How to Find Your Purpose

Have you lost your passion? Are you unsure about the direction of your life? Is your future not looking so bright? Learn how to find your purpose and inject more focus, meaning and energy into your life.

Most people know what they do, and how they do it, but very few people know why. They go to work each day and say yes to the same old things, but if you were to press them, they would struggle to give you a good reason for it.

Why do you do what you do?

If you, like so many others, have lost your way and are feeling depressed about your current reality, there’s a strong possibility that you’ve lost your purpose. You’re missing that fire, cause or belief that drives you to realise your potential.

Many great psychologists, philosophers, and writers have proposed that purpose leads to a fulfilling life. From Carl Jung and Abraham Maslow to Simon Sinek and Jordan Peterson, purpose is a common theme that moves ones life above and beyond the mundane – and is something we should all strive for.

Purpose drive’s your every action. It is your reason for being and inspires you to be your best. With so many challenges to overcome, purpose helps to calibrate your mind and ensure you keep moving in the right direction, no matter what the world throws at you.

The importance of purpose

Purpose is a powerful catalyst, that injects focus, passion and energy into your life. It gives you:

Direction
Increased drive and motivation
The why behind your actions
A stronger sense of identity
Intrinsic rewards (that outshine the materialistic)
A framework to make better decisions
The strength to overcome fear, limitations and short-term discomfort
A means to elevate yourself, your organisation and your community

Purpose spurs you on, through chaotic and difficult times, to keep doing what matters and not be beaten easily. Purpose gives your life direction, substance and meaning.

Without purpose, it’s easy to get lost and confused. Without purpose, fear, anxiety and depression creep in. Without purpose, you are at the mercy of someone else’s.

Who should find purpose?

People of all ages and in all walks of life can benefit from having a clear purpose. Coaches, teachers, writers, artists, athletes, business owners, and community leaders alike function better with the clarity and impetus that purpose provides.

If you’re feeling lost and struggling to find joy in the way things are, if you’re jumping from idea to idea without taking any measurable action, if you’ve reached a major goal but still feel empty, then it’s probably time to find a purpose that underpins your life.

How to find your purpose

Your purpose is unique to you and may take a little time to discover. If you’re willing to explore your past, personality and values, you’ll find a purpose that resonates and brings new meaning to your life.

Let’s begin.

Take a break

One of the most important steps in finding your purpose is to take a break. A break from what you’re currently doing and from all of the external noise – which includes the ideas, opinions, requests and expectations of others.

Tell everyone you are taking a short break to get some personal things in order, and give yourself the time and breathing space you need. You can do this one afternoon, or take a whole week off if you think it’s needed.

When you return you’ll have a stronger sense of who you are, what you’re doing and why you’re doing it.

Remember your highlights

Once you’ve found a quiet space where you’re free to think for yourself, start to explore your past, and more specifically, your personal highlights.

Your peak experiences reveal a lot about you and when you connect the dots between them your purpose becomes clear(er).

Think back to a time in your career when you were at your best. Remember a time when you were alive, confident, and fully engaged. Relive that experience and try to identify what made the moment so good.

Then, do the same with a peak experience during college, high school and when you were young. Relive each experience and feel those feelings once more.

Why did you choose these memories in particular? What is it that makes them so special? What is the thread that links these experiences?

Identify your values

Another way to clarify your purpose is to identify your values. What are your core values? And how do you rank those values?

Is it family, friends, love, kindness, connection, community, security, control, honesty, loyalty, happiness, fun, adventure, experience, art, creativity, personal growth, entrepreneurship, success, money, simplicity?

To go a little further, you can ask: What would you fight for? What are you willing to suffer for? What would you sacrifice your own wants, needs, time and money for? What do you value more than your own existence?

Make a list of your top 10 values and order them by degree of importance, with 1 as the most important and 10 as the least. Aim for a mix of complimentary values that are an honest representation of you.

Find your why

Purpose is the why behind things so get in the habit of finding your why’s. Why am I in this job? Why did I start this business? Why have I said yes to this person/project/event? I’m doing this because _____.

You’ll quickly discover that many of your actions are self-sabotaging and various guises of procrastination. You may be doing these things because you’re too scared to go after what you really want.

You’ll also discover that many of your actions are driven by ego. You may be chasing money, houses, cars and status to feel pleasure, and prove you are superior to others.

Neither bring you fulfilment, or help you to realise your potential.

Go down through the layers to discover what you really want. What does self-realisation look like to you? What is the truest and best version of yourself? Get to the essence who you are, then practice letting go of the self-defeating behaviours.

Find your pain points

What’s keeping you up at night? What’s the biggest obstacle you’ve had to face in your life? Is there a problem you are uniquely positioned to solve? In solving this problem could you help other people?

We all suffer hardships in life, but that suffering can be a great opportunity for growth, and often influences the direction one chooses to move in. You will have learned many lessons through your struggles, and developed powerful motives, that may serve as pillars for your purpose.

Run experiments

It’s impossible to find your purpose by sitting on your backside and imagining possible futures. You have to get out in the world and try a few things. Run some experiments and use the feedback to decide your next move, and the move after that.

You will learn a lot more by doing and develop a purpose that’s based in reality – not a mere philosophical exercise. You’ll feel uncomfortable at times as you test the limits of your comfort zone, but that’s exactly what you’re seeking. Go beyond.

Write a purpose statement

After some time you’ll start to get a clearer picture of who you are and what drives you. When you’re ready, you can write out a purpose statement.

Your purpose should be personal and reflective of your values, goals and peak experiences. It should be true to yourself and not influenced by your parents, peers or society.

It can be as grand or as understated as you like, just as long as it’s fulfilling and meaningful to YOU. It is YOUR purpose after all.