How to Find your Purpose
Finding your life’s purpose is probably one of the most important things you could embark on in your life. From little on we are bombarded with the question “what do you want to be when you grow up”. We are constantly looking toward the future and figuring out what we want to do. Even as adults, especially as moms who have older children, we can sometimes still be asking ourselves that question.
Even now as an adult I am still thinking about the question: “What do I want to do with my life?” I have gone through so many seasons in my life (See my post on Seasons in Mom’s Life). Currently, I now find myself in a season of transition.
My children are getting bigger. They need me in a different way, and I now find myself contemplating what do I want to do for the rest of my life. I am searching for my purpose in life outside of being a mom and wife.
What is purpose?
First of all, we need to define what purpose is. According to Webster’s dictionary purpose is: “something set up as an object or end to be attained: Intention. A resolution or determination. A subject under discussion or an action in course of execution.”
How do you get started with finding your purpose?
So, how do you get started with finding your purpose? First, you need to take a hard look at yourself. Ask yourself the following questions:
- What is out there for me to do?
- What do I feel called to do?
- What do I like to do?
- How do my skills and background fit into what I want to do for the rest of my life?
- What do I need to learn?
- What skills am I lacking?
- How do I go about deciding what to focus on?
Once you have answered all of these questions, you’ll have a clear picture of where you are at.
How to set goals based on your honest review of yourself
After taking a hard look at yourself and answered all the above questions you can then start to focus on your dreams. Don’t be afraid to dream big. Brainstorm different things, but don’t think “how in the world will I accomplish this?!”
You need to see what big goals you want to accomplish and figure out what is standing in your way. Once you’ve determined this, you can figure out what skills you need to learn in order to accomplish those goals.
I spent a couple of days on this step. As a child of God, I wanted to make sure my dreams were in alignment with God’s will and purpose for my life. I had purchased a product called “Grace Goals” written by Arabah Joy. She really helped me focus on the important things first. I spent time in prayer, reading the Bible and journaling.
I finally came away with my dreams for my life, what I wanted to accomplish and what my purpose is. I then sat down to write out my BIG goals, goals that would take more than a year to accomplish.
What skills do you need to learn?
But then, how do you decide what skills you need to learn? For me, I discovered that I truly did not know how to set a goal in order to actually accomplish it. If this is the year that I will actually accomplish my goals, then I better work on learning how to set goals in such a way that I can actually reach them.
The skills I need to learn are how to set goals that can be accomplished, how to find my why and what motivates me, how to change my habits, how to prioritize and manage my time effectively, and most of all how to stop procrastinating and just do what I need to do.
I then need to create a plan to make sure I am reaching my goals. So, I became a member of the Doing It Scared coaching group. I also read some books about goal setting and changing mindsets: Girl, Wash Your Face and Girl, Stop Apologizing, both books by Rachel Hollis; Your Best Year Ever by Michael Hyatt; The Power of a Half Hour by Tommy Barnett; The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod.
How to apply the skills you are learning?
Applying new skills takes daily practice and daily reminders. I find journaling early in the morning is what is helping me stay focused. I write out my goals every day so that I can stay focused on what I want to accomplish. With the Doing It Scared coaching group, I am learning how to plan out my year, month and week to make sure that what I am doing every day is bringing me closer to my goals. I have found that to stay motivated, I need to make sure that what I read and listen to helps me change my negative mindsets and my limiting beliefs.
I urge you to dream big, set goals, figure out what motivates you, find your why and don’t let negative mindsets or limiting beliefs stand in your way. Remember that you can learn new things, you can change your habits and you can accomplish big things. Please let me know in the comments below what your big dreams are and what goals have you established for this year.