The reason we give so much attention to the subject of ‘life purpose’ is the link that we see between living in accordance with ‘who we are’ and happiness.
Does the following apply to you :
– My life flows effortlessly and I have lots of fun
– I am full of energy and passion for what I do
– I love my work and feel fulfilled by it
– I have a clear vision of what I want and how to get there
– I am happy in my own skin and at peace with myself
– I know who I am
If you can tick all of the above stop reading for the chances are that you have found your life purpose and are living it !
Knowing and living by your life purpose is no ‘cure all’ but if you know who you are and live by it the quality of your life is significantly enhanced.
Now lets try another list. Do any of the following apply to you :
– I have a vague ( or distinct !) feeling of discontent and can’t put my finger on what is wrong
– I am successful in my career but I have no feeling of fulfillment
– I don’t want to get out of bed in the morning and/or hate going to work every day
– I feel like a robot who is just going thru the motions
– I am on a threadmill and don’t know how to get off it
– My life feels empty and pointless
– I feel I am contributing nothing of value
– I feel the need to make a difference but don’t know how to go about it
Some of these are extreme statements to illustrate a point but if you have some of these feelings it may be a signal to review what you do for a living. Life purpose is not necessarily about achieving material goals but if achievements are not aligned with your life purpose they can leave you feeling empty and unfulfilled. The search for your life purpose is about reflecting deeply on who you are and then having the courage to follow that path.
The search is always work in progress and you will refine and deepen your understanding over the course of a lifetime. However, having a sense of who you are at your core will drive your understanding of your life purpose and provide a context for setting life goals.
Only you can answer your life purpose question but the following are some useful pointers ( last list !) which can help you in your search :
– what do you get passionate about?
– what are your natural talents and abilities?
– what do others say you are good at ?
– what are your interests, sports and pastimes?
– what connects you to other people?
– what kind of material do you like to read?
– how do you like to spend your spare time/holidays ?
– is there something that you always wanted to do but have never got around to it ?
Finally, fast forward in your mind to the end of your life and ask yourself, what you would like to have achieved, for what you would like to be remembered.
Good luck with the search.
