For some time now, it has been “fashionable” to talk, write, give talks and other things related to personal purpose. However, this is not a recent topic, it was already discussed in Ancient Greece, in the 4th century BC.
For this, it is enough to review the work “Nicomachean Ethics”, written by Aristotle, who establishes “That the purpose of every human being is to be Happy and that he will achieve it through cultivating a healthy mind, having an orderly and prudent life, adding to this, practicing good habits and a disposition to the virtuality of the same.”
In the book, Government of people in the company, written by Pablo Ferreiro and Manuel Alcázar, they mention, among many things, how extrinsic, intrinsic and transcendent motives are interrelated with the spontaneous or rational motivation that all human beings have.
According to what was mentioned in the previous paragraph, I propose a definition associated with personal purpose: “it is the use of intelligence, through the constant exercise of my will, to find what things-actions I do and why I do them, which give meaning to my existence.”
Now I will tell you a personal story, associated with this topic. A few weeks ago my mother, her sisters and a brother remembered and celebrated another year of life of their father, my maternal grandfather, who was called Hugo, like me. I did not get to know him physically (he died at 54 years old, by those coincidences of life, the same age that I am currently) but I was able to learn about him through the stories and tales that both my mother and his brothers tell me. One of the stories that fills me with curiosity and admiration is how before turning 54 years old, he was able to impact, for the better, the life of his community, through his material detachment and generosity.
Hugo Estrada Mostacero was the second of eight siblings. He was born in 1908 in the district of Cascas, in the province of Gran Chimú, in the department of La Libertad, Peru. He studied Chemical Engineering at the National University of Trujillo. Likewise, he did not graduate due to political issues at the time, and as a result he had to return to Cascas to work. There he developed some businesses, such as a grocery store, perishable goods and fabrics, which supplied the town, called El Tambo. He also had a rice mill, called La Esperanza, where he provided rice milling services and with an entrepreneurial vision he acquired some hectares of land to plant and harvest this product (what modern management calls integration of the production chain). Additionally, he had inherited from his father, along with his brothers, a plot of land of considerable size. However, at that time he noticed that both his children and other children from his town, in order to finish their school studies, had to move to the city of Trujillo, since in Cascas there was only one primary school. Faced with this need, he did not hesitate to donate those inherited lands, then some of his brothers would follow him in this act of selflessness and thus a piece of land was available for the later construction of what would become the San Gabriel de Cascas school, which has been operating for more than 60 years now.
Some lessons that I take away from this family story.
- By trying to cover a personal or family need, you can impact a larger universe of people. Display empathy.
- Be aware that material goods are there to be put at the service of others.
- Be simple when acting, my aunts say that in the community, they wanted the name of the school to be that of my great-grandfather (Justo Estrada) or that of my grandfather Hugo, for having the initiative to donate the land. He did not accept it and instead, he proposed that it be named after the patron angel of the town.
- The personal purpose, you do not necessarily write it, but you must live it.
- The way to progress in life is through education.
Some of you might think or say at this point in this article, “I don’t have any personal property, real estate or similar things,” however, I remind you that all of us, without exception, have talents, gifts that we can put at the service of our fellow men, starting with the most precious good, “our time” to listen to a friend with some difficulty, visit the sick, teach someone who doesn’t know a specific subject, share a chat with young people who are graduating from high school and want to study the professional career that you have, etc.
I conclude with two reflections associated with this article…
1. Albert Pike, American lawyer, soldier and writer, said, “What we do for ourselves dies with us, what we do for others and for the world remains and is immortal.”
2. Part of the lyrics of the song titled, “Para darlo a los demás” by Manuel López Naón:
“Take from me what you need, to give it to others
Take from me what you need, I don’t keep anything else
Today I want to be your instrument and preach your great truth…
And I try to find you in my brothers
But it is impossible for me without your love
I am weak, and I ask that your hands open my heart wide…”
So, what do you say? Are you ready to think, meditate and unfold your purpose, associated with one or more virtues, such as generosity and even charity, which is the most precious good! Come on, let’s keep rowing against the current!
