“I’m exhausted!” – is a phrase I hear regularly.

Do you feel like you are sometimes swimming upstream?

At times, all of us can find ourselves physically and emotionally depleted as we resolutely seek to meet the demands of our daily routines.

Recently, I came across a quote from poet and philosopher David Whyte, which really made me stop and think.

David states that there is a potent remedy to exhaustion – and it isn’t taking a nap.

He stated… “The antidote to exhaustion is wholeheartedness”.

Wholehearted…

• completely and sincerely devoted, determined, or enthusiastic, marked by complete earnest commitment: free from all reserve or hesitation.

Years ago, I worked with a consultancy who focused a lot of their thinking on being a whole leader, using our head, our heart, and our gut. I learned that when they are all aligned in complete harmony, we feel more committed and invigorated to do our very best work.

What strikes me about being surrounded by 130 missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is that they really believe in what they do, they truly embody their purpose, “To invite others to come unto Christ”.  They are purpose led. It unifies them all.

Each of them knows their purpose, are aligned with it, and can articulate it clearly and simply.

The Bigger Picture

In 1962, President John F. Kennedy visited NASA for the first time. During his tour of the facility, he met a janitor who was carrying a broom down the corridor. The President then casually asked the janitor what he did for NASA, and the janitor replied, “I’m helping put a man on the moon.”

Think about that for a moment.

To many, the janitor was simply cleaning the building.

But, in the bigger picture, the janitor ensured that the building was clean, so that NASA engineers, scientists and astronauts could focus on their purpose and put a man on the moon.  He connected his purpose with theirs.

When we lack purpose, we become drained and disengaged.

Quite the opposite is true when we wholeheartedly engage with the power and sense of a greater purpose.

It stirs us into action to achieve a greater cause, experiencing a revived sense of energy and in turn we discover greater meaning.

By focussing wholeheartedly on their purpose, our missionaries have truly found themselves.

Are you lacking purpose?  Then missionaries can help!