Why are you here? Is your existence a series of reactions and habitual behaviors, just moments strung together like beads until the string runs out?
“The purpose of your life,” writes Rick Warren in The Purpose Driven Life: What On Earth Am I Here For, “ is far greater than your own personal fulfillment, your peace of mind, or even your happiness. It’s far greater than your family, your career, or even your wildest dreams and ambitions.”Your purpose isn’t something that you invent or decide on. It’s something that you discover. It’s not a destination; it’s a journey, and if you want to achieve self actualization, you must try to live within your purpose as fully as possible.
Let’s do some work on discovering your purpose. Set aside some time to ponder and write about the following questions:
- What are your most important passions and how are these suggestive of your life’s purpose? Reflect back on the work we did previously is discovering your passions, and consider what it reveals about you and your purpose. If you have a passion for service, that might be a clue to your purpose.
- What have been the greatest successes in your life? Obviously, this will be different for each person, but as you look back at the moments that most shine for you, you have a valuable clue about your purpose. If you remember the moment you helped a child grasp a concept, your purpose might include a teacher. If you remember the day you climbed a mountain, your purpose might include adventure. If the moment you remember involved sharing your religion with someone else, your purpose might involve preaching or ministering.
- What are your greatest interests? What do you most enjoy? Usually when you stumble across an activity that is within your purpose, you’ll feel it – a resonance, a sense of rightness or discovery. Ah-hah! Here it is. Think of the things you love to do, the things that get you out of bed in the morning. These are significant clues to your purpose.
We have more discovery to do, but let’s stop for now so you can spend all the time you need on these three questions. If you want to achieve self actualization and one day be able to look back on your life with the joyful satisfaction of knowing that you did what you were supposed to do, you need to devote some time to searching for your authentic purpose. I’ll give you some more questions tomorrow to help you hone in on it even more.
Your quest for self actualization will re-define your life forever.
Roger K. Allen, Ph.D. is an expert in personal transformation, leadership, and teams. His tools and methods have helped hundreds of businesses and tens of thousands of people transform the ways they work and live. To learn more, visit www.rogerkallen.com.
