by John Strelecky, called The Why Café (www.whycafe.com). In it, the main character is seeking to determine what he wants to do with his life. He realizes there is more to his life than what he is currently doing (his job), yet he can't seem to figure it out. He can't put his finger on what motivates him or adds meaning to his life. So, he takes some time off and starts out on a journey to seek the answer, and stumbles upon The Why Are You Here Café in the middle of nowhere. He is hungry, almost out of gas and lost. He notices three unusual questions printed on the back of the menu that eventually help him find his way: Why are you here? Do you fear death? Are you fulfilled?
Strelecky writes inspiring, motivating books with big questions that stimulate you to act. After writing The Why Café, he and his wife visited Africa and went on a safari. That experience is the basis of his second book, Life Safari, and another stimulating question: "What are your big five for life?"
He discovered that the measure of a successful safari is based on the number of the "big five" you see on your trip; the more, the better. They are the rhinoceros, leopard, elephant, water buffalo and lion.
That experience led Strelecky to think about and focus on the "big five in life" in addition to helping people discover their purpose.
"Imagine if everything you did was focused on helping you do, see, or experience five things," writes Strelecky. "Five things so powerful, that if you did, saw, or experienced them, then you could say your life was a success -- as you defined it for yourself. Those things are called your Big Five for Life." It is a gauge for success on your terms. A "bucket list" of sorts.
I think I have identified and understand my purpose, my mission for life. It guides me daily and I read and review it frequently. I have spent some time thinking about why I am here and what I want to continue to do, see and experience in life.
I believe the most important thing any of us can do is to determine our purpose in life and plant ourselves in an environment where we can grow, flourish and make a difference.
So, why are you here? And, what are your big five for life?
Nigel Alston lives in Winston-Salem. He can be reached at nalston1@triad.rr.com.
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