“Finding our purpose.” It’s something we all strive for – to be able to find that thing that sets your soul on fire, fulfills you, and simultaneously makes a positive impact on the world around you.

But how do we go about finding out purpose? It’s no easy undertaking, and definitely a journey. But that’s just the thing: once you get started on the path to figuring out your purpose, you’re already well on your way. The first step is to just start. 

To help you get started, I’ve chatted with some of the female entrepreneurs and boss ladies in my own personal community that I really look up to, both as business owners and as strong women, and asked them for their advice. (You may be familiar with some of them, too!)

Below, seven fierce women share their stories of passion, as well as tips for how YOU can get started finding your own path to purpose.

Liz Fogarty of Elizabeth Fogarty Photography

How did I know this was what I wanted to do? Easy, I wake up happy to go to work. On Sunday, I am PUMPED to start the week off. In the age of the internet, anything IS POSSIBLE. Yes, it might take years of hustle but it’s so worth it. Start with what you like. What sets your soul on fire? What kind of schedule do you want to have? Yes, you might have to keep your 9-5, but what you do at 7pm will determine how bad you want it. If you are watching Netflix marathons instead of making your dream come true, stop complaining.

Allison Burns of AllieMarie Design

When started to feel a pull toward going out on my own after taking on some side projects and dipping my toes in the freelance world. I quickly realized that I not only loved design… I loved working one-on-one with clients, developing those relationships, and the idea of building something from the ground up, on my terms. That’s when I knew I wanted to do this small business thing.

My advice? Follow your intuition and trust that it won’t lead you astray. Don’t be afraid to say “yes” if an interesting opportunity falls in your lap (big or small), even if it feels a little scary — you never know where it will lead. Take time to actually practice your craft and know that slow and steady growth is amazing growth.

Erica Ligenza of ComingUpRoses.com

I feel so blessed and got so lucky in being able to make Coming Up Roses my full-time job, in that it wasn’t exactly something I could *force* into existence – I have the absolute best community of readers, so it’s all to their credit that I was able to take CUR off the ground over the years!

I knew this was what I wanted to do, though, when I couldn’t think about anything else. I’d be in college classes…focusing on CUR. In extracurricular meetings…writing for CUR. In my free time…CUR. Everything pointed back to it, and I think it was because I was (slash am) so dang passionate about every facet of it! (OK – almost every facet 😉 ). If I was working on one project but automatically thinking about how much I wanted to be working on CUR, that was a pretty clear indicator of what I wanted to do.

At the core, though, I think it really comes down to identifying what you want your every day life to look like, on a task-basis. That was how I first narrowed down the field of thought I wanted to be working within (marketing!); I went down the list of questions like, “Could I be a doctor? No – I hate blood. Could I be a teacher? Nope – I don’t think I have the patience. Next!” Until I landed on something that felt most in line with me.

From there, I broke it down even more to specific types of jobs or roles – but then CUR kinda took over from there since it’s such a unique microcosm being in influencer marketing! So at that point, break it down to actual, everyday tasks that feel most purpose-driven. What lights you up to make you feel so obsessed that you forego all of your other responsibilities (or feel like forgoing – ha!) to focus on it? Do you want to be talking to people all day long? And in person, or online? Would you rather look at spreadsheets, or vision boards? Are you more of a decision maker, or someone who wants to collaboratively throw thoughts around and up in the air?

Go through questions like that to find what lights you up the most, and what makes you feel so fulfilled that you find yourself choosing it over any other task, when given the option. Find what makes you feel like you’re truly THE person for the job – like you’re finally using your skills, talents, abilities, thoughts, etc in a way that no one else really can in that moment, to make it happen as it’s meant to happen. I think in that lies your purpose!

Don’t wait any longer to create the life you’ve always imagined for yourself. Grab your free assessment here, and get started on finding your OWN purpose, and Reason for Being today! 

