What is your purpose? Is that an easy question for you to answer? Having a purpose has a great impact on your life. It is like a foundation for the activities you put your time and energy in. It determines your long term and short term goals. And, obviously, it provides meaning to your life and cures boredom and dissatisfaction.
Successful business leaders know that to achieve incredible results, their company must have purpose. The same applies to realising great results in life. You need a purpose. But how do you find it? Here are 5 steps that will help you find purpose.
1. List Activities that Make You Happy
To start with, I have two important questions for you. Please read them and really think about the answers. Be honest and don’t judge your own opinion or think about what others would think about it. Get pen and paper and write down what comes to mind. Take your time.
- If you had all the money in the world, how would you spend your time?
- What does your perfect day look like? Describe it in detail.
The answers to these two questions are very important. Because they bring to light what you really like, what really makes you happy. Happiness leads to success, not the other way around. The more you live your life working towards a purpose, the happier you will be. And therefore, what makes you happy is a clue to what your purpose in life is.
Check what you penned down. See if you can get clarity on it. By reviewing the list, you may already be able to identify your purpose.
2. List Activities that Make You Excited to Get Up in the Morning
Here’s another list you can make. Think back to when you were a child. What brought you real joy as a kid? Which things made you totally forget about time? What were you working on that made you stay up late at night, only to wake up early and excited to continue? Write down as long of a list as you can. Then review it regularly. Again, do not judge yourself. Write down what you loved deep down before the world told you to grow up and get practical.
3. Purpose and A Perfect Life
Based on the answers you wrote down in step 1 and 2, you can think – or write – about the perfect life for you. With that in mind, do not think about any obstacles or impossibilities. If money was no limitation and everything was perfect, what would your life look like now? Ten years from now? Who would you spend it with? Where would you live? What would your impact be on society?
4. List Others in Your Purpose
True happiness does not come from being self-centered. Your life purpose needs to include meaningful contribution to those around you. So who do you want to help? How do you want to help them? Teaching? Giving them time? Giving them money? How can your unique strengths benefit others? To find your purpose, you must think about your strengths. What are you very good at relative to other people? Don’t worry if those are things that are less valuable in the eyes of others. After all, this is about your purpose. In short, what do you have to give to others?
5. Narrow Down Your Lists
Now if you followed steps 1 to 4 you already have a great list of information that revolves around your purpose in life. Next, review all the things you have written down. Try to distinguish the common thread. But do not rush this. Take time and allow yourself to think this over before you answer the question to yourself. When you find the answer, you will find your purpose in life.
Find Your Purpose in Life
No one else can decide for you what your purpose is and hand it to you as an assignment. But if you follow the steps above you are on your way to finding your purpose. And once you see it you will fill it in your bones. Knowing your purpose will energise you. It will help you determine which long-term and short term goals to set. It will help you decide what more you want to learn. And it will make you happy. No more boredom, no more feeling unsatisfied. Instead, you will feel lasting joy. So get your pen and paper and start working through these steps. Yes, it will take some time. But believe me, it is worth it!