Five Steps to Discovering Your Purpose in Life
I proudly call myself a late bloomer. I did not discover my purpose until I was 56 years old. Don’t get me wrong; I sort of had an idea. I tried one thing, then another, then another as I searched for “my” purpose.
A series of apparent coincidences (See my article “Why Blog”) lead me to “discover” my purpose.
Purpose is the basic to all other things. Once you know your mission, have created you own mission statement, then everything in your life builds upon the solid foundation of your own purpose.
If you think about the attainment of your dreams as a process of opening doors, then purpose becomes the most important “Life Key” as it opens the first door to all other possibilities.
I know from hundreds of conversations with others, that I am not the only one having difficulty with this subject. I hope my experience inspires you to continue your search.
The following steps replicate as much as possible the steps I took to arrive at my purpose in life.
Step One:
Make a list, not just any list. This list will contain your “Life Keys”: the actions, qualities, interest, that have influence your life: Items that you always fallen back on, or interests that fade but always come back.
Find a quiet place to think where you won’t be disturb. If you need to go out of the house to a comfy coffee shop, or find a tree to sit under, then do what is necessary. This is an important task. Be sure to take along your notebook or diary.
Once you are comfortable, start to write out all the common repetitive threads in your life.
For instance, I have always wanted to write. From the time I could hold pen to paper, I began to write. I would leave this vocation from time to time, sometimes for long periods, but eventually I would come back to it. Therefore, writing became my first life key.
Don’t worry at first about what is first or second, just let the words flow out. Write what ever comes to mind, even if it doesn’t make sense to you. Write until you have at least 30 items on your list, but don’t stop there if you are on a roll.
When you can’t think of a single other thing, go back, and review you list.
Look for patterns, or groups of items that are similar. I lumped food, gardening, cooking, and wine, into one group. Then all the “help” items, helping people, cheering people up, helping people see the bright side, I put into another group. Writing and reading formed another group. You get the idea. Whittle your list down to three to five items. Don’t stop until you are satisfied with you groupings.
You now have your “life Keys” These are the items that have found resonance with you throughout your life. These Keys will unlock the secret of your purpose.
Step Two.
Put the list away, go for a walk, sleep on them: let them percolate. Unless you have a blinding flash of insight, give yourself several days for the impact of your “life Keys” to work their way though your soul.
After a few days, open your list of “life Keys” and circle the one that pops out at you. One of them will. That will be your “Primary Life Key”. This key will unlock a door. You may not know which door yet, but it will open the first door to a whole new world.
Step Three.
Now is the time for you to ask, “What is it about my “Primary Life Key” that attracts me?”
For me Writing and Reading was my “primary life key”. What was it about writing and reading that held me? Why was I attracted to those things? Keep asking the questions.
When you start to get answers jot them down.
You don’t have to do this all at once. Take your time, let ideas flow through you. Be receptive to what comes to mind, don’t discard anything at this point, It is very important that you stay open to the process; let the current carry you along.
Step Four:
Now look at the other group of items. Ask yourself how do they relate to your primary life Key? What common threads run through them? For me, the “Food Group” contained items about which I had written in the past. The relationship centered on writing about my “Food Group.” I enjoyed reading and writing about these things. Another group I called my quest for knowledge or the “answers” to life. “How did they relate to my primary Life Key? In order to “help” I needed to understand “how” I could help.
By now, you should begin to feel, way down deep inside, the stirring of some tenuous thread, maybe a tinge of excitement, and ground swell of passion.
Just let the process run its course. Let the juices flow; write down everything that comes to mind. Go back and review your list, keep mulling the relationships. Go off and read things, listen to music, take long walks, read poetry, garden. Notice how these instructions come out of my “Life Keys”?
Do not try too hard at this point. Do not despair: you are almost there.
What you are waiting for is a flash, a sudden rush of inspiration, or an epiphany.
When that moment arrives, do step 5 right away.
Step 5
Write out your short personal mission statement based on your insights. You might have to play with it to get it just right. Again, don’t struggle with this, just let it flow, you can tidy it up later.
Mine is very simple.
“To share a beautiful summer morning, where all is potential, and all things are possible, with everyone I possibly can.”
What is yours?
Nick Grimshawe