Apparently, the massive sequoia trees were considered a hoax back in the day, and not surprisingly so! The General Noble tree, a sequoia of over a thousand years, was cut into segments and brought to the Chicago World Fair of 1897. “Unbelievable!” they called it (in the most literal way). But just because the General Noble tree was considered a fake, didn’t mean it wasn’t real.
The impossibly big always seems like a hoax, doesn’t it? Sometimes we think it is a hoax that we can be and live a big purpose, too.
A couple of weeks ago I walked among these giants, a seemingly mythical breed of trees that age to almost two thousand years and are wider than houses! Although I camped near them often as a child, when I returned as an adult it made me feel like I was thrown into a world of science fiction! Among them, you sense that if trees like this exist, then imaginations and make-believe might also be reality.
Breathing the scent of pine, the glass ceiling is lifted.
We Be Like Trees
The sequoias don’t question their purpose of growing enormous to create a spectacular forest that is worthy of Avatars. Maybe we shouldn’t question that we have a purpose to stand strong for as well.
I believe you have a purpose greater than you might imagine on any given day. Undoubtedly, you were born for more than a life of mediocrity. Look up and grow towards that impossibly big grandeur; look past the invisible whispers that call this seed of hope a hoax.
I think it is fair to say we are a little like trees, even the big ones. A forest of world changers can bring purity and essence to a world diluted and polluted. We stand tall, and just by being, we bring beauty. Even without striving (ever seen a striving tree? A reaching tree, yes, but not a striving tree) we make a difference, even if unseen.
Because it isn’t a hoax that we can be big, strong, tall and beautiful reaching up, towards our purpose, even if unseen. After all, the California sequoia trees are still so little visited, even though they are one of the most glorious things on our planet. In fact, before the last century they had been so little seen that they were considered a hoax.
But they were and are just as real as my unique purpose and your unique purpose are real.
Big Purpose & Thinking About Your Legacy
If you aren’t sure what your purpose is, start with the question “what do hope my legacy will be?” Answering this is just a small first step as you begin walking down the road of discovery towards finding your ever-morphing role as a world changer.
And don’t just push this off–discovering your purpose–as sentiment. The unfortunate truth is that you really will have no legacy if you dismiss it.
It is worth growing into your purpose to beautify and redeem the world a little more. And, you are worth living the life you were born to live. I can assure you, there is more of a height, width, and abundance to it than you’ve imagined.
Purpose isn’t a hoax. And when cultivated, it is spectacular.
Do You Want to Discover Your Purpose?
Want to chart your purpose, path, and direction a little more as a world changer? If so, start with this free resource, a workbook to help you begin life mapping:
