Written by: Anne Bolender
There is something magical about finding your life purpose. That thing you know you were meant to do. That connection that gives your life meaning, and helps you feel valued and fulfilled.
If you are looking for that thing, for your life purpose, then answering these 10 questions could help you focus in on what your life purpose could be:
1) What do you love to spend time doing, either in your spare time or during your work day? What activity do you get so involved with that you lose track of time?
2) What do you naturally do well? What do people come to you for help with?
3) What are your 10 greatest successes to date, in your eyes, not based on what other people have identified?
4) Is there a cause that you feel passionate about? Animals or natural habitat protection? Youth empowerment? Social justice? The rights of the aged? Human rights?
5) What are the 10 most important lessons you have learned in your life?
6) Are there some issues or perceived problems that have occurred over and over again in your life?
7) What do you daydream about? Where does your mind go when it wanders?
8) What would your ideal day look like? How would you be spending your time? Where would you be spending your time?
9) Imagine you are writing your eulogy, what do you want to be remembered for?
10) What would you do if money was no object, and if you knew you would not fail?
Once you have answered all 10 questions, go through the answers and look for any issues, activities, ideas, that occur in several of your answers. Look also for similar types of activities. Can you combine these identified activities or issues or ideas into one or two general themes?
These themes will point you in the direction of your life purpose.
There is another interesting technique that I really enjoy using to identify topics that I am particularly interested in that could also be connected to my life’s purpose, but this could be because I am more than just a little bit book obsessed:
- Spend some time wandering through a large bookstore (I’m not sure that just browsing Amazon online would work, you really have to be physically in a bookstore for this to work). Notice which topics are attracting your attention – are you drawn to the History section or the Mystery section? Do you have a hard time leaving the Recipes, Crafts and Hobbies section? What about Travel or Architecture or Computer Programing or Self Help Books? Look for a pattern in what book topics you are strongly attracted to. That pattern would indicate a strong passion or life purpose.
- What books do you own? What topics have interested you enough that you have actually bought the books, and have spent time reading them?
- What magazines do you subscribe to? What types of movies do you love to watch? Both magazines and movies that hold your interest could also be indicators of a passion or life purpose.
Once you have all of this information collected, once you have fully answered all of these questions, then see if you can identify specific patterns, or specific themes, or specific topics that you are drawn to.
Your passion or life purpose is among the themes, patterns or topics that you have identified as being strongly attracted to.
“Till next time.
