Loki on Disney Plus is a bit of a mind trip of a series.

I recently finished watching season 1. While I still think Wandavision is the superior series, I can see the appeal; Loki has a real Dr. Who-meets-Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy vibe that’s sure to attract its fair share of fans.

The takeaway that I got upon watching Loki (aside from the introduction of Kang the Conqueror and one of the next big arcs of Phase 4) is the emphasis on destiny and purpose.

Throughout Loki, the titular character decries that he is “burdened with glorious purpose”. For himself, that means that he will exact dominion and strip his followers of the burden of free will; he later discovers — among other things — that his destiny is to wreak havoc, fail at his lofty ambitions, and ultimately die at the hands of Thanos, the big bad of Phase 3 in the MCU.

But I’d like to take a deeper look at this whole “glorious purpose” idea as it pertains to individuals, particularly those in the creative space.

What Does it Mean to Be Burdened with Glorious Purpose?

Consider Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, a pyramid in psychology which illustrates a progression of increasingly complex human needs.

At the base/foundation of the pyramid, there are physiological needs, i.e. food, water shelter.

Next come the needs for safety, love and belonging, and esteem.

At the very top of the pyramid is the most complex need of all: self-actualization. Unlike with the previous need of self-esteem, where an individual gleans their satisfaction from the external validations received from others in form of respect and status, self-actualization is a truly internal phenomenon. It is the one need that has to be satisfied from within.

Why? Because self-actualization is the embodiment of our truest self. Essentially, it is what we were put on this planet to accomplish. It is, in essence, the realization of our glorious purpose.

What is Your Glorious Purpose?

My glorious purpose is to be a writer. I fully believe with all my heart and soul that I exist on Earth to form images and worlds in my head and then telegraph those same images and worlds into the heads of others. Since the technology for telepathy has not been perfected yet, becoming the author of a published novel seems like the logical next step.

Obviously, I can’t tell you what your purpose is; only you would know that.

But here’s a tip in case you’re stuck. Close your eyes and visualize doing something that makes you happy, independent of other people’s thoughts and opinions.

Now, I want you to imagine some higher entity is at work in the universe, and they’ve suddenly decided you can no longer do that thing. Either that thing is taken away entirely, or you suddenly have lost the faculties to do said thing.

How do you feel? Does your world feel smaller, feel empty? Does it make you question your very existence, does life after losing this thing just feel like a slog, a necessity of going through a motion of milestones until you inevitably reach your demise?

If so, then congratulations: you have identified your glorious purpose.

How to Achieve Your Glorious Purpose

Once you’ve found your glorious purpose, your next goal is to live it.

This is easier said than done.

Suppose your glorious purpose is to play violin in front of an audience, but you work a full-time job.

I’m not going to tell you to shirk your responsibilities, but I think it would benefit you to be intentional with your time.

There’s only 24 hours in the day; the majority of those hours are spent on work and sleep. The rest is likely spent on the daily hustle and bustle of life: kids, travel, food prep, working out, etc.

That just leaves a TINY sliver of time to yourself to do whatever you please.

My advice to you is to USE THAT TIME WISELY.

Unlike the TVA, we only have one life to live. Don’t waste it on the inconsequential.

Don’t sit in front of the TV and binge-watch Netflix.

Don’t go out drinking and acting a fool at the club.

Take that tiny sliver of time and use it to hone your skill.

Then, once you’ve gotten the discipline down pat, you’ve got to be consistent (there’s that C word again…). Only through a regular, consistent dedication of your time will you achieve your desired results.

Things that are worth having do not come easily. Every time you make the sacrifice, you are putting in the work. You are realizing your full potential. And you are shouldering your unique but worthwhile burden of glorious purpose.

Do you agree? Have you found your own glorious purpose? And what do you think they’re going to do for Loki season 2? And why did they have to name the girl Loki Sylvie (seriously, it was really weird seeing my name trending on Twitter these past few weeks -_-)? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!