4 Ways to Discover Your Life Purpose

I still remember the first job I wanted was to become a movie producer. I was in grade school and the teacher had asked everyone what they wanted to be when they grew up. At the time I wasn’t sure what to decide. Everyone gave their input as I sat there in question. I knew I liked writing but wasn’t aware of what careers related to it.(Besides being a Writer.) So by the time the teacher had asked me, I shouted the first answer that popped into my head. (Which was a Movie Producer.)

Most people don’t have a clue to what they want to do with their lives. Even after finishing High School and College, they’re walking the trail of self-wonder. They jump from one field to the other once they grow bored. Even when you get a job where you make a good living, you still question what to should do with your life.

Throughout the years, I wanted to be apart of a variety of careers such as computer science, physics, writing, comic book artist and at some point even a Fireman. Even with a business and a career as an IT, I still question my life passions and goals.

While I was at school, my main focus and attention was brought to what others wanted to me think and do. Most of the other students had chosen similar careers that would provide them financially stable lifestyles. It didn’t matter if they actually enjoyed the career.

So long as it was a smart economic decision and a career that wouldn’t make them utterly depressed, those choices were top priorities. Since my early teens, I was molded to believe that was the secret to success and how to find happiness.

But when I was temporarily placed into the food industry (for reasons too long to explain), it cleared my mind to what I wanted to do with my life. I was introduced to hard labor and worked in an industry that didn’t require using your full intelligence.

When you give your mind a time to break away from your everyday norm, it begins focusing on the bigger picture. Rather than using your brain to solve math problems or write papers, it’s forced to wrap itself around other aspects.

It could revolve around what you want to do as a career, goals you’d want to start, or your own version of happiness. When you’re stuck in a situation that constantly forces you to complete mindless tasks, you can’t help but dwell on life’s biggest questions at some point.

Whether I was either serving plates, cleaning the dishes or mopping the floor I always pondered about the bigger picture to what I wanted. Of course I knew serving people in the food industry was never my dreams. But I also knew the other ideas of success I picked up in school weren’t correct either.

The only time I had for a peace of mind was when I was working on my novels. That time belonged to me and gave me a center focus to think about my characters, my plot development, and overall story.

There’s a good chance you’re still struggling with what you want to do with your life. Unlike the past where people were either stuck as farmers, knights, and Kings, we struggle everyday trying to find a purpose. With a variety of choices to choose from, it’s simply too difficult to determine which is correct.

You may question what your passions are or what you see yourself doing for the rest of your life. And there’s no given time frame for when you suddenly know your interests. Whether you’re a preteen or an elderly person, your passions are a discovery that can’t be determined by thoughts alone.

When someone ask me what they should do with their life, I can truly never give them a certain answer. Despite what levels of research I conduct or what I can theorize based on your personality, the path to discovering your life purpose is to simply uncover it yourself.

You understand your mind chemistry by asking yourself a series of questions that narrow your choices. Because in reality, no one can say what’s important to you besides you. Your parents, friends, and partner have no idea what your passions are because they can’t feel your emotions or hear your thoughts.

1. Know Your Limit of Irritations

Chances are, you don’t like everything you have an interest in 100% of the time. Sure, you can be interested in a hobby for a limited amount of time but eventually it starts to suck after dealing with it for so long. Not that it’s your fault for thinking that way. It’s human nature to be narrowed minded towards a subject and to find it tiresome once it begins to strain us.

But if you were to simply drop everything you had a passion for due to mere stress, you’ll be stuck on a boat sailing nowhere. Instead, think about the activities you enjoy doing and everything that sucks about them. Think of the worse moments you had while doing it and the horrifying thoughts you experienced.

Now before shoving that passion out of the window, think about how much you can actually tolerate those emotions. Sure it will suck that you have to deal with the negative moments towards any passion.

For instance, being a writer means having to deal with writing continuously for hours and hours and editing your work the night before work. Despite my passion for writing, it does strain my body and mind. But I tolerate that part of the job because it’s an area I don’t mind dealing with. Yes, I do deal with criticism and rejection but that’s just another part of the job I can tolerate.

So before dropping a hobby because you’re experiencing hard times, actually think about other passions you’re interested in and question if you can handle those difficult moments. If you’re thinking about learning how to design video games but aren’t willing to practice dozen of hours just to correct a simple error code, perhaps that isn’t what you should thrive for. If you want to become a Doctor but don’t like the idea of studying every night for a decade, you won’t last long in medical school.

