5Step Into your purpose

People go through life trying to navigate what their purpose and life path truly is. Whether they’re moving into higher education or are experienced professionals, the question of understanding and following one’s gifted passion is difficult to clearly define and articulate, much less take action on it.

Ask someone “What do you want to do?” and you’re often met with a blank stare. On the surface what we love and want out of life seems like it is simple to answer, but it rarely is.

Many of us have been on cruise control, caught up in the “shoulds”: I should stay here because my family says my profession is reliable, I should stay in this stable job, I should stay in this industry because it’s where I’ve spent my career, I should be happy with what I have instead after going after what I really want. The problem with this type of thinking is that you may not be aligned with your purpose, and you feel unfulfilled.

If you’re ready to live by design and not default you can drop the baggage about who you “should” be and what you “should” do, you can move down these five steps that form a path to your purpose.

You-niquely Made

In order to find your true calling, you have to get really clear on who you are, what are your strengths and gifts? This may require some re-programming to get past what other people-your parents, spouse or others think you should be and start writing your own story. Instead of seeking external validation and direction, you must start to tune into your own inner voice. Prayer is a great starting point, but you also need to be still and listen. Meditation can be one way to access your authentic self if you’re having difficulties.

I’ve found that a few questions can provide a good starting point to getting a clearer picture of who you really are:

· What am I good at?

· What would I do effortlessly, even when I am not being paid?

· What do my friends and family come to me for help with?

· What am I doing when I feel like I’m in the flow?

Face the Fears

Fear-false evidence appearing real. It’s a sneaky, often subtle emotion that keeps you stuck. Stuck in a job you dislike, a relationship that isn’t working, stuck from striving for better or more positive things in your life. When fear is in the driver’s seat, you’re not in control of your life. Fear keeps you from believing that what you’re dreaming of is possible. It’s your inner critic saying you’re not enough, don’t have enough and can’t achieve what you want.

In order to remove fear and get back in the driver’s seat, you have to confront the fear, remember God’s promises and look past the constraints it currently has on you.

Here are some questions to get you thinking about what could be possible if you can push past your fears:

· What would I do if I knew I could not fail?

· What have I wanted to do but been too afraid to do?

· What do I believe is preventing me from following my dream?

· What does my ideal day look and feel like?

Make a Difference

A funny thing about our purpose is that it’s almost always tied to other people. What you’re meant to do on this earth isn’t just about making you happy, it’s about using your unique gifts to help others in some way. This sometimes deflates people because when they hear that, they feel like they have to do something on a national or global scale to have an impact. However, that is not the case. Start local-go global. Helping one person is making a difference. You may have a gift to inspire people through writing, designing beautiful spaces or cooking amazing food. Everyone’s purpose is different. What matters most is to understand and follow your own purpose and create impact using your own unique talents.

As you’re working through the questions to clarify your purpose, consider how you can make an impact on the world today and what kind of legacy you’d like to leave.

Be Mission Driven

Once you’ve gotten clear and let go of the baggage of fear and determined the type of impact you’d like to have on the world, it’s time to craft a personal mission statement. Take what you’ve discovered and see if you can put it into a few sentences –what you want to do, how you want to do it and why the world needs it. It just needs to be something that you can reference and that can help keep you on track as you make changes to fulfill your purpose.

It's not long and you shouldn’t be hard to recite. Your mission statement is going to be a work in progress. As you move towards the purpose that you have defined, your statement will evolve. Your mission statement should be a high-level plan to help you transition from where you are now to fully living in your purpose.

Take Action

Once you’ve done the work of determining your purpose, now it’s time to live it. The first step may be the hardest, but whether it means you find a new career, start a business, find a new place to live, revitalize a relationship or leave a bad situation-just do it. Perhaps you can’t dive into your new life because you need time to save up money or plan for a future move and that’s ok. Just start moving in that direction.

Living your purpose isn’t confined to one area of your life. Being your authentic self means that your personal life and professional life are congruent with your purpose. Here’s an example: let’s say you’re super passionate about working in banking as well as working to improve the education system. Your current job (that you love!) is in banking but you don’t get to work with kids. You could solve that by teaching youth about finance and budget, either at a local school or faith-based organization.

There are always ways to weave in your purpose. Sometimes it means a major life change, other times your purpose simply requires thinking outside the box and making small shifts.

God gave us the ability to make choices, but we have one life, stop living it for anyone other than your authentic self.