How To Find Your Passion And Purpose In Life [Guide To Living A Purpose Driven Life]

How To Find Your Passion And Purpose In Life [Guide To Living A Purpose Driven Life]

Purpose: one of the most important words on the planet. This word means different things to different people. Whatever your definition may be, you are right. For the sake this discussion, permit me to define purpose.

For me, purpose is an intention, an aspiration or a target you want to meet or achieve. A lot of people have lived, made money, and died without realizing what their purpose is not to talk of accomplishing it. With this awareness, you may want to ask, how do you know you are living a purposeful life? Before I answer this question, let us take a brief look at some characteristics of a purpose-driven person.

Traits of a purpose-driven person

When you see a man living his purpose, you will notice that

• He has a reason for every action he takes, and he takes responsibility for whatever may be its outcome.
• He is focused and doesn’t sway until he achieves his aim
• He is consistent in all his doings; he never backs out till he reaches his finish line.
• He is diligent
• He has self-control
• He is humble
• He can stand for something even if he has to stand alone
• He understands the need for team work
• He learns from his failures.

Some people already know what their purpose is, thanks to God. If you are yet to find out yours, it’s never too late. The following questions will help; try answering the following questions honestly

• What do you do with your life?
• Do you derive joy from what you are doing?
• Do you want to do more for the world?
• How many people has my life affected positively?
• Are there ideas in your mind that you want to let out so the world can benefit from?
• Do you have a longing to serve?

If yes is your answer to most of these questions, then you are on the right path to finding your purpose.

Discovering purpose

Many people believe that everybody is pre-destined to live for a particular reason while others believe any purpose can be chosen and pursued by any individual.  What is your point of view? I can’t say you are wrong. For me, I believe in both and I feel the pre-destined purpose comes in the form of passion and talents.

Most times, our purpose comes in form of passion so before you embark on the journey of finding your purpose, you first have to be able to pin-point your passion.

What is passion?

Passion is anything you can do or wish to do with deep emotion and determination. It is something you find really exciting to do. Before you can say you have passion for something, you must be able to ask yourself these questions and answer them correctly.

1. What can I spend more than half of my day reading about with great excitement on the internet
2. What can I do joyfully for years without receiving payment?
3. What can I dedicate all your life into doing that I won’t have to regret?
4. Where can I push in all your money and be happy I did?

Passion has to do with you, what you love, what you find exciting and what you can give a better part of your life for. The area which your answers refer is the area of your passion.

How to discover your purpose

1. Look within

The first place to look for your purpose is inside you. What do you love to do, does that thing affect people positively, if it does, it could be your purpose. It is always better if you find your purpose in your interest or talent because it will be easier and fun to accomplish.

2. Look out for your interests

The things you love or would love to do or learn can also be a hiding place for your purpose. Some people love public speaking, photography and the rest; most times people who have a special liking for this kind of activities usually find their purposes attached to their object or activity of interest.

If you have tried these two options and you still cannot lay your hands on what your purpose may be, try the third.

3. Learn about different areas

Options 1 and 2 have to do with discovering your purpose but this is not so easy for everyone. If you are in this class, you may want to choose your purpose yourself. Take out some ample amount of time and reads about diverse topic on the internet and look out for any that will pick your interest. When your purpose is not embedded in your talents and your interest, it could definitely be hiding in a corner you are yet to learn about. When you find it, feel free to develop it to whatever level you want to.

After laying your hands on your purpose, what next?

It is not just enough to find a purpose, there is more to it. When you find an interest that looks like it could possibly be a purpose to you, you have to put it to test. The major aim of this step is to help you confirm if it is really for you.

You can get this confirmation by asking yourself some of these questions:

1. Do you like it?
2. Will you give yourself to it willingly and tirelessly?
3. Do you have or are you willing to acquire all the skills you need to help you do it well?
4. Does it impact the society positively?

No matter how good the idea of your passion may be, if it does not affect other people positively, it is not worth pursuing. Your purpose is not just for you alone, it is for everyone around you.

Benefits of living a purposeful life

Living a life of purpose does not just benefit the society alone, it has a way of changing every aspect of your life for the better. Living purposefully helps in the following ways:

1. It makes you see the world from a more positive perspective
2. It helps you plan and shape your life
3. It gives you the opportunity to leave your footprints in the sands of time
4. It makes waking up more exciting because you know that you are waking up to become better
5. It makes you live a focused life; having your eyes on your purpose keeps every distraction away
6. It helps you live a more accountable life
7. It helps you live for what matters the most (touching lives) and this is the true source of fulfillment.

Must your purpose always be your career?

No. your passion must not always be your career. If you already have a career that you like and it is paying you well, continue it. However, you are free if you choose to make your purpose a career; it will always be a reason for you to always push to make it work. Before making this decision, you have to be very enlightened and informed about the opportunities and risks involved.

Steps to take in fulfilling your purpose

To fulfill your purpose, you have to put a lot of things in place especially if it is something that is new to you. Try these steps to improve yourself your chances of fulfilling that wonderful purpose The Lord has given to you:

1. Read books related to your purpose
2. Meet up with others in the same field
3. Talk to experts and attend seminars
4. Make a plan
5. Get a team that will help you execute your plan
6. Source for startup finances
7. Get started.

Tips on living a purposeful life

There are a lot of people who found their purpose but were unable to fulfill it. Some did not have the courage to start while others started but could not persevere. With the following, I believe you will be able to live your purpose to the fullest.

1. Take out doubt

Once you have gotten a confirmation on your purpose, move into it. Too much deliberations and considerations will only kill the zeal. Do not doubt, the presence of doubt will only reduce your chances of succeeding. You are good at it, you know that.

2. Persevere

Every winner knows what it means to hang on. Hang in there no matter what till you get to your destination.

3. Take your eyes off the money

The monetary profit should not be your main aim, touching people should. There are more fulfillments in impacting lives than in making money and if you are good at what you do, it will always find a way of paying off.

4. Take responsibility

Man up and take decisions, also be responsible for the decisions you take. If it turns out well, thank God but if it does not, handle it and do not try to push the blame around.

5. Encourage yourself

The journey will not be all smooth but it will definitely be worth it. Always tell yourself that you will definitely get there. Speak positive.

6. Gracefully face the challenges

Do not let the challenge push you out the game; there can be no trophy if there are no hurdles. Overcome your challenges with a positive attitude and do not forget to learn from them.

7. Believe in yourself

No one can trust a man who does not trust himself. To get people to join you in getting to that place you want to, believe that you have all it takes to get there. Never forget, you are your #1 fan.

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