The Conductor as Yogi: Own Your Purpose, (Re-) Define Your Mission

“Actually, you can only expect a fulfilling life if you dedicate yourself to finding out who you are.  To finding the ineffable, idiosyncratic seeds of possibility already planted inside.  There is some surrender required here.”  ~ Stephen Cope

When I think about the times in my life when I felt the most engaged and focused and was my most authentic self, it was when I had a clearly defined mission.  A mission is more than a goal to achieve, such as an advanced degree or an invitation to give a conference performance or to publish a book.  While those pursuits may be part of it, our mission is something larger, more all-encompassing that seems to whisper to us that in this life moment lies our opportunity to grow and lead and serve uniquely towards a greater good.

Mission is an action plan, a way of living out one’s purpose, calling, or dharma, our “sacred duty.”  Our mission will be based on who we are, our way of seeing the world and our unique blend of skills and passions, and it is influenced by circumstances, opportunities, and the desire to contribute to meet the needs of the time, such as a global pandemic.  When the world shut down, we were the same people at our core but had to devise new ways of using our gifts.  We shifted our activities to support our singers in different ways, with new learnings and an increased emphasis on wellness and community that could sustain us while we were virtual and dealing with an onslaught of technology and separation. My sense of purpose or calling underpinned my choices and approach, just as yours did, and it was from that place that we redefined our mission for that era.

Yet life is constantly changing.  Missions get accomplished.  “What now?,” we think.  Where do we go next?

This is where understanding purpose as different from mission is an important awareness.  If we have not taken the time to recognize, to own or name our purpose, it is entirely possible to miss the masterpiece of our life by busily living out someone else’s mission.  Or by hanging on to an earlier mission of our own that no longer serves us or the people we lead or our current world.  We get stuck.  We stop growing.  But we don’t know what else to do so we continue to wear that outdated jacket because hey, it’s the same thing everyone else wears and after all, it’s still “good.”

Let’s pause and distinguish who we are from what we do; our why from our what.  Let’s take the time to think about how we are uniquely designed and recognize that we can offer our gifts and honor our passions in different ways, for different missions, at different times in our life.

If we think about what matters to us, what we’re drawn to, how we spend our time, how we connect with people, the ways in which we approach tasks or challenges, and our personality characteristics that were evident from childhood, we gain insight into our unique calling.  I see my tendency to take ideas apart and connect them in new ways; to encourage others to do more than they think they can; to create and share beauty; to organize and manage; to read, write, and edit; and to be drawn toward visual splendor or ceremony, and to movement.  I also see my aversion to fixing things, to technology beyond the absolutely necessary, and to sitting still for very long (except on a beach).  If I lean into the characteristics that are natural for me, I am more likely to lead from my center, to live out my dharma, regardless of the situation or the task at hand.

Knowing our purpose is essential to authentically living our one and only life on this planet.  From there, we can be open to opportunities to redefine our mission; to take new risks and try new ways of sharing our gifts; to meet the needs of the “now.”  We can lift up others and move our world forward, while continuing to discover who we are and why we are here.  It is a journey of joy, if we play it right. (And donate that old jacket—it’s really not you anymore.)

Dr. Ramona Wis is the Mimi Rolland Endowed Professor in the Fine Arts, Professor of Music, and Director of Choral Activities at North Central College in Naperville, Illinois and the author of The Conductor as Leader:  Principles of Leadership Applied to Life on the Podium.  Dr. Wis is a 500-hour CYT (Certified Yoga Teacher) and a certified Brain Longevity® Specialist, a research-based certification on yoga and integrative medicine for brain health and healthy aging. Reach her at: or ramonawis.com.

Check out one of my favorite books of all time (you’ll read it more than once):

The Great Work of Your Life:  A Guide for the Journey to Your True Calling by Stephen Cope.  https://a.co/d/bvuMsYX