I recently attended a coffee meet-up on confidence and we started chatting about finding your purpose. One of the business owners mentioned that it was difficult for her to find out what her purpose is, so I thought I would share my thoughts on this.
It is actually quite easy to find out what your purpose is. You just need to put aside some time…and reflect.
Here are 3 tips:
1. Identify the patterns in your life.
Take a look around you. What are the things, topics, people you are drawn to? For example when you talk with your friends, what topic of conversation excites you? Is it the plight of animals, the beauty of nature, the workings of human behaviour, politics, or the things that you have learned or read? This will give you an idea of what you are naturally drawn to.
2. Write it down or draw pictures
Writing something down is like a stamp, it makes your thoughts more concrete and engages your senses.
3. Now attach your values
Let’s say that you love travelling. You talk about it regularly, you watch travel channels on TV, youtube destinations, comment on facebook with friends who are on holiday etc. Every financial chance you get, you make a plan to travel.
Ask yourself: “Why do I like travelling?”
Possible answer: “I love meeting new people, finding out about different cultures”
Ask: “Why do I like meeting new people and different cultures?”
Answer: “Different people and cultures are interesting. It opens me up to learn new things”
Value: It is important to have a broader perspective and to learn
Where else does this value come up? Your purpose could thus be to help others develop a broader perspective on life and help them learn.
For more information on this topic, see Don Pontrefact and his take on purpose.