…and start making positive change.

 

“It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things.” — Leonardo da Vinci

 

Life is a beautiful dance between the energy of the universe and our free will to make choices and move things forward. Sometimes the universe leads the dance, sometimes our free will takes the lead, but both dancers need the energy of the other.

So you might want to keep this in mind if you’re trying to figure out your life purpose. When you ask, “What should I do with my life?”, what do you do next? Do you sit on the sofa at home, waiting for the answer to come knocking on your door, or do you get out there into the world to look for it?

While it’s possible that everything comes to she who waits, in my experience everything comes a great deal sooner to she who gets off her backside and does something. Get out and try things. Learn. Explore. Generate some momentum.

life purpose 1I visualise the process as being like an alchemist concocting a potion. He roams through the world, gathering rare ingredients to bring back and add to his cauldron. As you search for the answer as to your life purpose, you are the alchemist, and your mission is to gather the ingredients for your perfect life.

You try an activity, and you learn that you like one aspect of it but not another. So you take the aspect that you like, and you put it in your pot. You try a new job, and find that you like the intellectual challenge of it, even though the company doesn’t feel like the right fit for you. So the fact that you enjoy an intellectual challenge goes into the potion. You join a new group, and find kindred spirits whose lifestyles you admire. You ask questions to learn how they got to where they are, and take those lessons and add them to the cauldron.

Then, one day, probably while you’re thinking about something else entirely, there is a loud bang and a puff of smoke and an answer rises like a genie from the bubbling cauldron of your subconscious.

Sounds like magic? Well, maybe it is…. just a little.

Tips for finding your life purpose

life purpose 3Here are a few pointers that may help:

  1. Follow your curiosity. If something piques your interest, explore it. Immerse yourself in it for a while and see what you find.
  2. Notice what is in your peripheral vision. Even while you are moving in one direction, observe what is going on around you. If you maintain too rigid a focus on your destination, you may miss all kinds of interesting things that lie a little way off your path. Soften your focus.
  3. Suspend judgment. Be childlike in your openness to new experiences and ideas.
  4. Be brave enough to “fail”. If you try something and decide not to stick with it, that is not failure, it’s a learning experience. Let other people think what they will – this is your life and this is all part of your plan.
  5. Be true to your values. Whatever you may choose to do with your life, it makes a statement about who you are and what you believe in. So make sure that you are proud to stand by that statement.

This process takes time. The answer may not show up when you want it to. This can be frustrating, but keep the faith. Keep gathering the ingredients. Quieten your mind to allow your subconscious to get a word in edgeways over the constant chatter of your conscious. Be playful with the process of seeking, and the answers will come.

 

What’s your experience? Have you found your life purpose? How? Or are you still seeking? How does that feel? Please share!

 

(This article first appeared in Soul & Spirit Magazine earlier this year.)

(What? How come it’s Friday already? Nobody told me! Sorry this blog post is one day later than usual. Had a fabulous weekend in Budapest and got home late Monday night. So Tuesday felt like Monday, and yesterday I got really excited, working on new speeches for some upcoming events, and the day flew by. But hey, what’s a day here or there between friends?!)

 

 

2 Comments

  • Well Roz, so how do we all find where to start? ask the question – what is our potential, where do we look for this answer – good place to start is birth sign – you are the Goat, Earth, Saturn, Cardinal which is about activity, quality is about spontineity and fun, virtues about perseverance and organisation and long term view . Capricorn – ambitiuon, power, prestige, a difficult situation is a problem to be managed not terrified of,
    I think this covers most of what life is about eh!!
    Good luck and bwest wishes, Adrian

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