CARL JUNG

The Purpose & Passion book brings together a collection of diverse perspectives and experiences from women who have created meaningful change across a range of fields and industries.

The women share real, relatable experiences of finding the courage to answer the call to purpose — and the passion to create meaningful change through entrepreneurship, education, conscious living, advocacy, innovation, family life, and more.

Dr Marie’s chapter, Affirm Your Potential, is written with the intention of inspiring women to grow into their potential and move toward a life that feels meaningful, purposeful, and passionate.  She shares her personal story of feeling stuck, empty, and unfulfilled, despite having achieved what many would consider the ‘perfect’ life by societal standards.

In her chapter, she outlines the strategies and insights that helped her break free from long-standing self-doubt and limiting patterns, with the hope that others will recognise their own capacity to do the same.

Dr Marie explores the concept of the “expected self”. That is, who we think we are based on external expectations. She offers insights into how our choices and decisions can either hinder or support our capacity for change. She also sheds light on how the meaning we attach to our identity can lead to self-defeating, rather than self-affirming, beliefs about our potential.

She also highlights how our fear of exploring the unknown self is what keeps us stuck in the familiarity of the known self. She emphasises that by leaning into discomfort, the unknown gradually becomes the new known. This shift can ultimately propel us towards affirming our potential.

She ends the chapter with a reflective summary of the ideas raised throughout the chapter.

Purpose is the reason you journey.
Passion is the fire that lights the way.

Author Unknown

I was about 27 years old when I first asked myself ‘Who am I?’ I thought I knew.

I had just been promoted to Personnel Manager at the head office of a large, well known corporate company. A role I had been working towards since my early 20s. When I arrived at my new office that first morning, I felt so happy. I went about making the office my own; a few books here, a couple of garden picked flowers there, and placed my stationery exactly where I wanted. I stood, initially admiring my newly acquired workspace. But, then, something came over me – a sense of emptiness. As I stood there, staring blankly at the wall, I felt nothing, nowt, zilch, nada. In that moment, my purpose for my job felt passionless.

Research shows that if we have a sense of purpose, we may have a healthier, happier, and more fulfilling life. We may be less stressed, less anxious, and less depressed. In addition, if our life feels purposeful and has meaning, we may feel more passionate about the things we do. How cool is that!

However, life doesn’t always occur that way automatically. Although our sense of self, purpose, and meaning develop over time, our early life experiences shape our reality and how we feel about our lives. We are influenced by our own observations, what people think and expect of us, how others reward or discipline us, how we compare ourselves with others, and what we hear people say about us. These experiences provide the reasons that give our lives purpose and meaning, whether they are real, imagined, positive, or negative.

Through sharing my personal story in this chapter, my aim is to inspire what might be possible beyond our circumstances, hopefully to a future marked by vigour and intention. That’s not to say that anyone’s circumstances need changing. Or that people are unhappy or passionless with their lives now. No, not at all. Our lives can be full even in the most challenging situations and conditions.

I hope to offer some insights about finding purpose and passion, even a little, in areas of life that feel stagnant and stuck. We will explore ideas that generally hold us back and those that propel us forward. I will also provide some reflections at the end to ponder the main points of the chapter. Hopefully, the ideas discussed here, will inspire some to begin or continue along a purposeful and passionate journey.

Note: This is a physical book which will be posted
to your nominated delivery address.