Any truly successful individual, whatever his line of endeavor, has achieved success because he has had a clear purpose and ordered his life by an impulsion to fulfill this purpose. Realizing a unique individual purpose is a challenge we all face. Youth needs purpose with direction. Maturity needs continuity of purpose. Those possessing material wealth and those struggling with the lack of it both need to realize purpose apart from and beyond material acquisition. The humanly gifted need to demonstrate humble purpose; the timid, to discover purpose unbounded by human limitations.
Whether he is conscious of it or not, everyone has a reason for being—to fill a special place in the scheme of Mind's vast universe of ideas. And having this place divinely, he must express it humanly. Mrs. Eddy, who exemplified in her own life the fulfillment of divine purpose, tells us, "Each individual must fill his own niche in time and eternity."Retrospection and Introspection, p. 70; This positive, compelling statement should inspire each of us to seek his niche diligently and fill it with integrity.
Purpose indicates that thought is directed toward the attainment of a specific goal, and that the means of accomplishment are clearly defined in consciousness. The clarity and conviction with which one perceives his mission keeps his thought from being diverted by whatever would draw him away from the realization of his ideal. Defining his purpose with wisdom, he will find true satisfaction in its fulfillment.
