When Politics Distracts You From Your Purpose
Purpose energy is life-affirming. Distractions are life-draining.
Hi friend,
Recently, a client mentioned to me that she was thinking about writing political commentary about the current US situation.
As we dug deeper into this, it became clear that there were many other things she would rather do. You know, write an inspired novel or that much-needed nonfiction book she had been wanting to write for a really long time.
It reminded me of my husband. A while ago, he found out that one of his university friends was running for mayor in a big US city. Hearing this made him muse about if he should have tried to do something similar with his life (even though he’s a successful scientist, and doing work that’s both impactful and feels meaningful to him).
What these situations have in common is that you have someone who’s on their path, yet questioning their path due to external developments or events.
This is a distraction from purpose that can happen for all sorts of reason. Politics or bigger societal developments is just one example, yet one that is very common at the moment.
How to decide if something is a distraction from your purpose: should(not)s vs. wants
The energy of purpose feels like an internal “yes” to something. It’s both activating and centered at the same time. Importantly, it doesn’t come with a sense of should but with a sense of want. Not “I should do this” but “I really want to do this”.
A distraction is something that doesn’t get this internal “yes” and that keeps you on focusing from what truly matters to you. Distractions often come with a sense of should (“I really should write about this topic”) or should not (“I shouldn’t spend so much time on Social Media’).
Purpose is a life-affirming energy. Distractions feel life-draining.
Even though distractions ultimately feel draining and heavy, they are often still enticing. This is the case for politics.
(Please note that for some people, politics is part of their path and not a distraction.)
Why politics can feel so enticing
Politics can feel very enticing to people. There’s the promise of being able to make a difference and have a huge impact. But it’s not just that. After all, there are many ways in which people can make a difference.
In my view, an unacknowledged reason politics can seem so enticing is because politicians are essentially the modern equivalent of gladiators—especially in the US, where politics is more high-drama than in any other country I’ve lived in.
Like gladiators, politicians and politics-adjacent professionals are people who fight in the public arena. The better they fight, and the more entertaining they are in their fights, the more their fans celebrate them. So, there are a lot of ego-benefits that can be gained from going into politics.
However, there’s also a problem: the fighting never ends. If you score a win, it’s just a brief reprieve before the next fight begins.
If you’re like me, you probably get tired just hearing that.
However, some people thrive on this. Just look at Bernie Sander, who’s still going strong in his 80s. Are there any doubts about whether politics is aligned with his purpose and path in life?
Which brings me to my point:
Politics is either on your path, or it’s not
If something is not on your path, pursuing it will make you miserable.
It’s like someone who becomes a parent due to social pressure but really yearns for a child-free lifestyle. Instead of following their internal compass, they follow something outside themselves.
Something that tells them this is what they should do.
But instead of finding out what you should do (distraction), how about finding out what you actually want to do (purpose)?
A few questions to find out if politics is on your path:
1. Is political work (whether running for office, posting political commentary, or doing political activism) something you genuinely want to do, or is it a should? Does it feel uplifting or heavy?
Usually, something that’s genuinely on your path will feel good to you—even if you know that the path ahead might be challenging.
2. If politics calls you, has it also called you during times of your life when the news was boring and when it didn’t seem like there was an emergency going on?
People who deeply care about a topic usually care about it at all times. For
instance, even though I’ve gone through different phases with this, I have been wanting to protect animals since I was 6 years old or so. So, from that simple fact alone, I can tell that I’m more of an animal advocate at heart than a politician.
3. Imagine you would never get any accolades, positive feedback, or a greater sense of having power due to your political work. Would you still want to do it?
Most people who genuinely care about a specific topic are willing to make personal sacrifice in the pursuit of it. For them, pursuing activism in that area is more about what they can give rather than what they get from it. Take, for instance, environmentalists who were willing to limit their carbon footprint, before that was cool. They’re not in it for the reward.
4. If you engaged more in politics, what would you have to give up? Does it feel worth it to give this up?
For instance, my client realized that writing political commentary would conflict with other things she wanted to do, including contributing to things that are more neglected and where her work could make a bigger positive difference.
If politics is not your path in life
If, after reading through these questions, you realize that politics is not your path in life, congrats on having that clarity!
This doesn’t mean that you can’t care about politics. By all means, vote and engage with politics in whichever way feels right. Just please don’t abandon your actual life purpose(s), and please don’t feel bad about the life path you are choosing.
I’d wager that for the majority of people, politics is not their path in life.
That’s actually a good thing. Do you want to live in a world where everyone was striving to be a politician (or a political commentator, or a mayor)? Yeah, me neither.
Sure, we need good politicians. We also need good scientists, musicians, and janitors.
Telling people that politics matters so much more than everything else is a lie. Our society would break down if everyone left their current profession and went into politics.
Case in point: This week, a German friend of mine got a foot surgery. Their surgery got delayed because of an emergency… and that emergency was someone who might have become quadriplegic if it hadn’t been for the timely intervention of first responders and medical personnel.
I’m sure as hell glad that the people who helped this person (and my friend’s foot) hadn’t left their jobs to run for office.
Takeaway
Going into politics to make things better is a noble purpose.
It’s just not the only noble purpose.
My husband and my client are both doing important work. I would go as far as saying that they are, in their own way, doing something only they can do. That’s because they are on their path, not someone else’s.
And that’s what ultimately matters.
Follow your own path. Everyone else’s path is already taken.
Warmly,
Louise
P.S.: Want to connect more with your authentic goals?
As you might know, I’m currently offering free introductory energy healing sessions. For the month of February, these will be focused on authenticity.
If you want to get more in touch with your authentic path and purpose, I invite you to book a session with me here during the month of February.
AI policy: In case you are wondering, I currently don’t use any AI in the writing of my articles. For more on that here.