(This is Part 2 of A Guided Series on Finding Your Life Purpose. If you haven’t read Part 1 yet and want to know why we should even care about finding our life purpose, I highly suggest reading Part 1 first and then coming back to this post.)
What Really Matters To You? Look Into Your Past
“Finding a life purpose” sounds daunting. 😨 Instead of asking yourself what your purpose in life is, ask yourself the following:
“Why do I do the things I do?”
“Why do I enjoy them?”
“What would I rather spend my time on?”
When trying to figure out what really matters to you, you’ll need to look deep within your past… starting with your childhood!
When you were 8 years old, what did you enjoy doing? What about when you were 15 years old? How about in college?
You may remember these times didn’t have any sort of pressure to find a job that generated money. You might have done hobbies or activities that truly brought you joy! (Remember what that was like??) When you look back at those days, ask yourself:
“Why did I enjoy these hobbies and activities?”
You’ll also find some events in your life that shaped you into who you are now. Whether they were positive life events or traumatic ones, understanding why they matter to you so much is also important. 🤔 (Note: When reflecting on past life events (especially difficult ones), please do it safely & with a mental health professional if needed.)
My purpose is to inspire people to intentionally take actions that can create an impact, influence, or investment for their future.
Find themes and patterns from your past activities, hobbies, and life events. The ones that are frequent or the most significant are what will guide you to your purpose. After discovering them, you’ve found what Simon Sinek calls your WHY.
Have a WHY Partner
Finding your WHY is an important but potentially difficult step to discover your life purpose. But once you find your WHY, it’s easier to find what your reasons are for caring about specific things.
The best way to find your WHY is to have someone else be there to help you. You can share the significant parts of your life and the stories that come to mind. It’s up to the other person to help by asking the right questions like “why is that important to you?” and to take note of the parallels they’re hearing, even when you think they’re all unrelated stories.
Whether they know you well enough or not, that outside perspective will unveil what you easily glossed over. 🤝
Your WHY Guides You To Your Mission & Vision
Figuring out your WHY -- that core purpose that drives you -- will guide you to find the mission you want to contribute to and the vision of the future you’d like to work towards. 🙌 We will talk about what’s considered a good mission and how to find yours in the next post.
Your WHY will help you with the rest of your journey to find and live by your purpose.
For now, I urge you to work with a family member, significant other, or a friend to figure out your WHY. (See the questions bolded at the beginning of this blog.)
Let me know what you’ve discovered by replying to this email! I’d love to hear how your experience was finding your WHY!