Purpose

What Are You Planning To Do With Your Life

As many of you know, I am a big fan of music, so it was a very pleasant morning to walk in and hear "Let It Be" coming from the chapel piano. Being a psychologist, I listen to songs for their deeper meaning. All artists have some message they want to portray through their music and so, I listen and try to determine meaning from each and every song I hear. Being a School Counselor, I also use music inside as well as outside my classroom to help me understand teenagers today as well as the adversities they face and try to overcome, most often projected in their music.

Most recently I have become fond of a song by Judah and The Lion, "Suit and Jacket". When I thoroughly listened to this song and examined the lyrics, it helped me understand the students I am currently seeing in my office as well as the school in general. I was finding that with this year's seniors, there was a great apprehension when applying to college. When asked what careers they would like to pursue, they were also waivering a bit and so when I heard this song one day, it made me stop and think, is this what goes through their minds?

There are lines in the song referencing not wanting to get older, not wanting to conform, and not wanting to accept money and status if that is not their life's purpose. This song really made me think, are the children of today trying so hard to find a meaningful purpose that they are fearful of making a decision regarding the career they want to have, the major they want to study, and the university they want to attend?  Do they want to leave such a meaningful mark on society that they don't want to pin themselves to one place, career, time span. It really made me think.

If you have time, listen to the song, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AigOUsOEhSY, hopefully it too will give you better insight into the mind of high school students today and the plights they experience when trying to make the world a better place.

In addition, I came across an article and program for those struggling to figure out who they are and what career would be most satisfying for them. It is called the purpose challenge and has a series of activities directed toward students finding a path of personal satisfaction. The program can be found at http://purposechallenge.org/ and contains the activities for students as well as resources for parents.

All of us want the world to be a better place, we want to hold meaningful careers, support ourselves, and just be who God has crafted us to me. In the words of U2, "And if the darkness is to keep us apart, and if the daylight feels like it's a long way off, and if your glass heart should crack, and for a second you turn back, Oh no, be strong, Walk On, Walk On", there are greater things ahead. Welcome the journey.