How Do I Know What My Purpose Is?
There's always gonna be a part of me that thinks that it's everyone else that has got their shit together and only me who is running around like a headless chicken doing things and hoping for the best.... Can you relate???
The bigger part of me though knows this is stupid and I've had this conversation enough times with people to know I'm not alone.... The truth is we're all just as fucked up as each other.... And that's ok.... It kinda brings me a little comfort knowing.
From an early age we're told that we're supposed to know what we want to do in life by the time we leave school.... That's messed up and I'll speak for myself when I say this: regardless of what I thought I knew at that age I knew nothing..... It took me 30 years to get my shit together and discover what I wanted to do.... What my purpose was.
What do I mean by purpose?
Well..... I believe we are all here for a reason..... We are all given different skills and abilities and it's about realising them and focusing on becoming the best version of you.
Why, what's the point?
Well.... I think surrounding ourselves with the things that bring us joy both professionally, personally and spiritually is to live a life of happiness and reward.... and who doesn't want that?
Why would we want to spend our lives doing shit that makes us miserable when we can focus on surrounding our life with everything we enjoy and get reward from..... It's a no brainer for me... What do you think?
And it doesn't stop there.... Research actually shows that finding your purpose is linked to living longer. Researchers surveyed nearly 7,000 older adults on the relationship between mortality and purpose and found that participants who did not have a strong sense of meaning in their lives were more than twice as likely to die prematurely.
So..... If you've got this far and want to know a little more here's a few things to think about.
(1) Talk To Yourself To Find Your Purpose
Think of purpose in the same way we think of happiness.... What makes you happy? What makes you tick?..... Be honest with yourself.... Finding your purpose starts with a journey of self-discovery.
When have I been happiest in your life?
What has made me truly proud of myself?
What qualities do I most admire in other people?
What makes me feel really alive and energized?
If I had one week to live, how would I spend that week?
If I could change one thing about the world, what would it be?
What one change could make my life happier?
(2) Embrace Your Uniqueness
We all have different strengths, talents, gifts and abilities.... It's about learning what you have
and what you have to offer. I believe we're all gifted in different areas and at different levels of ability.... Some things we're good at and some things we're not so good at and that's OK.
Focusing on the "can do's" instead of the "can not's" will not only point you in the right direction but boost your confidence and self esteem.... It did in my life.
I used my journey and what I had learnt from struggling with mental health as a catalyst in helping others.... I used what I had to turn lemons into lemonade and without those experiences I wouldn't be doing what I do now.
(3) Explore
Why not explore what's out there?... start talking to people with similar interests. Are there any groups or organisations that you could join?
You never know you might just find people like you... People to help you, guide you and support you along the way.... Go and get stuck in.... What's the worst that could happen?
(4) Be Patient
Finding your purpose is a journey and not a quick one at that. None of us can get from 0 to 100 in a week so learn to enjoy the ride and live in the present.
It took me 8 years to achieve my purpose and looking back that's a long ass time.... I learnt to enjoy the ride though simply knowing I was heading in the direction.
From my own personal experience finding my purpose was nothing short of life changing..... It's brought me more happiness than anything else I have ever done.
It's given me a career doing something I love and am good at, and in doing so it's helped me find peace with my past and create an identity I can be proud of.
Peace & Love x
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