There comes a time in each person's life when they need to sit down with themselves and ask some serious questions. What do I want to do with my life? What legacy do I want to leave behind? What is it that gives my life meaning? What's my purpose?
For some people, the answers are clear-cut. They know very early on in life where they want to go and what they need to do to get there. These are the lucky few. For most people, however, the answers are not that simple.
You have a vague goal or dream but how can you be certain that it's the right one? How can you be sure that it’s your true calling in life? What if your passion doesn’t conform to the so-called 'expected norm'? What if you just don’t know what your purpose is or how to find meaning in your life?
Here are five simple ways to dispel your doubts and confusion. They'll help you navigate through your uncertainties and gain the clarity and understanding to find your purpose.
1. Ask Relevant Questions
Your first guideline is to find your orientation. Reflect on the following questions to identify the area of your purpose:
What are your unique skills, talents, and special strengths?
What ignites your passion and gets you fired up and feeling alive?
Who are the people that inspire you and why?
How are you adding value to other people's lives?
What qualities do others compliment you on?
The likelihood is that you'll find a common thread running through your answers.
For example, your passion for art, your own creativity, your admiration for artistic people, and so on. Your purpose, therefore, could be a career in graphic design or some other area where you can unleash your creativity and showcase your talents.
2. Let Your Heart Guide You
Intuition is an important inner compass that can give you amazing clarity and insight but oftentimes, we just don’t listen to it.
Assess where you are right now and if you're truly satisfied with all areas of your life. What is your heart telling you? Perhaps it's telling you that you need to end a destructive relationship.
Maybe it’s time to admit that your current career is going nowhere and that you feel stifled in it. Maybe it's time to change careers. Perhaps your overspending is getting out of hand and you have nothing put aside for an emergency.
Your intuition will be brutally honest with you, whereas you may tend to deny negative things in your life. So listen to your heart and take action where you need to. Addressing these things brings you the clarity to work towards a better future.
3. Identify and Set Goals
Your life goal is your big dream, where you ultimately want to end up. Financial security, comfortable early retirement, owning your own business, or becoming CEO of your organization are all examples of life goals.
To achieve your big goal and maintain your purpose, it's essential to propel yourself forward with a series of smaller goals. These can be weekly, monthly, yearly, or even daily goals.
These goals are not set in stone and of course, can be altered or tweaked as situations change. But they are important stepping stones along your journey that illuminate your path and help you assess your progress.
Achieving a milestone also strengthens your purpose and motivation.
4. Find More Than One Passion
Our biggest passion may or may not be related to our career or life goal, However, we all have more than one passion that can bring amazing fulfillment and purpose.
Identify your own passions and engage in them as often as possible. These can be hobbies, special interests, or advocating for causes you believe in.
Practicing your passions brings you personal fulfillment and fills your life with meaning and purpose.
5. Explore Outside of Your Comfort Zone
Try new things, and explore new horizons! Don't be content to stay within your comfort zone or feel pressured to conform. People with purpose are always on the lookout for new opportunities for self-advancement and growth and are not afraid to explore things that are totally out of their comfort zone.
Even trying something once is a learning experience and brings you a sense of achievement and purpose.
6. Connect With Passionate, Purposeful People
Stay purposeful by hanging out with passionate, purposeful people who will inspire you to stay motivated. Join an online community or hang out with people in your circle who know what they want and are driven to achieve their goals.
It's a scientific fact that the people we interact with often influence our outlook and behavior so this is a great way to bring purpose into your life.
Naturally, you should avoid hanging out with people who are foggy, aimless, and content to wander through life without purpose.
No matter where you are in life, it's never too late to find your purpose and achieve your best possible life.
Some people take years to discover what brings meaning to their lives. They jump from one career to the next, changing gears midway and going off on various tangents.
Hopefully, these 6 steps will save you a lot of time and effort by quickly bringing clarity into your life and helping you quickly identify where your happiness and fulfillment lie. It's much simpler than you thought, isn't it?
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