Why do you exist?
Remember: this is a process, not an event, and it requires:
- Authenticity
- Introspective reflection
- Discovering what is inside you
Now it is time to pause, reflect, and evaluate.
What do you care deeply about?
Ask yourself…
- What is my deepest passion?
- How am I wired? What makes me tick?
- If I could meet any need in the world, what need would I meet?
- If I do not meet these needs, who will?
What have you achieved?
Ask yourself…
- What have I done uncommonly well?
- What do I do so well that I would enjoy doing it without pay?
- What do I find so fulfilling about it?
- What do I want to be doing for the next 10 or 20 years?
- What gifts have been given to me that I want to use?
- What abilities do I have that others tend to notice and affirm?
- If I could give a “how to” seminar to a group, what topic would I choose?
- What single word best describes the area in which I am both interested and gifted?
The more questions you can answer, the greater the number of clues you’ll have to help you reveal your life purpose.
Where do your passion and competence intersect?
As you go through the above exercises, what one or two words continually surface for you? Whatever word or words you discover, they should give you direction in completing the following important sentence:
The reason why I exist is…
Remember, the more concise your purpose statement is, the better. An accurate and short purpose statement will be easier for you and others to remember.
Further help
If you need more help to find your life purpose, best-selling author John Maxwell, in his book Good Leaders Ask Great Questions, suggests the following questions and describes what each will reveal:
- What makes me sing? Your answer reveals what brings you joy.
- What makes me cry? Your answer reveals what touches your heart.
- What makes me dream? Your answer reveals what sparks your imagination.
- What makes me excel? Your answer reveals your strength.
- What makes me different? Your answer reveals your uniqueness.