Chadwick’s last gift was a reminder of purpose

“Purpose is an essential element of you. It is the reason you are on the planet at this particular time in history. Your very existence is wrapped up in the things you are here to fulfill.” – Chadwick Boseman

It’s a special feeling when you discover your purpose. 

You feel centered. You feel intentional. You feel satisfied. Lastly, you feel found. 

As we commemorate Chadwick’s life and legacy, one message that he left us in many of his speeches and interviews was a call to purpose. Not only did he speak about purpose, but he lived it fully in the last years of his life. We see it in his body of work, his charitable actions and others’ testimonies regarding their relationships. 

Purpose was his final act for us, and I hope we become intentional with living on purpose for the remainder of the year. As we reflect on Chadwick’s life, I started to think about my journey to purpose. 

I remember living in NYC and hearing certain senior leaders talk about their purpose. I would watch them confidently move around the room at networking events in awe of the power. I often wonder what my purpose was and how I could find it. I was in a vulnerable state in my early years in the Big Apple. I did all I could to soak up wisdom from the men and women whose paths I hoped to follow. But was I in love with their purpose so much that I was not giving myself the space to find my own? I think so. 

One person who helped to start my reflection of purposeful living is Jovian Zayne. She is the founder of the On Purpose movement and tours the world motivating, inspiring and offering techniques into finding that purpose. 

Jovian says purpose is two-fold: it’s intent and impact. Purpose forms when they both align. “What is it that you have been uniquely called to do? It’s about giving yourself the opportunity to quiet your spirit enough to hear the voice that has already told you in every scenario how you are supposed to show up,” she told Africa Miranda. 

I needed to do the work. That meant I needed to halt the abundance of wisdom seeking and start trusting my own intuitions and abilities. How many of you ask five different people their advice and validation about the one idea that you want to act on before you do it? 

I needed to let go of doubt from past rejections and own the things that I was good at. How many of you let doubt or negative self-talk hold you back? 

Lastly, I needed to figure out what type of work fueled my soul. What kept me up at night and got me up in the morning? What did not tire me despite the obstacles that come my way? 

My purpose is STORYTELLING and championing the stories of others. Whether it is written or it’s creating a stage for people to share it. 

Holli Draines and I spent around 3 hours on the phone as she shared her journey to becoming Michelle Obama’s secret service agent. We laughed and we cried, but ultimately I learned so much about her perseverance. I had the honor of sharing her story for ESSENCE.com. I want to think that it was so good that they made room for it in print for the March 2020 issue. 

I pray we all get a little clearer in our purpose, just like Chadwick.