Our Purpose as People

Growing up, I was always taught “If you can dream it, you can do it,” as quoted by the famous Walt Disney. My dad, the President of Disney in Asia at the time, always embodied this same spirit and instilled it into us. I watched my dad bring characters like Marie from the Aristocats to life, and watched Hong Kong Disneyland from opening day grow into the flourishing theme park it now is.

I’ve learned to not only adapt to change but embrace it. Be grateful for the present, enjoy the uncertainty of each day, and find excitement in what I’ve yet to learn. Find moments of creativity in what could be conceived as mundane. Problem-solve, and never stop seeking solutions no matter what deck of cards is handed over. There is always a way to move forward.

I visited fifty countries before I was five, and have lived in six, now having landed in America as an adolescent and completing my high school and college years here. I’ve embodied this spirit in everything I do and share it with everyone I meet. I’m never short of passionate, and always a dreamer. Some may call it delusional optimism, but I call it determined.

I turned an hourly job to get me through college into a career and became the youngest franchise owner in my company. I now own and operate a thriving Nekter Juice Bar in Lake Oswego, Oregon. Some may call me a jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none. I don’t mind that title, it’s good to be well-rounded. I’ve done seasonal gigs as a production assistant at both independent and highly renowned music festivals. I’ve auditioned for talent shows, namely X-Factor, and preformed acoustic guitar sets at local venues. I was a snowboard instructor ensuring young children had the most memorable first experience on the snow. 

I don’t fit into any one box and that’s okay with me. I think many people struggle with that. With trying to discover their “purpose” in life. Maybe our purpose is waking up in the morning and embracing that we have another day to do good. For ourselves, for our community, for whatever we may find ourselves seeking. Maybe that feeling never goes away, despite achieving what we think we were put on this planet to achieve. Maybe we are ever-growing individuals, and our interests, wants, and needs change over time. Seasons of life are called seasons for a reason - we continue to change, grow, mold, adapt, learn, cry, sing, laugh, create, and do it all over again. 

Today, I’m a songwriter. I may not be a singer and may not be able to bring it to life the way I’ve heard from my favorite artists, but I wrote an incredibly moving piece that means something to me - and that’s enough. Tomorrow, I’m the best big sister I can be, traveling with my little sister to Napa, California for a birthday wine tasting weekend. Maybe the next day, I find something on the ground and turn it into a pendant - I’m an artist. 

What I’m trying to convey is that the beauty in life comes from not being confined into one streamlined box of what beauty means. It’s relative for a reason and we’re all subject to our own perceptions of what we find attractive - why should it be any different when it comes to self-expression and the way we as individuals go about our own experiences?

As someone who suffered severe depression and confidence issues as a teenager and had extremely poor coping mechanisms until I unlearned self-depreciative language and began to grow to love myself for what I previously perceived as flaws, I understand feeling inadequate and not “having a purpose” on a level that some ideally never experience. It’s a dark and lonely place to be, and it’s easy to get stuck there. Thankfully, I had support from writing. I transported myself into different metaverse of characters, storylines, and utilized my creativity to create alternate realities through fanfiction stories that ended up having thousands of supporters and eager readers. It was incredibly nerdy - but it worked for me. It made me feel excited, it channeled my angsty energy into creating something for both myself and others and that made me feel better. Much better.

Lately, many have been addressing the epidemic of loneliness with an astounding one-in-two Americans reporting that they are experiencing feeling lonely (Cigna 2021), it comes with no surprise this discerning disconnect between themselves and the world that many are coping with in daily life. It is not only something worth studying but something worth changing. This can be minor steps: the slightest kind exchange with a stranger or experiencing something bigger than us as individual people, as a trip to the ocean or the mountains helps many feel. Personally, I found so much solace on the mountain as a snowboarder, and an even deeper sense of self-fulfillment when teaching others how to ride too. The look of joy on a person’s face when they take their first turn, or even successfully strap themselves into their bindings for the first time, is something that everyone should experience in their own ways in daily life.

Maybe our purpose is far bigger than us as individuals, maybe our purpose is contributing our own gifts, understandings, hearts, and experiences to the collective good of community building and appreciation of this life and universe. We’re all put on this planet for a reason - and that reason doesn’t have to be what we all often end up aimlessly chasing and feeling as though we are letting ourselves down in the process. It is THE process that beings us fulfillment. Moments of laughter with friends - or pushing ourselves through anxiety and putting ourselves out there in making new friends if we feel a lack of community. Embracing hugging the people we love and reminding them of it. Embracing loving ourselves for who we are, as we are. Reminding ourselves that we are exactly where we need to be. The human experience in life is called living for a reason, and we all could start doing a little bit more of that, and a little bit less of worrying or waiting for the next “thing.” Moments are fleeting. Capture them with grace and gratitude. Create moments where some may perceive there are none. Go to that concert and dance. Sing so badly, and so loudly, that the artist preforming smiles from hearing the passion they’ve shared with others through their art. Stare at museum walls, try to figure out what the creator was feeling and is trying to convey through that inanimate sculpture that holds so much meaning behind its hand-carved eyes. Smile at strangers. Always go on walks. Hug your animals. Remind your given and chosen family that you love them. Climb mountains and seek out new trails. Experiment with your cooking even if the meal ends up burnt. It was still made with love from you. 

Always remember that our minds are our biggest blessing and don’t have to be our scariest curse. “If you can dream it, you can do it.” -Walt Disney

Reference Source:

Cigna Corporation. The Loneliness Epidemic Persists: A PostPandemic Look at the State of Loneliness among U.S. Adults. 2021.