Purpose Statement

I had to write a paper on my purpose statement, since I haven't written in a while, I figured I'd post it here. It's nothing serious, just a simple page or so. The class is an adult seminar, like "How to go to School Again". Easy credits, and some good techniques here and there. Meditation is a useful thing. Brings you back to center. Anyway...yeah.


When this assignment was originally given, I wrote the wrong paper.  It’s not my fault, I had the wrong book.  The stars weren’t in my favor, life goes on.  Considering I wrote some drivel on a time when, in my own mind, I was some sort of “Rock God”, I’m going to give it a go right now and use the title as a source for content.

My purpose statement.  What do I hope to achieve during my time in college.  Well, this isn’t my first attempt.  I refer to this as “Round 2” since “Round 1” didn’t work out too well.  I was fresh out of the Army, a formidable force, nothing could stop me.  I had the “Veteran Card” to play, an outstanding girlfriend, a full time job.  At the time, the idea of college seemed like a meaningless piece of paper (although, you could talk to recent graduates and ask them how their life has since improved since graduation and I’m sure you’ll receive a varied, colorful response, you’ll find a lot of them sleeping in a park in the Village).  Then it all came crashing down.  First thing to go was the girlfriend, she was a barrier in my success.  Next thing to “86”, college, waste of time, who needs it.  Finally, the job, it’s dead-end, after all, I didn’t really try that hard to find something I was both passionate about and financially beneficial.

I was wrong.  Boy was I wrong.


See, it wasn’t the girlfriend, college, or the job.  It was me.  I wasn’t who I am.  I was who I was.  I was better than everyone else.  Part of me feels it was the “Soldiers Mentality”, or “There’s no job I can’t handle, I already have a million things on my plate, give me more.  I thrive off of stress”.  I didn’t know what it was like to be “Tom” again or what “Tom” wanted.  The Army thought for me, made all my decisions.  That’s not a bad thing, neither is pride.
My entire adult life, at that point, was Army.  But right now, at this moment, and for the rest of my life, it isn’t.  I’ll always have the stories and experience, and I’ll always remember what was the best moment in my life, but it isn’t a defining moment.  I haven’t experienced that yet.
Learning from my mistakes, my purpose now is simple:
Figure out what I’d like to major in, and get my degree.
The rest, who knows.  I just want to be happy.  Even if it’s sewing soccer balls in Pakistan.