How to Uncover Your Life Purpose
— It’s not as hard as you think
Ever find yourself daydreaming, wondering what life’s all about?
Perhaps it goes something like this:
“What’s the point of all this? Is there any real meaning to my life? Do I have a mission, was I created for something specific, might I be special, could I bring something unique to the world? Could I escape the humdrum of it all and make a difference? Could I leave a legacy, could I stand for something?”
Then you tell yourself, “I’d better stop dreaming and get back to work.”
But what if you really do have a specific life purpose that only you are called to do? And what if those daydreams that you have from time to time could actually be the seeds of your true potential and calling in life? Don’t you think it’s worth exploring before you deny yourself, even one more time?
Believe it or not, it is true — you do have a life purpose, designed from the beginning, especially for you, and it’s waiting for you to step into it.
Life purpose has been called many things over the years, such as mission, destiny, vision, calling, vocation, journey, life path, soul call, finding your North star, or pilgrimage.
It can also be a social action that is inscribed in your soul. An activity that corresponds to your identity and serves the community. It may be a persistent soul-call to make a career change that you feel you have to respond to — in fact, this is how I recognized my life purpose. I had a constant uneasiness in my career until I was compelled to change it.
It may mean choosing a totally different lifestyle, marrying, having a child, moving to the country, joining a community, starting your own business, writing a book. Your life purpose will be exciting because it’s part of you, it’s already in you waiting to be discovered.
As Stephen Covey says, you don’t invent your mission, you detect it. This is true — you have to look within yourself to find it and then it’s an adventure, bringing you new life. Your life purpose is only for good, adding something valuable to the world. It is pure in its essence because it’s of a spiritual nature. It’s your higher self calling you to be more than you are right now. It tugs on your heart until you respond.
According to Gregg Levoy, by moving away from our “calls,” we move away from ourselves. He says “callings reflect our most fundamental necessities and instincts, the primitive ‘I want’ of the soul. By moving against our calls, we move against ourselves. We mistrust our deepest intelligence.”
Your mission will haunt you until you obey it. You cannot evade it, it’s in you to be released. When you stay in touch with your mission or soul wisdom, it becomes a beacon in your life, enabling you to make good decisions, choose true friends and engage in activities that offer fulfillment. Only you can discover it.
How to discover your life purpose:
Some people are waiting for an encounter from heaven or a flash of light, but your mission in life is usually revealed much more discreetly, in unexpected ways — a book appears on your path, or you do a workshop that you didn’t expect to be of much value that changes your life.
In coaching, we analyze the common threads in your life and the deep desires of your heart today. By looking at your life from childhood to now, you can examine it to find that golden thread that keeps arising and showing itself to you. Once you find it, it suddenly seems so obvious that you wonder how you never saw it before. Don’t worry, it is all happening at its perfect time. You were not ready then, but you might be ready now!
It shows up in many ways:
- an ideal to pursue
- a passion that drives you
- an important goal to strive for
- a deep and persistent desire
- a lasting spiritual inclination
- overflowing enthusiasm for a particular activity
You can also discover your personal mission by resisting it or rejecting it. You will be overcome with:
- boredom
- regrets
- nostalgia
- a feeling of emptiness
- recurring dreams
When you co-operate with it, it becomes your soul guide. It encourages you to concentrate your energies. It helps you find the right people for the journey.
According to John Monbourquette, your mission attracts you and frightens you at the same time. It takes courage to seek your life purpose, but it will be worth it. Everything changes when you find your calling. It will teach you to reject whatever distracts you from this purpose.
I love to help people on this journey because the rewards of finding your life's purpose are so enriching.
This article was originally published in The Elephant Journal, 2015
