Different Drummer
How to Discover and Live Out Your Unique Purpose & Life Calling
Growing up I always wanted a dirt bike.
Like I badly wanted a dirt bike.
I would cut up dirt bike brochures and tape them to the walls of my bedroom.
Well this week I was in the southern USA and got in a round of golf.
There were three of us playing so I was odd man out and was going to be in a golf cart by myself.
When I saw the “Solo Cart”, the dirt bike turned golf cart, I knew I had to have it. 🤣
I was grinning the whole round, riding the Solo Cart was more fun than the round of golf was.
Nature versus Nurture
There is a long standing debate of whether we are more influenced by “nature” - genetics and how we were wired from birth or if we are more influenced by “nurture” - the environmental factors around us during our childhood.
Having twin boys was the ultimate nature versus nurture experiment.
I could have named this week’s article LITTLER THINGS - our boys were born preemi at 31 weeks at 3.0 lbs and 3.5 lbs (don’t worry, they are now 17 years old 5’ 11” and 6’ 3” 😁… and I’m sure will love that I wrote about them 🤣).
Because so many of the “nurture” aspects for our sons were the same - they had the same food, same parenting at the same time, they even slept in the same crib - the experiment controlled the “nurture” factors so were were/are able to see the influence of “nature”.
The amazing thing is how different the boys have always been. How much impact “nature” has, which we saw from birth.
There is such a “nature” aspect to each of them which is driving their very distinct personalities, unique skills and varied interests.
Which brings me to my point,
we were all born with very unique and distinct personalities, skills and interests. We were all born with a unique calling on our lives.
This calling on our lives has been called many things by many people but essentially all means the same thing, that we were each created for a unique purpose:
The famed Swiss Psychologist Carl Jung called it your “Life Task”.
The Greeks called it your “Destiny”.
The Bible in Ephesians 2:10 called it your “Good Works…. which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
Paulo Coehlo called it your “Personal Legend” in his book The Alchemist.
We were born into greatness, we were born for a unique and greater purpose, we were born to achieve Bigger Things.
I believe that the greatest risk of our lives is that we die without discovering and living out our unique purpose.
"If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away." - Henry David Thoreau in Walden
I love this Thoreau quote because it reinforces a couple of important concepts:
Each of us hears a Different Drummer.
Each of us must run our own race, and not try to “keep pace with our companions”.
The beat of the Different Drummer may be subtle and “far away”.
So how do we figure this out, how do we discern our unique purpose? How do we actually “hear the beat of Different Drummer”?
It’s Time to Step Into Our Story
Years ago, I did a lot of work in the mining industry.
In mining exploration, geologists make drilling decision in search of ore deposits.
Drilling in mining exploration is VERY expensive and a Geologist client once explained to me how they determine where to drill.
She explained that “determining where to drill” is much like a Venn diagram in that they are looking for the point where all of the information and data sources are overlapping - in the Venn diagram immediately below, that is the “Overlap of A, B, & C” point at the center.
In mining exploration, they are reviewing and evaluating:
Geological mapping - rock types, structures and mineralization.
Geophysical surveys - magnetic, gravity, and electromagnetic surveys.
Geochemical sampling - collect rock, soil and stream sediment.
And on and on it goes.
They then layer all of these data sources, charts and information over one another.
You drill where all of the information intersects.
Much like mining exploration, in our lives, we need to look at the various data sources, charts, information and the listen to the beat of the Different Drummer.
Unfortunately this is an organic and messy process.
There is no precise or perfect way to know “where to drill”, to know what our unique purpose is.
Over time we just keep refining the data and information which allows us to get closer and closer.
Here are the best ways I have experienced doing this:
We need to give ourselves the time and space to hear the Different Drummer. For me that means getting up at 4:59am in order to have quiet solitude to drink coffee, read, pray, journal and workout.
Spend time in nature as it tends to lower our stress levels, allow us to relax, get the noisy chatter in our heads down and be able to discern the quiet calling.
Answer the $100M question:
If you had $100M, what would you spend your time doing?
If you had $100M, what would you contribute to and work on?”.
If you had $100M, how would you try to change the world?
Answer the vision for your life - what legacy do you intend to leave, how and for what do you want to be remembered?
What is your unique ability and talents? What things do you love to do, what activities put you into a state of flow or “timelessness”?
We need to build up your emotional fortitude. Following the beat of the Different Drummer will definitely mean going against the grain in some way, against the advice of masses, against the advice of parents or teachers or colleagues or perhaps all. So having the emotional fortitude to continue on what may be a lonely path and so it is critical to:
Surround yourself with the right people who are on or who have walked the path you dream of.
Limit distraction.
Start your day as described in #1 above.
Follow the omens. Follow your gut feel and instincts. There are signs all around us guiding our paths. Be open and aware and courageous enough to go in that direction.
Where all of our answers to the above intersect, that is “where we drill”.
Where all of our answers intersect, that is where we should put our time, energy, focus and resources.
Over time continue we will get better at hearing the music of the Drummer.
Have a great week everyone, let’s take steps to discovering and living out our unique purpose and calling on our lives.
To Your Bigger Things!
Brad 💕👊
You are receiving The Bigger Things Letter because you either signed up or you attended one of the events that I spoke at. Feel free to unsubscribe if you aren’t finding this valuable. Nothing in this email is intended to serve as financial, accounting or legal advice. Do your own research, come to your own conclusions and make your own decisions.
Lots of great information here. Bookmarked for my next vision day!