Do you feel like you’re just going through the motions on a daily basis? Do you want more for your life but feel like you have no direction on where to start? I wish there was something given to us at birth that tells us what our mission on this earth is. Gosh, things would be so easy that way, right?! As much as I would like that, I also think there’s beauty in not knowing. It means that we hold the power. We get to dictate our own lives.
Because we hold the power, we can design our own life. We can find our own purpose. If you’re struggling to figure out your purpose on this earth, then I want to share some things that can help. Keep reading for 6 hacks to finding your life’s purpose. We all deserve to live a life we love. We just need to know what that looks like.
#1 Travel and see new places
If you’re an active traveler, maybe you resonate with this: When I first started traveling to distant or different places, it opened my mind to new things. It gave me a bigger perspective and taught me that there’s so much to see in this world. The more I traveled, the more I wanted to travel.
I strongly suggest you travel and see new places if you’re looking for purpose and direction. Not only will this spark a desire to continue seeing the world, but it will make you a more well-rounded person. That insight, empathy and open-mindedness will help you see the bigger picture. When you can see the bigger picture, you can start figuring out how you fit in it.
Not sure how to fit it into your budget? Check out this CGS podcast episode: An Introduction to Travel-Hacking.
#2 Think about the last time you were truly happy
Was there ever a time in your life where you were genuinely happy? Maybe it was your high school years. Maybe it was going to college in a different state (this was the case for me). Maybe it was when you bought your first pet home. If you want to find your life’s purpose, start by pinpointing times in your life where you were happy.
What about those times made you happy? Was it a person, place, or thing (also known as a “noun” – my English teach would be proud 🙂)? Whatever it was, how can you incorporate more of it into your life? Our life’s purpose should make us happy. With that being said, why recreate happiness when we can leverage it from our past?!
#3 Journal on the legacy you want to leave behind
I think an important part to finding your life’s purpose is to think about how you want people to remember you. What mark do you want to leave on this world when you’re gone? This can be a tough question to dive into, but it can shed so much light into what matters most to you.
Perhaps you want to set your children up for a better life. Maybe you’d like to donate your organs to someone who needs it. What legacy, big or small, do you want to leave behind? When you can identify that, you can start doing things that help put you in a position to leave that legacy. One additional note – it’s okay if the legacy you want to leave behind changes over time. Just continue doing the things that help you make it a reality.
#4 Get out of your comfort zone
Change your scenery. Attend networking events alone. Volunteer. Do things that make you uncomfortable, but you know they’ll benefit you in some way. I know it can be scary to charter into unknown territory, but it’s another great way to gain a great perspective on life. Not to mention, nothing great happens from staying safe. No risk. No reward.
Every time a new client signs up for 1-on-1 financial coaching with me, I always ask how they feel. Usually, the answer is “I’m nervous, but excited”. I always say that being nervous is a great sign! It means you’re doing something different and getting out of your comfort zone – and that’s where the magic truly happens!
#5 Read autobiographies
At the time of writing this article, I’m reading Sorry Not Sorry by Alyssa Milano. I’m also listening to The Measure of a Man by Sidney Poitier on Audible. I highly recommend both autobiographies, if you haven’t read them yet. Autobiographies give us insight into how people maneuvered throughout their life, or throughout a particular time in their life.
If there are people who you admire and look up to, autobiographies can give you guidance on how they accomplished what they did. Whether their insight can be applied to your life or not is irrelevant. Learn from other people’s experiences and it can help open your mind to different ways of doing things.
#6 Set meaningful goals
I leave you with this final hack – set meaningful goals. As you work towards goals that matter to you, you will learn more about yourself. You’ll learn what is worth working for and what isn’t. You’ll learn what is important to you and what isn’t. These are important things to know when you want to pinpoint your life’s purpose.
Set goals in all areas of your life. This will ensure you’re looking at every area of your life and getting clear on the direction you want to move in. As you can predict by now, that’s a necessary step in finding your life’s purpose.
Related: 7 Questions to Ask to Determine What You Want Out of Life
Finding your life’s purpose is no easy feat. However, that doesn’t mean that it’s not worth the work to figuring it out. Hopefully the hacks above can help get the mental wheels turning! Spend time really thinking through this. Trust me, it matters. Do you know your life’s purpose? What helped you figure it out? Share your comments in the section below!