Helene Sula of HeleneinBetween.com

I come from a family of writers and entrepreneurs. My whole life I always knew I wanted to start something great but couldn’t put my finger on what that was. Until I fell 20 feet rock climbing and couldn’t move much so I started a blog. As soon as I started, it’s as if a light bulb went off and I knew this was what I was meant to do. At first, I worked hard to make it on my own. But even with my background in social media and marketing, I knew I needed help. I ended up taking some photography and business courses that totally changed the game for me. 6 years later I’m a full time blogger! My husband now works with me full time, we moved abroad, and I employee two other people. It’s a dream come true.

Sophie Felts of Sophie Felts Floral Design

For me – I literally just became obsessed with flowers overnight. I saw a beautiful arrangement on Pinterest in a style that I had never seen before and decided then and there that this is what I wanted to do. My advice would be to be open to falling in love with something and then just go for it. Once you find a path, make a decision to try to become the best at that thing in the whole world!

Kait Hanson of Communikait.com

[What I’m doing now] is so far from what I ever thought I “wanted to be when I grew up”. I went to school for sports PR and that’s where all of my internships were focused, so becoming a travel writer wasn’t even on my radar! When I moved to Hawaii and found myself in a state without professional sports teams, I really needed to recalibrate my compass and decide what truly made me happy in life.

I think so much of what determines our success in life is figuring out a happy balance between what sets us on fire professionally and simultaneously fills our soul. It’s great to make money, but finding purpose is so much more rewarding. With writing full time, I’m able to combine my love of the written word with connecting to people, visiting beautiful places and giving myself a flexible work schedule. It essentially combines everything I love in life, which often makes me feel like I have the best ‘job’ in the world.

Ashley Herrinton of The Herrinton’s Wedding Videography

Sometimes I think it’s just one of those “when you know, you know” moments!…The creative bug bit me at an early age. I had a nice camera and had been the “girl that always took pictures of everything” in my friend group before Ty [Ashley’s husband – they run the business together!] and I got married. Once we were actually married, I realized that I would practically never see Ty if I didn’t join the business because he was scheduled to be gone every weekend for months already. His first wedding after we were married was in the Bahamas less than a month after our wedding. That’s the first wedding we shot together and we’ve been shooting together ever since! We kind of stumbled into the video side of it, but once we started shooting more filmmaking work, we KNEW that’s what we wanted to do. The creativity of it is just so different than photography. And both of our brains just work way better in that way – capturing things as they happen to build a full story line vs. directing and calling the shots.

As far as advice for other entrepreneurs that are looking to find their purpose – I would say just start taking notes of things that you find yourself being drawn to most. For some that may be writing, which can easily translate to blogging. For others it may be fashion or styling, which could lead to a lifestyle blog. Or even something more specific, like business coaching from a corporate experience background. Or utilizing a college degree like accounting but working for yourself as an accountant for creatives! There are SO many options! I truly do think entrepreneurship is the way of the future! I think that anyone could create a profitable business out of whatever they may be passionate about.

But my biggest piece of advice in getting it off the ground, is to join some kind of group or networking community with other likeminded entrepreneurs that are already working in the type of business or doing the kind of work that you want to be doing! For one, there’s no better referral source than that. When people KNOW you and KNOW what you’re passionate about, they are more likely to refer you! And that’s your greatest asset when you’re just getting started! I also think it helps you grow personally the most!! It also forces you to never stop learning!

How’s THAT for inspiration, am I right? But if you’re still not sure where to begin, or if you want to jumpstart your journey to finding your purpose, or your “Reason for Being,” as I like to call it, then I have a helpful resource for you: It’s a free 9-page worksheet assessment to walk you through several important questions that will help you narrow down your areas of interest, your skills, your passions, and how you can make an impact on the world.

Don’t wait any longer to create the life you’ve always imagined for yourself. Grab your free assessment here, and get started on finding your OWN purpose, and Reason for Being today!