When we are clear on our life purpose, what our soul is calling us to do, we feel a sense of fulfillment, joy and happiness. In order to be in that place it’s imperative that you are connected to yourself and growing. Tony Robbins has a great saying: “If you’re not growing, you’re dying.” He explains that, when we don’t grow we end up experiencing pain, fear and anxiety. We are creative beings and I find that being in a world that automates everything, now even writing, many have lost their drive, creativity and connection to self. When you don’t think for yourself, and everything is done for you, it leaves you with little purpose, passion and power.
Every now and then, especially when the new year comes, you may feel a spark of inspiration to make goals and to change. This falls flat soon because goals alone don’t take into account what your values are, what you want to create and how you will track your progress. I have a new perspective on this after reading Tony Robbins article on life purpose. He says that we all want happiness, and progress equals happiness. We feel good when we are making progress. Goals are important markers and give you a road map to make progress. This is why a balanced approach is needed when figuring out your life purpose and making sure it allows you to grow, create and channel your energy into your passions.
What stops you?
Through research and working with clients I’ve come to see that there are many things that stop people from both knowing what their life purpose is and following through with making it happen. These same barriers create clutter, procrastination and stuckness.
They often come in the form of fear. Fear of going out of your comfort zone because of limiting beliefs and finding safety in doing the same things over and over again, even if it doesn’t serve you. These beliefs often develop as a coping mechanism from past challenging experiences or traumas. By staying small you feel safe, which makes you think you are on the right track, when in reality facing your fears just enough, without going overboard, allows you to rewire your brain, grow and make progress. Staying stuck in fear keeps negative thinking at the forefront and takes you away from an abundance and gratitude mindset.
A lot of people are blocked from seeing their life purpose because they don’t know what it is they want to give to the world. . Being in a flow of giving and receiving brings meaning and fulfillment to the social creatures that we are. If you tend to isolate and lack human connection, meaning and fulfillment is replaced with blaming and a fixed mindset keeping you stuck in the past and negative thinking.
How to figure out your life purpose
For some this comes easy and for others it’s very challenging. This is why I gathered and created the best questions to help you figure out what your life purpose is, one step at a time. Use the questions below in any order you like to help you get clear.
What are your values?
When you base your decisions on your values you connect to your true essence. As you change and grow, so can your values. It’s good to do a check-in regularly to see what is most important to you.
What do you have to offer to the world?
Everyone has a unique combination of interests, gifts, and passions. How can you bring those into the world and to where it’s needed the most?
What do you love? And what are you good at?
Do you remember being a kid and spending hours doing an activity with joy and curiosity? What are things that you still love to do but have lost connection to?
What is a problem that you had in your life that you can turn into a passion?
Someone told me once that passion is really anger and joy combined. When we experience where we’ve been wronged, anger comes up because a boundary has been crossed and we need to take action. We can use this anger as a driving force to solve a problem that will help both us and others.
What fear has stopped you in the past from pursuing your passion?
Take some time to list your biggest fears. Then reflect on how those fears have stopped you from pursuing things in your life. See which fear you can overcome first and take one step at a time to challenge each of these fears.
What do you need to learn, change or know to pursue this soul purpose?
When I work with clients, I always map out what the ideal situation would look like, whether for the spaces, time or passions. From there, we look at the barriers that would stop them and what they would need to learn, change or know to move forward.
What is the meaning of life for you?
This is a big one! Take some time to think about it. Figuring out your values might also help you with this question. You could also keep a daily journal where you reflect on reading different books on spirituality and the meaning of life.
What do you need?
When you are aware of your needs and have them met you are more likely to be in alignment and stay on track. Keep this in mind so that you can stay in your power and use this information to guide you to your life purpose.
Extra Tips
Here’s a quick list of things you can do daily to help you stay connected to yourself and your life purpose:
- Socialize
- Try new activities
- Learning something new
- Have a gratitude practice
- Face your fears (get support when needed)
- Challenge your limiting beliefs and create new ones
- Be active to keep your energy moving
- Find something creative to do regularly
- Take responsibility for your life
- Volunteer for a cause
For many of us, finding our life purpose is easier said than done. If you have and are living your best life: amazing! If you are struggling, doubting or have a deep understanding that there is more for you, I encourage you to keep going, keep trying new things and keep being curious. Living a life of purpose and meaning is worth it.
