Earlier this week Chris Pratt was given the Generation Award at the 2018 MTV Movie & TV Awards ceremony. In his usual fashion he managed to be deeply philosophical, pragmatic, and goofy in less than four minutes. He is a master at making us think, laugh, and be weirdly uncomfortable all at the same time. What caught my attention in his list of nine steps to living was number nine – “You are not perfect just the way you are.” He argues that you are not finished developing and therefore are not perfect. I completely agree with him.
We insulate ourselves from the need to continue to grow by lying to each other and ourselves when we state we are perfect just the way we are. If it were true we would not need to go to school, we would not struggle with relationships, we would not write books or blogs or create art or plays, we would not blame and shame each other and ourselves. At the root of Chris’ statement is a deeply spiritual and philosophical truth – your purpose is to develop and grow.
We are build as self-aware, self-developing creatures. Most of the major world religions and most of the our secular systems are built to help us reach for a higher potential. There is something inherent in being human about wanting to develop ourselves and each other. We are hard-wired for lifting ourselves up to a higher level. We are designed to keep growing and adapting!
If Chris Pratt is correct (and I believe he is), you are not perfect just the way you are. Your purpose is to continue to develop yourself. You are selling yourself short if you aren’t finding ways to grow in all areas of your life. What are you going to develop next? – www.rhoadscoaching.com
finding meaning and purpose in daily life