3 Steps to Discovering
What’s Your Why in Life
Determining what our purpose is in life can be one of the hardest quests that we as humans
ever go on. I find these 3 simple steps useful to start exploring your feelings, thoughts and
what’s important to you which will help get you moving in a meaningful direction.
STEP 1 – UNDERSTAND THE PRINCIPLE OF CHOICE
“The greatest power we have is the power of choice. It is an actual fact, that if you have been
groping under unhappiness, you can choose to be joyous, instead. And, by effort, lift yourself
into joy. If you tend to be fearful, you can overcome that misery by choosing to have
courage. The whole trend and the quality of anyone’s life is determined by the choices
that are made”. Norman Vincent Peale
“Choosing” is the most important activity of your mind, because by making a choice, you are
proclaiming your desires to your subconscious mind. Once the subconscious mind gets to
know your desires, it is going to do anything to manifest them in your life. The choices you
make in your life become your goal. And, if you are determined in pursuing them, there is no
reason why you shouldn’t achieve them.
By contrast, indecision, not only creates frustration and anxiety, but can also confuse
the subconscious mind about what you want. It is important though, that the choices you
make are made by you, in alignment with your true desires, values and natural abilities. A lot
of us let others make choices for us, or make our choices according to what we think we
‘should do’, even if that means that we go against our wishes and sometimes our values.
What is right for someone else may not be right for you, and the way to know this is by
absolutely listening to what your heart and soul says.
So, to begin with, make a list of things which interest you; things which you have always
enjoyed, which make you feel better, which inspire you to surge ahead, no matter what
obstacles you face. Do you like doing something creative, or something artistic? Do you
enjoy nature? Do you like the sea? Do you enjoy helping others? Do you get pleasure out of
making a difference in other people’s life?
Whatever it is that interests you, write it down and answer these questions:
- What thing do you love to do?
- What is it that you love in this thing and why?
- How could you do this for money, and make a living out of it?
STEP 2 – CREATE YOUR UNDERLYING PRINCIPLE
The next step is to examine the list you just made and find out if there is any recurring
theme. Maybe, it’s making a contribution that keeps coming up, or there’s a creative and arts
theme? Perhaps it’s all about family or wanting to change the world and be an activist
making a difference. Whatever it is, try to identify the central theme of the things you love
to do, and try to put it in a short and precise statement. This will be your ‘Mission
Statement’. It may even be a quote by a famous person, or a philosophy that has influenced
you. Of course, this statement could evolve over time, but its likely its heart and soul will
remain the same. Now, write down your Mission Statement.
STEP 3 – ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH YOUR UNDERLYING PRINCIPLE
The final step is to think about how you can begin to align your daily life with your
underlying purpose and build in time to make some changes and do some of the activities
that you’re passionate about, that interest you and bring you joy and satisfaction. By
making these little changes in your lifestyle, you will start to be able to begin living this
principle out each and every day. It might take a few days, but by becoming aware and
intentional of this underlying principle of your life, you will certainly start to feel the
difference in your enthusiasm for life as a whole. If you realize that you love being out in
nature, get out more or take up a hobby to get you out more – much like I did with
paddleboarding recently! If you discover that you enjoy helping those in need, start to look
for opportunities to volunteer in your community. There is nothing better than focusing on
being of service to others to help you feel happier and better about yourself. On the other
hand, you might even want to change your job, or start a new business that is more in line
with your mission. Now that would be exciting, wouldn’t it? She says speaking from
experience🙌
Remember:
“You were put on this earth to achieve your greatest self, to live out your purpose, and to do it
courageously.” – Steve Maraboli
By following along with the steps outlined above, you will be on your way to finding and
living out your purpose and knowing from moment to moment why you are here.
It’s never too late to find your why, purpose and raison d’etre!💖
