How To Find Your Purpose, Based On What Stage Of Life You're In
OK, I have to say I'm very excited to share this information with all of you. If you have studied Wayne Dyer's work, you may have already heard him discuss these ideas from Carl Jung.
I will be summarizing them in my own way, but I guarantee you that this premise will open up your eyes to how you've currently been living, and whether or not it is time for you to move on to the next stage of your life. It certainly had that exact impact on me.
Let's begin. This is Carl Jung's archetypes and the four stages of life:
1. The Athlete Stage
In this stage, you are solely focused on your looks and how you appear to the world. All of your efforts and motivation are based on strengthening your outer identity.
I fell into this category the moment I entered high school, and I don't believe I left until mid-college There comes a time in your life, however, where you don't feel the incessant need to act like a walking mannequin.
For those of you still in this stage, trust me when I say it's a freeing experience when you finally decide to let go.
2. The Warrior Stage
This is the stage in which many humans get stuck, especially in our American culture. This is the stage in which we are all acting like warriors who must fight their way to the top.
This is the time where we begin developing our goals and working diligently toward them. I'm now living in my new place in Chicago, and I am surrounded by other “young working professionals.”
I see this a lot. While there is nothing wrong with this stage, it can cripple us when we are only consumed with our own selfish desires.
3. The Statement Stage
This is the stage that I believe I am finally transitioning to. Over the past few years, I have been bouncing to and from the statement and warrior stages. I'm just trying to find my place in the world.
The statement stage is the one in which you finally realize there is more to life than making and taking. It is a time for giving. It is the moment in which you decide you are no longer asking the question, “What can you do for me?”
Instead, you ask, “How can I be of service to you?” In this stage, you are still receiving abundance. Yet, it is in an effortless manner.
You no longer feel separate from your desires. They have now become one with you. To be honest, I think we should all be striving to be in this stage of life.
4. The Spirit Stage
Jung suggests that none of the above three stages truly encompasses who we are. This is the stage I believe Eckhart Tolle and other enlightened gurus have entered.
It is an infinite state of peace. You know that you are not your surroundings, your things or your achievements. You're just a spiritual being living a human experience, not the other way around.
In essence, I would consider this stage to be our final spiritual awakening. Some have had glimpses of this stage, but they have ultimately fallen back into their prior stages of being. However, the slightest glimpse is enough to open our eyes to something greater.
Whatever stage you find yourself in, just know that you are exactly where you need to be. Believe that everything that happens to you is for your highest good.
I personally am diving deeper into the statement stage, and I'm feeling the warm hug from the universe with every step I take. One day, I will hit stage four.
But for now, I am willing and ready to share and experience the lessons necessary for me at this stage. So, that leads me to my initial question: Which stage of life are you in?
