Purpose in Pauingassi

Thanks for having me Pauingassi! If you’re not sure where that is, click here and get a bird’s eye view.

I realized this week that this is my 7th year of travelling north to this small community, hopefully bringing something helpful to them, something that stays with them long after I leave. Every time I go I feel like I am more blessed by the people than the reverse, as I meet different individuals and share in new experiences. No matter the result of the workshop, the connection with people sticks with me.

It also happens to be in a very beautiful spot in Manitoba!

I often say that purpose is your mission and values lived out in context. This time I adapted some of my ‘purpose’ material to suit parents and families in working better together. The basic outline is the same as the downloadable material I offer to you good people all the time, which you can put to use here, just click and scroll down till you find the title: Live on Purpose.

I went with the title, Families on Purpose, as the goal was to provide resources and conversations to households that would assist in how they grew stronger together. Each session came with at least one activity that families could do at home, and hopefully discuss each item to suit their unique context. Here’s a refresher on the list, in case you forgot since the last time you downloaded the material 🙂

VALUES

What are the things you hold most dear? What if someone were to watch how you do life, make decisions, spend your time, etc. etc. what would they see as most important to you? We build upon these things and try not to do things that tear them down.

Activity: Build a house of cards and discuss what are the important things you hold to in your family!

MISSION

I have been slowly rephrasing this one recently. I do not like the connotations that the word holds, and given its historical meaning, I prefer to look elsewhere for inspiration on what I hope to communicate to people going through these conversations. So, instead of the ideal of ‘to send’, I look to a word like ESSENCE, which roots itself in ‘to be’, or for the individual, ‘I am’. For families, it makes more sense :anyway, to discuss who ‘we are’.

What is something that sums up what we represent together? A common thread that we can each strive for, together, and in our separate dealings? Speaking of that ‘common thread’…

Activity: Make friendship bracelets together! Choose one thread, or one item, that will be represented in all your bracelets.

VISION

What does it mean to have hope for your future? If you were to imagine you a year from now, what do you see? Parents can speak hopes and dreams into their children, and children can be inspired to do so for themselves. Teach each other to dream.

Activity: Make a shoebox diorama with a picture of your family. Each member can add things that represent hopes and dreams. Or make a family collage to discuss and display.

ACTION

So what will you do with all this material you have discussed? What will be your priorities to act on? Will you be reactionary or ‘actionary’ in how you live out your values together? Look over your top priorities that come out of living out your values. Don’t live as a response to your circumstances and the actions of others; live by your values no matter what is going on.

Activity: Draw a ‘life line’. It’s an activity where you create your own timeline, filled with memories and moments of meaning. Then each member can talk about why key moments were important. It is a way to discuss and discern how we are doing in living out our values.

I’m grateful for times where I get to share this material with others, and look forward to every time that comes my way in the future. We all desire purpose in our lives, and in each scenario we find ourselves, our sense of purpose will need definition and relearning. That is the hope, that we all strive to live with purpose!