He says that we all have a core purpose, but it is not something we're all consciously aware of. Brian Tracy put it this way, that although we may not be totally certain of what our purpose really is, we all usually have a pretty good idea of what it is.
David Deida had an interesting analogy, and I'll contort it into one of my own. That our core purpose is surrounding by layers, like an onion, you can peel of each layer until you reach the final little piece in the middle. Deida goes on to say that by working your way towards your life purpose, you are "burning off karma" - and that feels like a good way of putting it, in my humble opinion.
Another way of putting it, which I read in "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" by Robert M. Pirsig, he mentions a man who works as a mechanic, and at first finds great rapture and passion for his work. It is new to him, and he is expanding his capabilities, and pushing his envelop. Later, he becomes bored with the work, and decides to go back to school to take physics, and once again, finds his rapture.
All these guys, seem to have solid ideas, but if you skirt around the edges of each one of these themes, there is a common ground. I heard once that a person changes their careers like 10 times during their lifetime? Don't quote me on that, but I heard it in school about 8 years ago and it really struck a chord with me. All around me, I see people changing occupations and so on.
To me, I really like the idea of having a core set of gifts and strengths, and that finding the right situation for your package takes a lot of discovery. Even if that's untrue, people are changing all the time, we are constantly in the process of becoming. So what's satisfying for us now, may be boring as we get older.
I remember hearing in "Waking Life" by Richard Linklater, that our cells completely regenerate every 7 years- yet, we essentially remain the same person.
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