Finding Your Purpose
Who am I? Why am I here? What do I do next? How do I do that?
Knowing who you are and why you are here are questions you probably will have in the future, still ponder now, or have had in the past. Pascal noted, “There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of each man which cannot be satisfied by any created thing but only by God the Creator, made know through Jesus Christ.”
Not only do Christ-followers questions their purpose for living, but so do all humans. Mark Twain aptly stated, “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.”
Ask two questions that become three areas to explore
Dr. Gregory Woodward identifies 3 areas of focus to find out who you are.
Three areas point toward a movement toward our true self.
1. The first is passion. Ask yourself this question, “Does my way of living fatigue me, or does it bring passion to my life? Can others sense my passion for life?
2. The second is energy. Are the effects of my life energizing to myself and to others?
3. The third area is contribution. Is my life aligned so that I can make my greatest contribution? When we are working in the areas of our strengths, we make the greatest contribution and we thrive.
Finding your purpose is essential. Others state a similar way to clarify your reason to live. Jonathan Milligan indicates that you need to identify why, who, and how before setting goals.
- your purpose (Why you are doing this? How do you best show up?)
- your people (Who will you serve? What do they need)
- your passion (What problem will you solve? What gives you energy?)
Look at the fruit on your tree
In addition, Mary Gallagher compares finding your passion to identifying the kind of fruit that you want to produce, related to your purpose.
If you were a tree, what is the fruit you would produce? In other words, what is your main gift to the world? What is your purpose? This may take some prayer and pondering to discern, but once you do you will gain significant clarity.
By exploring how you are uniquely created, you will know what to do next.
Martin Seligman, the acknowledged “father of positive psychology,” has defined emotional flourishing with the acronym PERMA — positive moments, engagement (being in flow), positive relationships, meaning and achievement. Achievement is necessary because without it, we do not develop mastery over our environment, which is key to developing independence and building self-esteem. Research has even found that people are happier doing “busy work” over doing nothing because of the mediocre feelings that result from not moving forward in any direction in life. The achievements can vary from person to person, however, and what matters to one person may not matter to another, but it doesn’t diminish that achievement.
By understanding the definitions of your purpose, your passion, and the people you want to serve, you will be equipped to fulfill the divine direction you need to clarify the present and the future. Now is the time to write down your answers to these questions raised. