What are the 3 main steps to discovering our life purpose? Determining what our purpose in life is can be one of the hardest questions that we, as humans, must try to answer.
This step-by-step process explores your feelings and options. By the end, you should have a fairly solid tool you can immediately employ in your life, to help give it meaningful direction.
These are the three steps to the process of discovering the purpose of your life:
- Understanding the principle of choice
- Creating your “underlying principle”
- Aligning your life with this underlying principle
Understanding the Principle of Choice
Norman Vincent Peale has this to say about the power of choice. “The greatest power we have is the power of choice. It is an actual fact, that if you have been groping under unhappiness, you can choose to be joyous instead. And, by effort, lift yourself into joy. If you tend to be fearful, you can overcome that misery by choosing to have courage. The whole trend and the quality of anyone’s life is determined by the choices that are made.”
Choice
Choosing is the most important activity for your mind, because by making a choice, you are proclaiming your desires to your subconscious mind. Once the subconscious mind gets to know your desires, it’s going to do everything possible to manifest them into your life! The choices you make in life should become your goals. And, if you are sincere in pursuing them, there is no reason why you shouldn’t accomplish them.
Indecision
Indecision, on the other hand, not only creates frustration and anxiety, it can also confuse the subconscious mind about what you actually want. But it’s important that the choices you make are made by you, in accordance with your true desires, purposes and aptitude. Many of us let others make choices for us, or we make them according to what we think is correct, even if that means that we go against our wishes. What is right for someone else may not be right for you. The way to know this is by listening to what your heart says.
So to begin with, make a list of things which interest you. Things which you have always enjoyed, which make you feel better: which inspire you to surge ahead no matter what obstacles you face. Do you like doing something creative or artistic? Do you enjoy nature or the sea? How about helping others? Perhaps you get most pleasure from making a difference in other people’s lives?
Questions
Whatever it is that interests you, write it down and answer these questions:
- What things do you love to do?
- What is it that you love in these things, and why?
- How could you do this for money and make a living from it?
Creating Your Underlying Principle
The next step is to examine the list you just made and see if there’s a recurring theme. Maybe it’s the contribution that keeps coming up, or to seek or give love? Or perhaps helping your parents cope with old age. Whatever it is, try to identify the central theme of the things you love to do and put it in a short and precise statement. This will be your Mission Statement. It may even be a quote by a famous person, or a philosophy that has influenced you. Of course, as you grow, this statement could evolve, but its soul will remain the same. Now, write down your mission statement.
Aligning Your LIFE With Your Underlying Principle
The final step in this journey is to map your path to your ultimate purpose and to begin implementing changes that help align your daily life to it. By making small changes* in your lifestyle, you will begin living your principle each and every day. It might take a few days, or perhaps much longer. But by becoming aware and intentional of this underlying principle, you will start to feel the difference in your enthusiasm for life as a whole.
*James Clear discusses this in his book, Atomic Habits – improving by 1% per day leads to huge changes by the end of a year. Check it out on Amazon – see our full disclaimer re affiliate links.
If you realise that you love being amongst nature, plan your holidays accordingly. Maybe an outing with your children could be enough to recoup your energy? If you discover that you enjoy helping those in need, start to look for volunteering opportunities in your community. You may even want to change your job, or start a new business that is more in line with your mission.
To Summarise
So there you have it! By following along with the steps outlined above, you will be on your way to finding and living out your purpose. And, as you go through this process, remember this.
“You were put on this earth to achieve your greatest self, to live out your purpose, and to do it courageously”. Steve Maraboli
Disclaimer
This information is not presented by a medical practitioner and is for educational and informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding any type of mental or physical issues. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read.
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