Identifying your Life’s Purpose
Do you feel unmotivated, unsure of yourself, aimless, directionless, and unclear of what you want out of life? If so, you are not alone; there are millions in the same position.
If you are asking the question of your life’s purpose, it is because you are looking to lead a more meaningful life. A life that makes you want to jump out of bed, excited to face the day’s activities.
Defining your life’s purpose is similar to solving a mystery, one clue at a time. Through introspection, you will decipher the clues and put all of the pieces together until wah lah a light bulb goes off and you identify your passion.
Your purpose encompasses your passion, your life’s mission, your reason for being. Identifying your purpose takes time and commitment. A self-evaluation of your innate talents, abilities, and desires are required to get a sense of direction and to define your passion.
Before you embark on the journey to the rest of your life, you should develop a forward-looking perspective by developing an action plan around your innate strengths and abilities, and in the process, you will discover your true passion and purpose in life.
Where do you want to be in the next five, ten, twenty years? Your expectations will determine the direction that you will go, and it will help you define your life’s purpose.
No matter what you aspire for yourself, your family, or your career; your plan will put you in the driver’s seat and allow you to take control of your future. Having clear direction regarding your aspirations will minimize your chances of ending up haphazardly moving along a path that does not bring the reward, satisfaction, and achievement that you anticipated. Planning will enable you to identify the necessary steps to achieve your goals and help you stay on track and develop strategies that will increase your chances of success.
Some things to consider when developing your plan:
- Recognize that digging your purpose out of your subconscious is going to require time, work, patience, and practice as it may not be obvious to you.
- Recognizing your strengths and weaknesses is vital to creating a better tomorrow. You must be honest with yourself, where you currently stand, and where you want to go and bring to bear the resources needed to make the changes required for a better future.
- Identify what gives you joy in life. What activity or initiative would you do even if you were not paid?
- Which activity or skill set comes naturally to you and seems to come from somewhere deep inside yourself? We all have a range of natural abilities, some things that come easy to us. These may be things that we do because we are good at them or because other people value them and pay us a salary. This talent is uniquely yours because even though others may have the same ability; no one performs it exactly like you. Your unique combination of personal traits and life experiences make your style unique to you.
- Soliciting feedback from your friends and family may help you validate those strengths and ultimately, your passions in life. However, you must gauge the feedback with your intuiton and inner guidance. Does the feedback resonate with you? If not, take what does resonate and leave the rest.
- Be flexible and fearless. Your purpose may require a major life change, and you may have to take risks which may result in failure, but these failures are simply the experience you need for your personal development. Have no fear of moving out of your comfort zone into unknown territory. Do not let the fear of failure keep you from achieving your goals. To achieve your greatest aspirations, you will have to exhibit the courage to take risks and explore new territory, which may mean facing difficult situations.
- Beware of the ego. The ego is shallow and fear-based, and its primary focus is all about “me.” With this ego-based focus, you are bound to make your worst fears come true.
- Reflect on your life. Is there something that you have thought or voiced that you want to do? Is there something that everyone points out to you that you do very well and would make an ideal profession for you? For me, it was writing. For years I’ve said I was going to write a book. I did not know what kind of book. I just knew that writing was something I was destined to do. Is there something that has always fascinated you?
As your life’s purpose is unfolding, you may find yourself drifting away from the people you use to identify with, at times, even your family. Do not despair; it’s just part of the process.
Have faith in the messages your intuition is sending you. Trusting the messages you receive is essential. At first, the messages will not be as clear or easy to decipher. But as you continue to exercise the intuition muscle, it will get stronger. Be patient with yourself as this is not going to happen overnight.
At times, realizing your goals may seem daunting, overwhelming, and elusive. It may be difficult to remain optimistic when you see no evidence of your dreams coming to fruition. However, you must continue to believe in yourself, regardless of negative circumstances and input from those around you.
Your dreams may require time, energy, or other action on your part before they materialize. Stay positive, be optimistic, and keep plugging away at your important goals. Chances are you are doing much better than you think and success is most likely just around the corner.
Not many of us have the luxury of doing what we love for a living. Many people only get to do this once they have retired or are independently wealthy and do not have to work for a living. However, that does not have to stop us from trying to identify what we love to do, what may put us in a good mood, what we get complimented for. What makes our hearts sing with joy.
The key to living a full life is to recognize and make the most of your strengths. Take the time to figure out what you are good at, what comes naturally to you, the skills you have mastered, and a rewarding life will follow.
You may not know what you are looking for, but you will recognize your passion and purpose when you discover it.
At first, there will be nothing but a shimmering glow of a dream. The glow waxes and wanes as your doubts and fears will keep it from surfacing from its hiding place somewhere deep inside your mind. As you start believing in your dream, the simmering glow starts to shine brighter. Your believing makes you feel empowered to make that dream a reality.
“Imagination is everything; it is the preview of life’s coming attractions.”
–- Albert Einstein
