Determining our purpose in life is; can be one of the hard questions we as humans try to answer. In this article, we will be going through a step-by-step process, exploring your feelings and options, and by the end, you should have a fairly-solid tool you can immediately employ in your life to help give it a meaningful direction!
There are three steps to the process of discovering the purpose of your life:
- Understanding the principle of choice
- Creating your underlying principle
- Aligning your life with this underlying principle
Understanding The Principle of Choice
Norman Vincent Peale has this to say about the power of choice. “The greatest power we have is the power of choice. It is a fact that if you have been groping under unhappiness, you can choose to be joyous instead. And, by effort, lift yourself into joy. If you tend to be fearful, you can overcome that misery by choosing courage. The whole trend and the quality of anyone’s life are as a result of the consistent choices made”.
Choosing is the most significant activity of your mind. By making a choice, you are; revealing your desires to your subconscious mind. Once the subconscious mind knows your desires, it does anything to manifest them in your life. The choices you make in your life become your goal. And if you are sincere in pursuing them, there is no reason you should not accomplish them.
On the flipside, indecision not only creates frustration and anxiety but can also confuse the subconscious mind about what you want. But the choices you make must be made by you, per your true desires, purposes and aptitude. Many of us let others make choices for us or make our choices according to what we think is ‘correct’, even if that means that we go against our wishes. What is right; for someone else may not be right for you, and the way to know this is by listening to what your heart says.
To begin with, make a list of things that interest you, that you have always enjoyed, which make you feel better, which inspire you to surge ahead, which fill you with energy and enthusiasm no matter what obstacles you face. What do you like doing? Something creative or artistic, the outdoors? Do you like the beaches? Do you enjoy helping others? Do you get pleasure making a difference in other people’s lives?
Whatever it is that interests you, write it down and answer these questions:
- What thing do I love to do?
- What is it that I love in this thing and why? What is my motivation behind this desire?
- How could I do this to earn money and make a living out of it?
Creating Your Underlying Principle
The next step is to examine the list you just made and find out if there is any recurring theme/pattern. Maybe, it is the contribution that keeps coming up. Or to seek or give love, or help your parents cope with old age. Whatever it is. Try to identify the central theme of the things you love to do, and try to put it in a short and precise statement. And this will be your ‘Mission Statement’. It may even be a quote by a famous person or a philosophy that has influenced you. Of course, as you get clarity, this statement could evolve, but its soul will remain the same. Now, write down your Mission Statement.
Aligning Your LIFE With Your Underlying Principle
The final step in this journey is to map your path to your ultimate purpose. Immediately begin implementing changes that help to align your daily life with your underlying principle. By making these small changes in your lifestyle, you start living this principle out each day. It might take a few days, but by becoming aware and intentional of this underlying principle of your life, you will start to feel the difference in your enthusiasm for life as a whole. If you realize that you love being amidst nature, plan out your holiday/hike. Maybe an outing with your children could be enough to recoup your energy. If you discover that you enjoy helping those in need, start to look for opportunities to volunteer in your community. On the other hand, you might even want to change your job or begin a new business that is more in line with your mission.
So, there you have it! By following along with the steps outlined above, you will be on your way to finding and living out your purpose. And, as you go through this process, remember, “You were put on this earth to achieve your greatest self, to live out your purpose, and to do it courageously.” – Steve Maraboli.
