What is your Purpose?

Live your Life on Purpose

What is your purpose? Now you might think that this might be a question just for someone who is transitioning out of college into a career. I have found that this is something that we need to revisit throughout our lives. Especially as we transition from one stage of life to another.

Sometimes we get lost in the roles that we play in our lives and we need to rediscover what our purpose for this phase of life should be. Getting lost in our roles means that sometimes we identify our purpose or identity with the roles that we play. Such as I am a daughter, I am a son, I am a wife, a husband,I am a mother, I’m a father, I’m a coworker, a manager, a sister or brother. Or it could be something to do with the organizations that you are a part of or even my calling that I fulfill at church. Sometimes these roles that we play actually overtake our identity and our purpose. In turn, we get stuck in the roles that we play. Then when those roles transition, we find ourselves lost and don’t quite know what to do.

But if you can find your purpose, it will help you to have a guiding star that helps you in all of the aspects of your life. Finding your purpose means that you find a way to impact the world in a way that fulfills and satisfies you. Ensure that your purpose aligns with your dreams, your values and your actions.

Process of Discovery

Discovering your personal virtues helps you find a more happy and fulfilled life. Finding your purpose also needs to align with those virtues and values that you have identified. Finding your purpose actually gives meaning to your experience here on earth.

I love the quote from mark Twain that says “the two most important days in your life are the day that you are born and the day you find out why.”

And I would add to that: discovering your why over and over again. So how do we actually find our purpose in life or even in this stage of our life? How do you go about learning what that is? Our core values is sometimes a little bit hard for us because they’re so deeply ingrained in who we are and what we do every day that we don’t give much thought or examination of those things. Your purpose is the same way. Sometimes it’s a little bit hard to uncover or discover because it’s so deeply ingrained in what you do and the part of you that you really do have to just look inside to find that.

Here are some practical strategies on how to find your purpose.

Understand you Have a Higher Purpose

The very first step is to trust that you really do have a higher purpose, just because you haven’t discovered it yet doesn’t mean that you won’t. So don’t beat yourself up about it. Be open to the idea that maybe you haven’t figured this out yet and that’s okay. Next you need to really channel your inner soul so you can really discover what your guiding purpose will be. Tap into your north star inside of you.

What do you like to do, what are some of your passions? I highly recommend journaling or meditating on these questions. Talk to someone that you trust and get it out of your head and into your heart really discover it. What does your heart tell you? That’s where you will be guided to your answer.

Explore your Interests

Another practical way is to explore your interests. If you have a hard time identifying these, I really encourage you to look back to what were some of the things that you enjoyed as a child. I think our childhood is a window into our soul before the world told us that we shouldn’t be any of those things. By discovering, what you enjoyed as a child and rekindling some of those same interests, it will help you in your purpose discovery process.

Look back to some activities, some things that you liked to do as a child and explore those interests and how that, how you can pursue those as an adult, maybe it was art. Maybe it was something athletic, maybe it was reading or writing. Maybe it was discovering new things or trying new things. Look back and explore those interests and see if that gives you any hint or insight to what your purpose may be.

Try Something New

The next step is to try something new. I think as adults we get in these patterns of this is who I am, and this is who I will always be – that simply is not true. We are dynamic beings, we evolve and we change. That is the whole purpose of life, we are here to learn and to grow. So trying something new is awesome.

I took this challenge a few years ago. I had never played a musical instrument and I decided I was going to play the ukulele. It has brought in so much joy into my life. And then it has evolved into something that I not only do for myself, but have been able to share it with others. I would have never dreamed that that’s what it would have turned into, but it has brought so much joy into my life.

Start Taking Action

Make sure that you are taking action. Once you begin to really hone in on your passions, virtues, goals, work to align them with your actions. Then commit to honoring those as best as you can every day.

And how can you take action right now on one of those things, either exploring your interests or trying something new, listening to your inner soul. And then just start taking action.

Your purpose is the Key to a Purposeful Life

When you are inspired and connected to what brings you joy, then you find the motivation to create an experience, experience, even more of what lights you up. So I want you to just take action.

The Equation

Here is the equation to help you find your purpose. Once you’ve done all these exercises and distilled it down.

Your talent + helping people = your purpose.

That’s what it’s all about! You will be successful – because success is really about living your life on purpose. No one else can tell you what that purpose is or what you should be doing. You shouldn’t be living your life on someone else’s definition of success or on their terms. You should be living life on purpose.By exploring your interests, trying something new, listening to your inner soul and taking action that you can discover your purpose and live a more fulfilled life!