“What if I never find my purpose?”

I could hear despair in the woman’s voice.

“Is it possible to go through my entire life without knowing what it is?”

She was genuinely unsettled. A few years ago I created a workshop Finding Passion & Purpose. I asked if she’d like to sit down with me for a mini version.

What is Purpose?

Because of the attention ‘Finding Your Purpose’ has garnered over the last few years we tend to think of purpose in one of two ways, as linear and concrete; something we work towards and achieve in our lives. Which would also mean that at some point we would no longer have a purpose because we’ve achieved it.

OR….

We see purpose as something elusive and mysterious, something we have to search for and find or solve like a math problem with half the numbers missing.

What is we thought of it this way?

Our purpose is not one thing it is infused in everything we do.

We’ve been engaged in it and expressing it our entire lives.

It is the unique combination of who we are, its fueled by the feeling we crave and manifest in our passions and all we love to do.

When we look back over our lives, starting right from childhood we can see how it all connects.

How purpose feels

When engaged in our purpose we feel an uncanny sense of joy and ease.

Our bodies feel more alive because our energy is devoted to something that serves others and in turn feed us.

We may be tired after engaging in our purpose, but we are never depleted.

We feel grounded knowing we belong here and have something important to offer.

The disconnect

When we’ve lost our joy and feel deeply unhappy, depressed or anxious it may be an indication we’ve become disconnected from our purpose. At times like these taking the time to go back through our lives identifying when we felt most alive is an act of healing. Most of us can remember times when we felt fully engaged in some act of work, service or creativity and it is here we see what we are looking for…..purpose.

We all have purpose.

When we recognize what it is that makes us feel most alive we’ve found the key to our emotional, mental and spiritual well being.

Today – Go back through your life starting in childhood, moving to teens, 20’s, 30’s 40’s…… What made you feel most alive? When were you filled with joy?

Make a list.  See the connections. Start doing these things (again).

Start living your wonderfully purposeful life.