Discover your Life Purpose, in 3 Easy Steps

What would life be without purpose? Would it have any meaning, when your actions lack a personal mission? And how do you find your purpose, anyway?

Finding our purpose is as ancient a tradition as the age of humanity itself, and beyond. Indeed, as soon as we’re conscious, we begin to question our place in the Universe. Why am I here? Where do I go? Is there a meaning to it all? ...And so on.

It’s not surprising that the greatest minds in history have questioned this very thing. And it’s important for us, as we embark on The Big Life, to start with the greatest of contexts for this all-important question — What is my Life’s Purpose?

But just because it’s a big question that has been asked by millions before us, it doesn’t mean that you cannot get the answer for what your purpose is, relatively easily. It just requires first taking a step back, and thinking: What makes you feel truly alive, what matters most to you, and what would you regret if you didn’t do it. 

STEP 1. What Makes You Feel Alive — Joy

You know you’re living on purpose when doing work that you love. When you wake up in the morning feeling utterly grateful to be alive. If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you would like to feel this sense of joy, of accomplishment, as well. 

And it’s definitely possible. I see it all the time, with my clients and with myself, ever since I decided to live a life of joy and fulfillment, helping others live their most ideal lives. So for step 1 of this journey, let’s dive into what makes you happy.

This can be doing something you’re really good at, like playing music, cooking, or painting exotic sceneries. Being particularly skilled at something is usually a big, fat arrow pointing towards what we’re meant to be doing, as anything can be converted into a business, thanks to tools like the internet and blockchain NFTs.

But perhaps this is not the path for you. Maybe you’re really good at something because your parents forced you to do it, but it’s not what truly makes you happy. In that case, let’s think about what actually makes you feel joy whenever you do it.

What about traveling? You could be a travel guide, or influencer. Love quantum mechanics? You could create a website that fully explores the wacky behaviours of photons, electrons and quarks. Does your heart light up when you listen to orchestral music mixed with electronic beats? You could become a music critic.

There is no end to the possibilities here. Think about what makes you feel truly alive — it could even include food, books, or anything else that brings you joy — and if you get to the root of why you like it so much, it may lead to your purpose.

STEP 2. What Matters Most — Anger

When you live on purpose, you tend to attract the people, ideas, resources and opportunities you need to accomplish your goals. This leads towards a state of flow, which allows you to more easily achieve your desired results. It can make you feel unstoppable. However, we often don’t feel in flow, and instead feel frustrated.

For our second step, consider the last time you got very angry about something, especially if you felt powerless against it. Some negative news. An injustice... Once you do, you will be closer to understanding the things that matter the most to you. Because the things that upset us are usually the ones we would like to change.

This doesn’t mean that if what angered you last week was your neighbour playing loud music, you know what your purpose is. It’s not. But perhaps this puts you on the path to realise that community life is important for you. So you could join your local community group, and help decide what best benefits your neighbourhood.

Better yet, think about something you would like to change in the world. This could be anything. Unhealthy food in schools, war in the Middle East, forest destruction, widespread factory farming, loss of privacy or freedom, income inequality, etc.  

Whichever they are, these are things that can rile us up to the point of madness, because they matter to us. So, even if you feel like you can’t do anything to stop a war halfway across the world, you could write about it, and find the deeper truth. Or you can create an NGO to provide healthy food in your local public school. The point of this step is to simply raise the awareness of what matters the most to you. 

Our emotional wounds (such as childhood trauma) are also not just a source of pain, but can be the source of discovering what your life’s purpose is. In Joseph Campell’s The Hero's Journey, this stage is referred as “reconciling your past”, by aligning your purpose out of those wounds; using them on your path to greatness.

STEP 3. What Would You Regret — Gratitude

Our final step is to declare to the world, what would you most like to be known for. Is it to be famous and wealthy? There will always be more famous and wealthier people, so you wouldn’t really stand out that way. Is it to own a lot of stuff? Not likely, as all that won’t be what people think about when you’re in their memories. 

Consider this scenario:

You lived a great life, but sadly you’ve passed away.

Your loved one stands up and speaks about your life to the thousands who attended your funeral. 

What would you like your loved one to say?

If you try to imagine yourself in that ethereal position, you may wish your loved one to say beautiful things about you, about the things you accomplished. What would you be most grateful for, hearing your loved one, your life partner, saying about the things you did when you were alive. It probably wasn’t money related.

On our deathbeds, it is said, we realise that which we wish we had done. Not just being better parents, children, etc. But our dreams. The big stuff. Would you like them to say something about how your work saved the lives of children, your inventions made people’s lives better, or that your efforts saved millions of trees?

Imagining being dead — or dying — is easily one of the best ways to embrace life, and living it with purpose. No distractions from what truly matters to you, or what makes you happier than anything else. Because time is a very limited resource, so this way you gain a fuller perspective of what you wish to accomplish these years.

Perhaps an even easier way to help you find your purpose this way, is to instead think about what you feel most grateful for. This is because the things you would regret on your deathbed are probably the ones you are most grateful for in life. 

So think about them... Feel their importance... And then become completely unstoppable, by returning that gratitude as you use it to shape your life’s purpose. This way you can become someone who loves their life. Who fights for that which you wish to see changed in the world. And who will one day die with no regrets.

If you’d like your purpose to help you live The Big Life, you can contact me here.