7 Ways to Find Your Purpose

Finding your purpose has become an important, almost trendy, thing to do. The pressure is immense, to find your purpose, your reason why. Purpose has become a kind of holy grail, and many people feel like failures if they don’t know theirs or can’t articulate it, which is sad. Of course, it is really enriching to lead a life with purpose and know you are on the right track and. But how do you find this elusive purpose?  There are some great ways to explore this area, and here are seven ideas you can consider, starting now.

1.     Start with what you don’t like. This may sound strange, but we all have a sense of what we want to move away from, and this can give us energy and clarity. Just think of the last job or project you hated, or a commitment you made that you later regretted. You will be able to spot a pattern and hopefully learn something from it. Pay attention to any emotions that come up, especially the strong ones.

2.     Notice when you lose track of time. When we do things that are fulfilling, we can lose ourselves in the moment. I’ve been known to lose hours reading, writing and planning exciting adventures. Those things are all part of my purpose. What are the activities that get you so immersed you forget to eat or get dressed? Imagine if you could do more of what you love, what makes your heart sing… you can!

3.     Feel it in your body. Gut feel is real. If you have a gut feel about what you should or shouldn’t be doing with your career and your life, consider what that is telling you. When you think back to a project or job that you absolutely loved, can you recall the positive feelings? There’s probably a way for you to find that feeling again, by doing that kind of work again.

4.     Watch for dreams or goals that simply won’t go away. You know, those dreams you have had for several years, perhaps most of your life? They keep showing up on New Year’s resolution lists and bucket lists. You keep talking about them to friends. There could be a reason why you are being pulled towards these visions. It may just be habit (you put it on your list at some point or you feel you should achieve that goal) but it may be a sign that your purpose is speaking to you!

5.     Find a cause. Many people, when working on or towards something bigger than themselves, feel a strong sense of purpose. You don’t need to create your own project or start your own business or charity to add your bit to an important cause. You can join someone else’s project or organisation, be part of something and make a great contribution. Too many people think they have to create something big from scratch, and that is too daunting to even start, so they don’t do anything. 

6.     It’s OK not to know. After all of these tips, I’m actually saying that if you don’t know or can’t identify your purpose, it’s not the end of the world! As I said right at the start, there’s a kind of expectation that we should all have this grand purpose and have our hearts set on changing the world. Let’s take away that pressure, OK? You are already changing the world in many ways. Reflect on the people whose lives you touch, and the good work you do every day.

7.     Do something. If you have an idea about how you should be spending your time more purposefully, do at least one thing to take you closer to that vision. Scary? That’s fine. Do it anyway. Everything you do for the first time is, by definition, something you have never done before. When my first book was being written and published, I was so worried and fearful. It seemed like the biggest monster in the world was standing in front of me, just waiting for me to make a mistake. The truth is, the bigger the goal or purpose, the bigger the risk. However, the biggest risk of all is not getting to do what you were put on this earth to do, not becoming the person you are meant to be.