Finding My Purpose One Lick at a Time
“How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll Tootsie Pop?” A commercial that featured a wise old owl promised to answer that very question. The owl made it to his third lick and then he chomped down on the candy. The commercial ended with the phrase, “the world may never know.”
That commercial came back to mind when my son was walking around with a sucker counting the licks. He was determined to be the one that discovered the truth. He made it to 275 before something distracted him and he lost count. He shook his head and sighed. “The world may never know.”
The truth of that particular secret is that the answer will shift and change with each person and at each attempt. Every person is designed with a unique system and that system will work different from the person next to you. Often that system will work different for you than it worked the time before.
The world will never know – not about the Tootsie Pop – and not about your unique purpose. Your uniqueness is beyond the comprehension of this world because it is not OF this world. The problem is that most of us will never know the unique purpose either. We are too busy counting licks, seeking out a short cut by chomping down before it is time, or just chasing down distractions away from the designed purpose.
Getting to YOUR Center
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– Know the Maker. If you were to try getting to the center of a Dum Dum, you would be disappointed. It is a different maker that creates that particular candy, and there is no center. It is solid candy all the way through. Your Maker designed you with a particular purpose in mind – but you have to know Him before you can begin to understand the who that He created.
– Make a plan. Plans do not have to be complex, and they usually work best when they are NOT complex. Keep It Simple rings true because it is true. Simple plans leave fewer opportunities for mistakes or miscommunications. Even for something like getting to the center of the Tootsie Pop, you have to have a plan in place or you will lose count. To get to the center of who you are designed to be will require a plan to uncover and unlock the unique you.
– Keep a record. My son could have continued his quest had he been marking down his progress as he went instead of relying on his memory. His mind was distracted and that memory left him lost. Write down your journey. Write out your progress. Map out that plan. It will be easier to keep going if you can see the direction you need to move.
– Be persistent. Impatience, distractions, and confusion throw up barriers to success. A more persistent owl would have gotten beyond three. Refuse to allow the passage of time or the complaints of the world to drive you to quit the pursuit of your uniqueness.
You can get there. The world may not ever know, but you can know. The truth of your center – of your unique purpose and design – is not a complex thing hidden away. It is there, waiting for you to walk it out. Choose now to be bold in the unique YOU.
Be blessed,
