Purpose-the reason for which something is done or created. For which something exists.
When I first heard about the concept of finding your purpose in life—I was perplexed. While I am a dreamer and creative at heart, I am equally an advocate for logic and reason. I sometimes lose patience with what I call “up in the clouds” thinking. So when faced with statements like “find out why you are here“, part of me was left wondering how this is done and if it’s even a real thing.
Fast forward to today, and I can not be more certain of this fact: finding your purpose in life is the most important self-work you can possibly do. I see now, that without this deep self-discovery, you will move through life with no clear direction and waste a lot of time.
A fulfilled life has a clearly identified purpose.
The amazing gift of a life that is driven by purpose is hard to explain, and this is why at first we may not see the value in doing this work. Through my quest to find my purpose, I found that it does not have to be this abstract, intangible concept. It is something you can find through real, measurable criteria, but it will require you to be present and aware of your thoughts and feelings.
I am incredibly passionate about this subject, and I want to give you some of my personal tips on how to find your purpose with measurable criteria. Even further, I want to show you why you should do this, and what it will do for your life!
How Will Finding Your Purpose Improve Your Life?
I can promise you that if you do this work, you will find an unbelievable amount of direction and clarity that simply can not be achieved otherwise. The invaluable asset that is your purpose, is something you should take great interest in because life is so much more than business and money. Finding your purpose will reveal that to you. Here’s how.
Provide Clarity
Finding your purpose gives you unbelievable clarity. All of a sudden, everything in your life will make sense. When I discovered that my purpose, is to uplift women business owners so that they may become a fulfilled entrepreneurs, women with balance and happiness; everything else fit. I then added my expertise in visual marketing to help drive that point forward. I then had no reason to worry about measuring my success, which leads me to the next point.
Boost Confidence
Once you have direction, there will be no reason to doubt yourself. Your purpose is bigger than you, you almost have no right to step in front of it. There are people out there that need what you have! Gone are the days where you worry about “competition”. What you have is special, your voice speaks to specific people, and you can carve out your own little window of success and fulfillment.
It isn’t about competition, it’s about purpose.
It’s about reaching out to others, uplifting and being of service.
Guide You To Fulfillment
Lastly, finding your purpose will lead you to your ultimate fulfillment. You can only achieve fulfillment after your life reflects what you believe it should. You won’t be able to do that until you get clear on your why, your purpose is your why.
4 Criteria That A Clearly Identified Purpose Will Have
You Will Feel Connected To It
We are all inherently pulled towards certain things. It is more than just interest, it is something deeper and more fulfilling. When you participate in this activity, you feel a sense of calmness and comfortability that you feel with nothing else. You may even feel a twinge of jealousy when you see others doing exceptionally well in that field. While I would never want to encourage jealousy because it is usually thought of as a negative emotion, I recently got a new perspective on it while listening to audio files from a life coach, Emily Williams.
On this topic, she said, “Feeling jealousy towards someone, just means that your heart is telling you that you should be doing that with your own life”. When I heard that, a light bulb went off! Jealously is just a reflection of what you really want out of life. Of course, we have to be careful about where the jealousy is coming from and how we use it. You have found something that needs to be shared when you feel a deep connection to an activity.
It Will Be A Recurring Theme In Your Life
When something continues to show up in your life I believe that is an indication it may be connected to your purpose. For example, I have let certain projects fall on the back burner, only to have opportunities come into my life that push me back in that very direction. If this happens to you, pay attention to that!
It can show up in many ways, from a person asking you, “Hey whatever happened to that project?” to more subtle ways, like hearing a certain song on the radio, or opening a magazine to see someone else executing an idea you thought of (this has happened to me A LOT).
It Will Make Sense
One thing I have noticed, are people that jump from business to business and they have literally nothing to do with each other. I’m sure you’ve seen that too. There is a multitude of reasons why you shouldn’t do this from a business perspective. As we become adults and more established, everything we do should make sense to the totality of who we are.
If your purpose is to empower women for example, maybe you will write a book? Start a Youtube Channel? Speak publicly? The beauty of finding your purpose is that it transcends the medium you choose to deliver the message. You can do anything, as long as it makes sense to your overall mission in life. It’s also a great way to build your brand.
It Will Be Of Service To Others
No purpose can exist without a foundation of service.
Almost all of the great entrepreneurs, the ones making their mark on the world, figured out 4 key things. One, What they are good at. Two, What they are passionate about. Three, How to monetize 1 and 2 and Four, How to use 1 and 2 to help those around them. Being of service to others is paramount to being fulfilled in your life. No one has “made it” without the help of others, and so it is our responsibility to pay it forward.
If you’ve found something that is of service to others, makes sense in your life story, is a recurring theme in your life and you are connected to it you’ve found something special. You have found your purpose!
In Closing
Finding your purpose is one of the most important things you can do. It will lead you to the life you always dreamed of. We just have to be brave enough to follow it, no matter where it may take us.
I would love to hear your comments and feedback about this. Do you think finding your purpose is important? Have you identified yours? If so, what has it done for your life? Are you still working to find it? What is holding you back? Let me know in the comments below!
