Ideas for Discovering Your Life’s Purpose
Last week in my Friday blog I talked about discovering your life purpose. If you can find your purpose, it will fuel your passion. Now I am sure we all can relate to life being less than satisfying if you can barely drag yourself out of bed to drive to a job you don’t enjoy.
Unfortunately, so many of us make the mistake to take the well-paying job that doesn’t match with your intention, and you fool yourself into believing that it doesn’t seem that bad (at first). The years pass, and you may receive a promotion or two. You buy a house, have kids, and it seems that you’ll be stuck in that job forever.
On the other hand, if you live your life’s purpose and get a job that ignites your passion, you will be able to have a life filled with excitement and happiness.
It’s possible to find your life’s purpose and earn a living from it, even if you’re past the age of 30. I certainly did. There’s still time!
Try these techniques to find your life’s purpose:
- Write it down. This method has been shown to be very effective. Take out a notebook and a pen. Write “My Life’s Purpose” at the top of the page and start writing whatever pops into your mind.
- If you think, “This is a dumb idea,” write it down. There will be a lot of mental garbage until you get to the good stuff. Just keep writing until you’re done.
- How will you know you’ve found it? You’ll mostly likely cry or have an aha! moment. When a simple idea can make you cry, you’ve stumbled on something meaningful.
- How would you spend the last year of your life? You probably wouldn’t watch Netflix or sit around and pout. You’d live!
- What would you do? It would be a mix of fun and meaningful activities. What are the meaningful activities that you’d do during your last year alive?
- Volunteer. But don’t just go out and randomly volunteer down the street. Look at all the volunteer opportunities in your area and choose the one that appeals to you the most. Contributing to others gives you a mental break from your own problems. Your life’s purpose might reveal itself to you.
- If you were given the mission of saving the world, how would you do it? What world problem is most meaningful to you? How could you contribute to solving it? Start small, but get started. You might find a lot of meaning in doing something that benefits everyone.
- Ask yourself. Find a nice, quiet spot, preferably outdoors. Ask yourself, “What is my life’s purpose?” Listen to the answer you receive. Continue asking until you get an answer that resonates with you.
- What are you willing to do without getting paid? How do you spend your free time? Do you love to restore cars or play the piano? Imagine if you could earn a living from something you’d do for free!
Get out of the rut your life has become. Make today be the day you determined the course of the remainder of your life. It’s possible to live your live with passion and excited expectation. Do the work required to find your purpose. You’ll be glad you did.
