Purpose can be found in the unlikeliest of places.

It can be found — as in my case — at the intersection of the material and spiritual, of life and leadership. It can be found in the making of beautiful products that make people’s lives easier, like with Steve Jobs. It can be found in the selfless act of bringing happiness to those less privileged, as with Mother Teresa.

Or it can be found sitting on a park bench at the waterfront, in the early hours of the morning, as I discovered in this delightful story by Cathy Free in Reader’s Digest.

Al Nixon would start his day by watching the sunrise from a bench in the park. One day, a woman stopped to say hello to him. She told him that when she sees him sitting there every morning, she knows things are going to be okay. That simple comment sparked something in Nixon.

“That’s when I knew: I needed to pay attention to the people walking past. I needed to make eye contact and let people know that we mattered to each other.”

Nixon started to offer up a kind smile and a listening ear. People started to join him on his bench, sometimes just to talk, and sometimes to ask for his advice on problems they were grappling with. “I was happy to listen. I wanted them to walk away knowing they didn’t have to feel alone.”

What draws people to Nixon and compels them to stay?

“Al is this calm, constant presence,” says Jeff Franzen, 64, a retired real estate developer who met Nixon while taking a walk along the waterfront a few years ago. “His unique gift is that he listens to everyone.”

“It’s more than that,” says Dee Glowa, who is in her late 50s. “He listens without judgment and without any kind of return expected.”

Sometimes, he simply offers people a space of shared silence. “A woman stopped once and said, ‘I just want to sit here with you,’” he recalls. “We stared at the water for an hour, then she said thank you and walked away. She just wanted a moment of peace and to know she wasn’t alone. And in that moment, in that hour, on that morning, she truly wasn’t.”

When you’re in your 50s and 60s or beyond,”, Nixon, 59, says, “a lot of people feel their purpose hasn’t been fulfilled. At this stage in life, this is definitely my purpose.”

What a wonderful testament to how you can discover your calling anytime, anywhere, based just on a passing comment someone shares with you on the positive effect you have on them.

Warmly,
Hitendra

Like This Newsletter?
Share it with someone who might find it valuable.