The Greater Meaning of Soul

Disney Pixar’s Soul was released in 2020. Because 2020 wasn’t emotional enough; we needed another Pixar movie to make us cry. Soul did not disappoint. Soul follows middle school band teacher Joe G as he pursues his passion of being a jazz musician. As with all Pixar movies, things don’t go according to plan, and Joe ends up on a different path helping a new soul named 22 find their passion or spark. The thing that makes you, you. Spark isn’t just your purpose- it is your zest for life.

A key take away from Soul is purpose is important, but it isn’t the end all be all.

Sometimes we get so wrapped up in what we think is our purpose that we fail to pay attention to the things that give our lives meaning. We need to enjoy the little moments in life as well. The sun on our face. The way the leaves blow in the wind. Cuddles with our puppy. Time spent laughing with friends. 

Like everything in life, we need to have balance. Purpose is like a guiding light. It will help us to create meaning for our existence. But we also need to take time to enjoy that existence. Have you ever heard the metaphor that life isn’t about the destination, it’s about the journey. I think that’s not quite right. Life is the whole thing.

We need direction or we feel that life is pointless. We need to enjoy the day to day or often we wake up feeling that nothing has meaning.

Sometimes things happen in life that change our purpose or make us question our purpose. We lose a loved one- be it a bad break up or death. We lose our job. We don’t get the job. We fail a class that was required for our major. We take a class that is required for our major and realize we hate the subject. We experience a health crisis. (I relate to all of these examples.) These situations can make us question our purpose- and that is completely normal. Things happen in life and sometimes we have to change directions; sometimes our destination changes, and sometimes our route changes.

Many of my client’s come to me feeling lost. Not knowing their purpose or having gone through challenges that are making them question life. If you are reading this, chances are that you too are having some questions about your life too. When you are ready to start finding some answers, book an appointment with me.