We like to give ourselves pleasant thoughts about what we want for our life purpose, but never think of the negative parts of those dreams. I had a friend who wanted to become a YouTube Star, but couldn’t handle the comments regarding their video. I had a friend who wanted to become a comic book artist, but wasn’t willing to deal with rejection. So think about what passion you’re willing to get into while also dealing with the crappy parts of it.

2. Know What Makes you Forget Time

It’s easy to get caught up with time while playing video games or spending time with friends. When I was younger (and sometimes even now) a habit I easily got caught into was binge watching a show I found interesting. It was never satisfying to only watch one episode at a time. I had to watch them all to feel completed. But that wasn’t really a good habit to suck myself into because it was only draining my productivity.

After pulling myself away from Netflix and my shows, what I realized was that it wasn’t just the story I cringed for. It was the excitement of investing my time into a character I related with and watch their journey until the end. That’s why I love writing fiction novels. I love watching my own characters take major challenges after each chapter and watching their development.

But perhaps you’re different than me. Maybe you like playing video games that places you in challenging situations. Or maybe you enjoy solving puzzle and questions most people are unable to solve. Look at the small mindless activities you enjoy and understand why you enjoy them. See the bigger picture of your excitement.

3. Break Out Of Your Daily Routines At Least One Time A Day

Life can become a repeating process for all of us (especially me sometimes.). We get home from work, sit on the couch, browse the internet and go to sleep. We eat the same foods every day and speak to the same people. This creates distractions and becomes a problem in our lives.

What most people do is wait for some kind of passion to approach them. They aimlessly hope that one day they’ll discover their passion. But you can’t start a fire by simply wishing for it. The way to discover any passion is by simply jumping into it and understanding what it’s about.

That’s why Tony Robins persuades people to stick with a new hobby they become interested in for 30 days before going into a new one. That way they’ll be certain whether they like it or not. Nobody can be certain about what they enjoy doing until they actually get into it and see its ups and downs.

When I was a child, I spent a lot of time outside writing in a personal notebook I had. I wrote stories not to please anyone but myself. I loved watching my characters travel the world and encounter challenging situations. That was one of the first moments I realized just how much I enjoyed writing and sharing my stories.

For you, maybe you’re into other activities such as drawing, coding, or helping others. But you won’t know until you add that interest to your schedule. At least once a day, try breaking your daily routine by trying something you’re interested in. If you want to play the instrument, spend five minutes just giving it a try. And if you like it, commit to it for 30 days to see the good and bad side of it.

It’s hard for us to break out of our usual schedule when trying something new, but once you get started it’ll be easier to stick with it. And if you’re not interested in it after 30 days, drop it and search for something else that interest you.

4. Throw Your Pride Into The Dumpster

Nobody can become a master at anything without looking silly a few times. What I learned through a variety of trails and errors is that you must face failure before transitioning into success. We learn through our mistakes and though it hurt at the time, they provide life lessons. But if you hold onto pride or the fear of what others will think of you, you won’t make it far.

If you’re thinking about doing something but afraid someone will criticize you for it, neglect those beliefs. Though pride has its positive moments, it can ruin someone who’s constantly afraid to do what they wants because of fear.

It’s always difficult to hear someone sharing their negative opinions about my work but I try to not let it affect me because it’s not their life, it’s mine. If success meant a lifestyle free of hate free and fun, there would be nothing special about it. Losers who lost their dreams are the ones who try to bring others down to their level.

So if you fail at something, don’t expect to disappoint anyone who truly matters to you. True relationships are the ones who are willing to pick you up during your darkest moments.

In Further Reflection….

If you’re still struggling about what you want to do or you don’t know what your life passions are, what helps people is reading a book about your inner conscious. Sometimes it takes investing your time and energy by digging deep into your soul and determining what triggers your emotions the most. A few books that can help are:

1. The Life You Were Born to Live: A Guide to Finding Your Life Purpose

2. The Four Purposes of Life: Finding Meaning and Direction in a Changing World

3. The Purpose of Your Life: Finding Your Place In The World Using Synchronicity, Intuition, And Uncommon Sense

4. What on Earth Am I Here For? Purpose Driven Life