Masterful Mindsets ~ Discover Your Purpose
“Your purpose in life is to find your purpose and give your whole heart and soul to it.” ~ Gautama Buddha
Question:
Are you living your life’s purpose? Or are you living someone else’s expectation of who you should be? Do you even know what your life’s purpose is? Do you know it but are too afraid you will fail or not make money doing it?
Action Challenge:
I recently attended an event in L.A. and while I was there, I engaged with several people who after many years of working in jobs they hated, had taken the leap of faith to pursue their life’s purpose and passion. They were scared but excited and determined. And in a world where so many people are just going through the motions, unhappy and stuck… that was a breath of fresh air! I was excited for them. And it was a reminder to me of how thankful I am that I get to live out my life’s purpose every day in my work and in my life.
Anyway, as I talked with them it made me wonder, does everyone know their purpose? Do some people just choose to ignore it because of external expectations or pressures? Or do some people walk blindly through life, not really knowing or allowing themselves to take the time to discover their purpose? Maybe they are afraid that even if they knew it, they couldn’t do it or wouldn’t make money doing it. Or maybe they just aren’t sure how to uncover it.
If you are someone that falls in to any of the “blind” categories above, then…
My challenge for you is to ask yourself the questions below so you can begin to discover your purpose. And don’t worry, if you aren’t sure you can make your purpose your life’s work, that’s okay for now. I’ll be telling you later how you can do that. For now, just allow yourself to be open to discovering…
- What do you love to do? Your purpose is directly related to what you love. Writing, drawing, sports, singing, acting, helping others, science discovery, tinkering with your hands, fixing things, making things, solving problems, gardening, talking, exercising, etc. Whatever you love, I mean really love, is directly related to your purpose.
- What do you do in your free time? Or what would you like to do if you had more free time? This may contain similar answers to those above but they may also be different. Example: I love to learn about personal growth. In my free time I often take a course or read about ways to live a better life and that is directly related to my purpose because I love teaching about personal growth and teaching people how to create a better life for themselves.
- What catches your attention most often? For example, someone who has a passion for clothing design might notice what people are wearing all the time. (Whether it’s good or bad, they notice.) A mechanic with a passion for cars might be able to hear a clink in a motor running three cars down in a crowded parking lot. For me, I love to “people watch”. I notice people’s behaviors and pick up on their energy and emotions – both positive and negative. I’ve become very attuned to noticing the dynamics of people’s interactions and how they present themselves. Which all relate directly to my purpose.
- What do you love to immerse yourself in and learn about? Back to my earlier comment about reading personal growth books, my family often teases me about the fact that I rarely read fiction. It’s almost always non-fiction and it’s almost always from the personal growth or psychology genre.
- What sparks your creativity? I used to think that I was not a creative person. Then I learned that my writing is actually a form of creativity. As a matter of fact, it is my greatest form of creativity. What is your spark? Writing, painting, building, dancing, cooking, etc..
- What do people compliment you on? In other words, what are you naturally good at? When I started my business, I thought that I didn’t have much to offer because what I knew was “easy common sense”. What I learned was that it was easy to me because I was good at it. And my purpose is to share that gift with others. What comes easy to you? What do people tell you you’re good at?
- What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail? Often the only thing holding you back from discovering and living your purpose, is your fear of failure. So let go of the fear of failure and just imagine… what would you be doing?
Once you’ve answered these questions. Look for themes or patterns. One answer alone won’t tell the whole story but all the answers together will begin to reveal pieces to the puzzle of discovering your purpose. When you put them all together, the vision will start to become clear. Spend some time this week sitting with the purpose you discover, pay attention to how it makes you feel and let the idea of it sink in.
Then stay tuned! More to come on how you can make your life’s purpose your life’s work…
Don’t want to wait? Then kick start your future into high gear now! Sign up for a KickStart Coaching Session and let’s get you living your life’s purpose today!
***I want to hear from you… Share your comments below.