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How Do We Determine Our Destined Role in the World? -- Part 2 · Sri Aurobindo Studies

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  One reason we do not have a sense of our purpose or role in
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  the world generally is that we do not examine deeply our inner
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  predilections or the trajectory of our lives.
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  We interpret our lives based on external criteria and motives
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  without appreciating that there is another driving force behind
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  that helps to create the circumstances, opportunities,
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  and directions we wind up taking in our lives.
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  In some cases, we interpret negative events as interfering
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  with our lives when in fact they may be the prod that moves us
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  into a more certain direction to grow into our life's work.
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  The instances of the individual struck by lightning, burdened by
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  obstacles or illnesses, or as a victim of poisoning all
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  represent what we would consider to be negative events in a life.
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  But in each case, they move the individual into a new positive
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  direction aligned with a deeper aspiration that was covered over
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  by the external life and its demands and expectations.
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  An American youth recounted his experience of studying the
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  German language for four years during high school and added
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  additional courses during two years in college, although he
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  had no plans to do anything in Germany later on.
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  Unexpectedly, he wound up living and working in Germany,
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  developing long term business alliances with a number of
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  German firms after he returned to the USA and marrying a woman
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  from Germany and developing close ties with her family over
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  many years. At the time of taking up the
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  language, he had no sense that he would utilize his study of
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  the language in such an expansive way.
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  As his life unfolded, another incident was recounted by a
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  person who had gone to stay for some time at Sri or Obindo
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  Ashram in Puducherry, India. While he was there, he was in
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  contact regularly with Sri MP Pundit.
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  At one point, Sri Pundit asked him to write an article for his
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  service letter on the need for accounting in Mother's service.
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  He had no background in accounting or bookkeeping or
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  business matters, so he was mystified about the request, but
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  he carried it out. It turned out that much later he
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  wound up in operation of a business and found the value in
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  accounting. It is easier to reflect back
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  upon one's life, to see the major transitions and the
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  trajectory, than it is to identify these things in
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  advance. It is, however, not impossible.
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  If one examines one's interests, concerns, area of focus and
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  dedicated effort, one can begin to recognize a certain
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  trajectory and line of development.
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  For most people, this is not something they consider to be
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  important as they live their lives without much consideration
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  for their mission or purpose. Those who are called to the
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  spiritual life, however, may find it useful to reflect and
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  observe closely, to see where they are being pointed and with
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  what capabilities they either have naturally or are developing
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  through their experience and education.
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  The Mother observes. Quote.
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  Until we know the essential thing we are intended to do.
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  We must therefore find a temporary occupation which will
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  be the best possible manifestation of our present
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  capacities and our goodwill. Then we shall give ourselves to
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  this occupation with conscientiousness and
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  perseverance, knowing that it may well be only a stage, and
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  that with the progress of our ideal and our energies we shall
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  certainly one day be led to see more clearly the work we must
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  accomplish. To the extent that we lose the
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  habit of referring everything to ourselves, and learn more and
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  more to give ourselves more completely with greater love to
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  earth and men, we shall see our horizons widen and our duties
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  become more numerous and clear. We shall find that our action
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  follows a general line of progression determined by our
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  own particular temperament. Indeed, the successive
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  occupations we shall hold before we become conscious of the
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  definitive form of our action, will always point in the same
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  direction, be of the same type and mode, which is the
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  spontaneous expression of our character, our nature, our own
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  characteristic vibration. The discovery of this tendency,
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  this particular orientation, should come about quite
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  naturally. It is a matter of taste and free
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  choice beyond all outer selfish considerations.
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  End Quote Reference Sri Aurobindo and the Mother,
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  Looking from Within, Chapter 3, Action and Work, pages 58 to 61.