3 Questions to Help You Find Purpose in Your Life

Feeling defeated by a lack of motivation? Striving for something more, but not sure how to attain it? Trying to find more purpose in your life?

While it may not feel like it right now, if you’ve been pondering these questions, you’re in a good spot.

Realizing that life isn’t giving you what you’re looking for (or that you’re not looking for the right things) is a profound revelation that many people have trouble arriving at in the first place. With this realization, you can dig further to ultimately come up with a plan that will take your life to the next level and hopefully help you find your purpose.

The following questions are meant to help you start that digging process and create new soil for the amazing life you deserve.

Looking for Your Life’s Purpose? Ask Yourself These 3 Questions

1. What makes you forget your appetite (in a good way)?

Think back to that time when you were working on a school project, cooking a new recipe, crafting something out of paper or cloth, or even exploring a new city — when you were so enthralled by what you were doing that you totally forgot to eat.

It’s not often that this happens.

After all, for many of us, meal times are the highlight of the day. We look forward to the next one with keen anticipation, and whether we’re enjoying a delicious pasta dish at an outdoor Italian restaurant or a yummy hot dog on the sidewalk, we savor it while we can.

This, in fact, is the reason we should pay such close attention when we forget to eat — because whatever you’re doing during these times is probably something that truly drives you. The key is not to look at the activity itself but at the principles behind it.

For example, if you forget to eat when you’re working on household projects, it might not be that you love home-improvement so much, but that you actually love working with your hands. Think about these principles and figure out ways that you can apply them elsewhere in your life — perhaps to a full-time occupation, even.

2. What would your teenage self think of you now?

Think back to what you thought about older adults when you were a teenager. Certainly, not everything you believed to be true then actually is true. For instance, contrary to popular teenage belief, it is not awesome to stay up all night, every night, eating junk food and watching movies.

Still, your teenage self had a charm that you’ve probably lost in adulthood. They saw the world in a fresh way. They were probably more of a risk taker, and they likely believed fully in following your dreams.

So, think about how the teenage you would think of your life today. What would they be disappointed in? What would make them cry (in a bad way)? This exercise isn’t meant to rub in your failures or foster self-ridicule. Rather, it’s a way to see yourself from a unique perspective that is still yours. Perhaps your teenage self had a point when they said they would never be someone who … ?

Think about it, and fill in the blank.

3. If you had all the money in the world, how would you spend your time?

The first thing this question often elicits is a long list of things people would buy and places they would go on vacation. But that’s not what we’re actually talking about here. Instead, we’re saying that you’ve already done all that stuff — the shopping and the traveling and the living in luxury.

Now, what do you do?

For many, the answer is not so glamorous, and that’s the point.

For example, you might decide that you’d spend your days woodworking in your garage or playing with your dogs. Maybe you’d create a community garden or start reading a book a day. Perhaps you’d homeschool your kids or finally get to work on that online bachelor’s degree you’ve always wanted.

Search your heart for these desires — the more mundane, everyday ones that actually make life special. Then, decide if they’re doable. You’d be surprised at how often they’re not only doable, but they’re very doable — as in, you could start today.

For many people, it’s not easy to identify life’s purpose and the unique passions that drive you as an individual. It may take time and lots of starts and stops.

Don’t let that discourage you.

Life is all about trial and error. Many of the most successful men and women throughout history have failed far more than they have succeeded. In the end, all of the attempts you make at living a more meaningful life will be worth it. It’s all grist for the mill.

So, what are you waiting for? Start digging for your life’s deeper purpose today.

Photo by Jill Wellington from Pexels

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