7 Keys to Discovering Your Life’s Purpose…

Recently I stumbled across The Change Blog, and I have to say, I’m really impressed with it. Here’s a post I found while rooting around the site. I think the author is right on point.

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Today I want to talk about seven keys to discovering your life’s purpose.

Everything created was created for a purpose.  My laptop was created for a purpose, my watch was created for a purpose, even my fingernails were created for a purpose.  And if my fingernails have a purpose, you most certainly have a purpose; there’s a specific reason you were created.

It’s critical to your success that you discover this purpose, this reason for your existence.

You see, every successful person is living “on purpose.”  Their life has a mission, a focal point, and they are most likely working in an area where they feel they have a “natural” advantage.  What is your advantage?  When you discover it, you will be much better positioned to succeed…

Your success is dependent on you discovering your purpose and fulfilling it, so today I want to discuss seven keys to discovering your life’s purpose.

The 7 Keys to Discovering Your Life Purpose:

1. What makes you smile?

I was coming back from giving a speech one day, several years ago, and I just couldn’t stop smiling.  This was prior to me discovering my purpose.  I was on such a high; it’s hard to even explain it.  I didn’t know it at the time, but this was a sign of my purpose, and a sign of what I’m supposed to be doing.  It seems obvious looking back, but at the time I had no idea.  What makes you smile?  It’s okay if you don’t know, just keep on living and looking until you find out.

2. What are you curious about?

What are you curious about?  What do you want to learn about?  More specifically, “What books do you have in your library?”  It’s a sign of your purpose, if all you have is cookbooks, then that’s a sign.  If you’ve only read books on cars, then that’s a sign.  If you looked in my library, over 90 percent of the books would be related to self development; specifically on the subject of success and successful living.  That’s a sign of my purpose.  I didn’t plan to purchase books related to success, it’s just what I purchased, it’s what I’m most curious about.

3. What do you notice?

The mechanic notices something wrong with the car, the hairdresser notices when someone’s hair is out of place, the speaker notices a boring speech.  What do you notice; it’s a sign of your purpose.  I notice when things are not orderly or practical, this is a sign of my purpose.  This does not fully explain my purpose, but it’s one additional piece to the puzzle.  It sometimes takes many years to piece the puzzle together, but if you keep on working at it, you’ll discover your purpose.  It was through perseverance that the turtle reached the ark.

4. What are you passionate about?

Passion is a key to your purpose; it’s a sign of your purpose.  If you’re passionate about self development, then maybe there’s a helpful book that you are destined to write.  If you’re passionate about cooking, then maybe you’re supposed to be a cook, if you’re passionate about singing, then maybe you were born to be sing.

What’s the lesson?  Discover your passion and it will be one step in the direction of discovering your purpose.

5. What would you do for free?

What would you do for free?  I love to motivate people; I would certainly do it for free.  The pleasure I receive from getting people into action is more valuable than the money I receive.  What would you do for free?  What have you done for free in the past?  Have you fixed someone’s car, washed someone’s hair?  Whatever it is, it’s a sign to your purpose.

I’m not saying if you fixed someone’s car you should be a mechanic, but that gesture is a sign.  Maybe it’s a sign that you’re unusually helpful, this would be related to your purpose.

6. What do others hear you say?

What do those closes to you always hear you talking about?  Maybe you should ask them, because it’s a key to your purpose.  If you’re always talking about cars, then that’s a sign, if you’re always talking about Web sites, then that’s a sign, if you’re always talking about real estate, then that’s a sign, what do you talk about?

7. What do people complement you on?

What do others say you’re naturally good at?  Do people love to hear you sing?  Design is a sign of purpose.  Trees don’t talk and elephants don’t fly.  How you’re designed is a sign.  It’s a sign of how you should be spending your time.  When you spend your time doing what you do best, then you will succeed.

In Closing

These are seven signs pointing you in the direction of your gifts.  You want to discover your “dominant” gifts; these are the gifts where you can have the greatest impact.  If you haven’t yet discovered your purpose, its okay, keep studying these keys, you will eventually discover your purpose and begin to live on purpose.

 

photo credit: sedonameditation

Give of Yourself…

I found this interesting story on the healyourlife blog, and wanted to share it with you.

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“I also owned a few restaurants when I moved to Toronto in the early ’60s,” Roger added. “It was very hard getting started, but once we were rolling, it was a great success. I remember that my accountant always had a problem with how much I spent on ingredients. My food costs were somewhere around 44 percent, which was much higher than anywhere else. If you think of a low place, like a fast-food restaurant, the food cost is about 17 percent or less; while most good restaurants would be around 28 percent.

“So there I was with incredible expenses, but my tables were always full. My accountant came in and said, ‘Roger, your costs are way too high! You have to cut down because you don’t make enough money.’ Well, I looked at him and said, ‘Martin, I never made so much money in my whole life.’ He tells me I could be making more—probably double. I said, ‘I don’t give a shit about your figures of how much I should or shouldn’t be making. My customers are happy and they keep coming back. And I’m happy, so why should I cheat these people out of what I give them?’ Martin accepted this because he saw that I did make money year after year. He promised to never tell me what to do again.”

“Raising prices might have forced people away, and you wouldn’t have been nearly as successful,” I pointed out.

“Exactly. That is why the logic of accountants is not necessarily the logic of God, who says that we must give everything to everything. Do you know what I mean by that?”

“I think I do. It means not to hold back; give more than just your money—your energy and passion—as often as you can.”

Roger nodded. “God doesn’t keep lists of percentages and figures. He cares about our essence and, of course, sharing that essence. Jesus talked about the woman who gave a few pennies and that her gift was so much greater than the man who gave a large sum. Why? Because it was all the money she had, and it was a sacrifice to give it away. The rich man may have given more, but it didn’t cost him anything. He didn’t feel it in the same way.

“The woman gave her essence because she believed that it would return to her. This is also why Jesus challenged his disciples to sell what they had and give the money to the poor. I don’t know if he really meant that we have to be poor ourselves; it was more of a spiritual lesson about the importance of giving all the time.

“That’s the beauty of food as well. Do you think an apple or a carrot holds back when it offers itself to us to eat? They give their essence because they know that it will then live within us. When we give our essence to another, it continues on through the life of another. That is the logic of God.”

 

photo credit: University of New Hampshire