Purpose-Made Creatures

By Aja Uranga-Foster, Certified Holistic Lifestyle Coach

As friends of mine know, my fiance and I are "parents" to a chameleon named Mingus Panqueques, a.k.a. "Mingi". A chameleon is not to be confused with an iguana, which many who meet him often do. Mingi is a veiled chameleon, bred and born in a sanctuary in Los Angeles. His species is from the middle east region of the world, and he is naturally suited to warm, humid weather. As chameleons are known for, his body color and shape changes with his mood-- he is literally like a living, shape-shifting mood ring. He is a reptile, sheds his skin, and eats various bugs and the occasional plant. He is smart, responsive, and adaptable. And he is adorable in his own little reptilian way.

While I do love to brag about my "baby," that is not why I am writing this blog post. I am writing it to introduce you to him so that he can be a vehicle for learning. Just from hanging around Mingus for a few minutes, everyone who meets him says the same things: "He is so cool!"  "Look at how he climbs...how his eyes move around... how he shoots his tongue out to eat!" 

To me, all these comments point to how amazingly adapted he is to his purpose. His purpose of climbing in trees, of looking all around for bugs to eat (and look out for predators), and of grabbing these bugs quickly from far away. He is a marvel of specialization with his fused toes, his sling-shot tongue, and his bubble-eyes that swivel independently. Even his brain is specially adapted to have two independent parts, one part can sleep while the other processes information and looks out for predators. Amazing!

Check out these photos of him, and then please view more of the article below.

 Mingus on the windowsill. He expands his body into 
a pancake shape to absorb the sun's rays.

Mingus at my desk

Mingus in his "playtime" tree

Mingus (and all chameleons) looks and acts so differently than us humans, and even differently from other animals many people ever encounter. 

Another thing people always say about him is, "He looks like a little alien!" This alien nature is a gift because it makes us stop for a moment, stare at him, and realize how special and amazing living beings are. 

Every one of us are specialized and made for a specific purpose. His is climbing trees and eating quick-moving bugs. 

Question: What is your specialized purpose?

Mingus can't talk-- he has no voicebox. He occasionally makes small hissing sounds to get our attention or express his distaste about having to go back in his terrarium after playtime. But other than his small and occasional hisses, all we can do is watch how he communicates through movements. Watching how purposefully he climbs his branches, how perfectly he aims and fires his elastic tongue at bugs, how he looks at us with his swivel eyes. The gift he gives us is a visual representation of his purpose.

Us humans do not always seem to be as purpose-made as Mingus is. Yes, we do see athletes who are clearly born with natural physical and mental traits that drive them to excel in the purpose of their sport. 

And there are people with certain other obvious skills equipping them for their purpose. Some examples are people with wonderful social skills (such as public relations managers, special event managers), imitation skills (such as comedians, actors), coordination and decisiveness (such as surgeons, construction workers), or compassion and multi-tasking (parents, crisis outreach workers). 

Question: What are your specialized skills?

Ponder these two questions above for yourself: 1) What is your specialized purpose, 2) What are your specialized skills? 

Do the answers come easily? For many people, no. Many people have multiple purposes throughout their life, which can sometimes make things even more confusing. 

But guess what-- just because a person may not be as obviously purpose-made as a creature like Mingus, doesn't mean they are purpose-less. We are all here to fulfill a specific niche. The bug-eating tree-climbing reptile niche is occupied by our friend pictured above. But there are a LOT of other niches looking for the special creatures to fill them. 

Start finding your niche. Try this exercise:

1) List 12 things you have special knowledge and/or training about.

2) Talk to trusted friends, co-workers, or your lifestyle coach about things you are good at. Let them list 12 things, then compare together with your list. Look for overlaps.

3) Research opportunities, network with people you know in your newly-identified niche, practice visualization techniques, and focus on affirmation exercises.

4) If you need help, contact Mighty for a free consultation! (916) 800-3866, info@MightyMindBody.com