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Find My Purpose"How do I find my purpose? I know I'm here for a reason, and I want to do something with my life, but I just can't figure out what that is. . ."Sound familiar? Many people wrestle with existential issues at some point. We seek meaning in our lives that transcends the 9-5 daily grind and the urgent activities filling most of our time. We desire to leave a legacy and live for something larger than ourselves.  As William James eloquently said, The great use of life is to spend it For something that outlasts it. Now, we all know that living on purpose can give you enormous energy and a deep sense of satisfaction and fulfillment. As Patanjali wrote in The Yoga Sutras: When you are inspired by some great purpose, So. . . this is all well and good, but we're still left with the question, "How do I find my purpose?" Sometimes this question arises after a problem, such as loss or suffering. Sometimes it arises after many years doing mind-numbing work. And, sometimes it simply lingers in the background - whispered but never spoken.Some extraordinary project, All your thoughts break their bounds. Your mind transcends limitations, Your consciousness expands in every direction, And you find yourself in a new, great, and wonderful world. As you seek your purpose and it becomes revealed to you, know that people rarely answer the question once and for all. As you grow and change, the "river of life" moves on and your purpose too might grow and change. Yet, you will likely have a central theme of purpose that runs throughout your life and manifests in various ways. For example, your purpose may be to teach others, and you might express that through working as a corporate trainer, mentoring at risk youth, and coaching your daughter's soccer team. Later in life, you may become a high-school teacher or an adult education instructor. As you grow and change, the actual activities change but the purpose driving them does not. Below, I'll walk you through some exercises to help answer the question, "How do I find my purpose?" Be warned that finding purpose is internal work and it can be frustrating. Yet it is work only you can do. No one can give you the answer. You must find your own. If you look and listen carefully, it will eventually appear. You probably won't have a magical epiphany one day; it's more likely the recognition of your purpose will build and build over time - a crescendo - until you cannot ignore it anymore. Good luck, and enjoy the journey! 1. "How Do I Find My Purpose?". . . First, Clarify Your Values At this point, we're not looking for an answer. We're simply looking to clarify the values that express a core part of who you are. These values will serve to ground us as we continue the later exercises. Look at the list of values below. Pick 10 that most resonate with you. If you want to add others that are not on this list, please go ahead. (Also, you may want to roll a few into one to adequately capture what that value means to you. Do this as long as the main idea is clear. For example, you might say: "Environment/Beauty" or "Love/Family.") List of Values Achievement-Accuracy-Altruism-Acknowledgment-Adventure-Authenticity Balance-Beauty-Career-Collaboration-Community-Camaraderie Connectedness-Contribution-Creativity-Directness-Elegance-Empowerment Environment-Excellence-Expertise-Fame-Family-Freedom-Growth-Harmony Honesty-Humor-Humility-Independence-Integrity-Joy-Learning-Love-Loyalty Nurturing-Organization-Peace-Performance-Power Productivity-Recognition-Risk Taking-Romance-Self-Expression-Service Spirituality-Status-Taking Action-Tradition-Trust-Wisdom Once you have your list of ten, rank them. Yes, rank them. I know they're all important to you; we want to know which ones are most important. 2. How Do I Find My Purpose?". . .Next, Look in the Past for Clues Think through your life up to this point. Ask yourself two questions:
 The times when you feel happy and fulfilled are the biggest clues you have on the path to finding your purpose. That's right. The feelings of happiness, meaning, and contribution indicate you are on the right path. Profound joy of the heart is like A magnet that indicates the path of life. - Mother Teresa (See the page on Purpose Quotes for other thoughts on purpose.) 3. How Do I Find My Purpose?. . .Now, Look for Clues in the Present Just as you looked in the past for clues, now look in the present. In your present life,
Once you've examined your current life, you may want to use an assessment, such as Strengthsfinder 2.0 or the VIA Signature Strengths Survey to help you. This will not give you a magic answer; it will, however, give your more data to work with. See my pages on using your strengths and character strengths for more information. 4. How Do I Find My Purpose?. . .Now, Look for Clues in the Future Here are two simple yet powerful exercises: Imagine that you are 95 years old, and you have lived a long and fruitful life You have just died and your friends and family are giving your eulogy. What do you want them to say? How did you treat people? What did you spend your time doing? Record any thoughts you have. Listen for your intuition. Then, move on to another exercise. Imagine you only have six months to live. How would you spend your time? Again, record any thoughts you have. Listen for your intuition. 5. "How Do I Find My Purpose?". . .Next, Connect the Dots Lay out your answers to the exercises above. Ask yourself:
Again, know that connecting the dots and seeing your purpose rarely happens in one sitting. Usually it builds to a crescendo as you continue to revisit it over time. Eventually, the clues become unmistakable and you know the path to take. 6. How Do I Find My Purpose?. . .Overcome Common Barriers If you're feeling stuck as you investigate your purpose, see if any of the usual culprits are holding you back:
If so, what can you do about them? Check out my page on identifying and overcoming the barriers to personal growth for some tips on beating these little monsters. 7. How Do I Find My Purpose?. . .Start to Live it! When you've connected the dots and your purpose comes in to focus, ask yourself, "Now that I've been able to find my purpose, how can I more fully live my purpose each day?" Take steps to set goals and begin to act on your dreams.  Other Resources Here are a few other excellent resources I recommend as you work to answer that big question: "How do I find my purpose?:
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