How To Find Your Purpose: A Five-Step Journey Towards a Fulfilled Life

By: A Girl On The Go

I love this quote by Jon Kabat-Zinn:

"What is my job on the planet?" is one question we might do well to ask ourselves over and over again.

As I near retirement, and slow my corporate roll, I have been thinking long and hard about, "What's next?" "Where am I supposed to be?" "Before I die, what mark do I want to leave on this world?" I have no desire to climb any more corporate ladders. My climbing days are done. I want to find a purpose in life that fulfills me. I want to close my eyes every night with a smile on my face knowing that I touched someone's life and will have another chance to do it tomorrow...and tomorrow...and tomorrow.

If you've ever wondered how you can figure out what your true purpose is, here’s a simple five-step approach I've put together that can help steer you towards discovering your raison d'etre and give you a clear sense of direction.

Self-Introspection

Our lives often move so fast that we hardly get the chance to reflect on our past, scrutinize our present and plan our future. Self-introspection, however, is the first crucial step towards uncovering your purpose. Dedicate some time each day to just sit, think and assess your life journey so far. Reflect on what brings you joy, where your passion lies, and what aspects of life ignite a sense of fulfillment in you. Ponder your values, interests, skills, and life experiences, and make notes of these thoughts for later review.

Visualize Your Ideal Life

What does your perfect life look like? Visualization is a powerful tool that can guide your thoughts and help manifest your dreams into reality. Is it owning a house by the sea, running your own business, dedicating your life to helping others, or traveling the world? Allow yourself to dream, and as you visualize, try to be as specific as possible. It’s not enough to just see yourself as successful, pinpoint what that success means to you.

Setting Your Life Goals

Based on your self-introspection and visualization, try to create life goals for yourself. A purposeful life doesn't happen overnight. It's essential to understand that finding your purpose is a journey. To journey correctly, you need to have a map. Your life goals serve as a roadmap towards your purpose. Prioritize what’s important to you, establish realistic goals, and establish short, medium, and long-term targets. Remember to make these goals achievable, measurable, and aligned with the life you visualized.

Create an Action Plan

This is where things start getting practical. And fun! An action plan bridges the gap between where you currently stand and where you aspire to be. Break down your goals into small, actionable steps. Design your plan keeping your everyday routine, obligations and resources in mind. Keep it flexible and give yourself the permission to make changes and adjustments as you learn and grow on your journey. Post your daily goals in a place you can see them. Write them out each morning to solidify them in the universe.

Implement and Iterate

Finally, begin executing your action plan. It may be challenging initially, and things may not always work out the way you envisaged, but don't lose heart. Each challenge faced, every obstacle conquered is a stepping stone to success. When things seem hard, always refer back to the vision of your ideal life. Learn from your mistakes and do not fear to revise and optimize your plan as required. Keep progressing, be persistent, and success is sure to follow.

Finding your purpose in life might seem daunting at first. However, understanding your life purpose is a significant first step to leading a fulfilling, happy life. As you set on this self-discovery voyage, remember that the path to purpose is never a straight line but a winding road with inevitable ups and downs. But ultimately, finding your life's purpose makes the journey worth all the twists and turns. After all, it's about making your one precious life as meaningful, exciting, and rewarding as possible.

Here’s wishing you a fantastic journey of self-discovery!