Do you know your purpose?

If you don’t, don’t worry, because you are not alone! We all want to find our purpose – that thing that we are meant to do. The way we’re meant to serve others, make a difference in the world, and leave a legacy behind us that we’re proud of.

Why Finding Your Purpose Matters

Not to be dramatic or anything, but finding a sense of purpose in your life is everything. Finding your personal reason for getting out of bed every day, that empowers you on a daily basis, that allows you to feel like you’re making a difference in the world – that’s what it’s all about. When you find a true, authentic sense of purpose in your life, and you know that you’re doing work that’s meaningful to you – that’s where true fulfillment and joy comes from. And you gain all this confidence and happiness as a result of that.

The 2 Blocks That Keep Up from Discovering Our Purpose

But it’s difficult to find out what that thing is – to discover our purpose. For many of us, this becomes a quest that drives us in our lives – that quest for purpose. And usually there are two main things that keep us from discovering our true purpose, and living a life of fulfillment and greater impact.

1. Lack of Clarity

The first block is simply lack of clarity. “I don’t know what my purpose is. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do and how I’m meant to serve others.” Sound familiar?

Sometimes, we lack this clarity because we genuinely don’t know. But more likely, it’s because we’re not allowing ourselves the time and energy to figure it out. Or we’re letting other people and other people’s opinions get in the way of finding that clarity for ourselves of what our purpose is

We are so permeated today by other people’s opinions hitting us over the head on social media, on Instagram, on Facebook, at work, in our personal lives and our families. There are so many people telling us what they think we should do, what they think we should become, and how they think we should spend our time.

But here’s the thing: your time is, your most valuable resource. If you don’t like the way that you’re spending your time, it’s up to you to change it. It’s not up to anyone else to do that for you. People can tell you what they think that you should do and how you think you should spend your life, but at the end of the day, it’s up to you to figure out what you enjoy and WANT to do in your life.

And this is difficult. It’s hard to develop the courage to be honest about the things that you want for yourself. Maybe you come from a family of doctors and they’re expecting you to be a doctor and you want to become an artist. That’s great, but that’s hard. I get that. That happened to me.

My Story of Finding Clarity & Purpose

I, myself, decided that I needed to pursue “the traditional path to success” (whatever that means!) I decided I needed to work my way up the corporate ladder, and that was what was going to be the definition of success in my life. I don’t know where I got that idea from! And the way that I decided I was going to be “successful” (read: successful in the eyes of OTHERS) was on the corporate track, which meant eschewing other things in my life that I loved and that brought me joy and fulfilled my passion, like performing.

So when ended up happening to me was that after I graduated college, I didn’t even think about what I wanted and I started working in marketing. I was so out of touch with my authentic self, and so dialed into the judgement and perception of others. I moved away from home, I started a job that was “good” by any standards, and that led me to a track of working in marketing for about six years and really being pretty unfulfilled, hopping around from job to job and keeping that hopping around pattern because I was looking for something more.

And then in 2016, I found that thing that I was looking for, which was ultimately fulfillment and joy that comes from using your gifts and living a life of passion. I invited dancing back into my life, I discovered my local theater community, I started performing again, and it was like this whole part of me that I had just kind of turned off, I acknowledged. It shifted from something I had tucked away in my past, to something that was meaningful to me that I prioritize in my life and ultimately, led me to a life of fulfillment and happiness.

But I wasn’t able to figure that out when I was 21. I wasn’t able to say, “This is what I want for my life,” because I was so worried what other people would think. And I didn’t explore all my options because I didn’t have the tools, and I just went for what was easy and what was traditional. I don’t want that for you. But it’s so, so important for you to decide what you want, not what anyone else wants, what YOU want, and then work on making it happen.

Purpose is inherently a personal journey. And if you spend your life living it for others’ approval, you’ll never find it.

2. Fear

So usually when we don’t know what our purpose is, there’s two things that stand in our way. The first is lack of clarity. The second is fear. And what do I mean by fear? Well there’s many different kinds of fears that can prevent us from stepping into our authentic desires and pursuing our purpose.

There’s fear of stepping outside of our comfort zone. There’s fear of judgment by others if we do decide to go after this thing that we really feel like we’re called to do. There’s the fear of being isolated – “If I do choose to do that thing, what will my parents think? What will my friends think? What will my old tribe of people that I used to work with think?” And generally fear of doing something different…. because different can be scary! Change can be scary. Fear is a huge reason why we usually, consciously or subconsciously, are held back from finding and living our purpose.

One of the best ways to overcome this fear is to actively use your gifts. Use your talents. When you do those things that give you power, you feel powerful. You feel empowered to take on these crazy challenges in your life.

Second of all, if you find something that you want bad enough, fear is no longer an issue. When you want something more than you are afraid of it, that bravery comes to you naturally.

How Can I Find My Purpose?

So the question remains – if you’re struggling with one or both of those two blocks – what can you do to find your purpose, and start living a life of passion, joy, and fulfillment?

The first thing you can do is start putting in the work. Start the process of self-discovery and exploration to really figure out what YOU think your purpose is, and how your meant to serve others.

Because here’s the thing, you guys, and I believe this to my core: we all deserve to find work that we love. We all deserve to find work that fits within the greater values and priorities of our lives, and to feel like our life has value, and to know that we’re working towards something that’s greater and that our actions have an impact. We all deserve that. The best way to do that is by starting to tap into your power of purpose and figuring it out for yourself. So I’m giving you the tools to do that! And if you have any questions, you can always reach out to me right here.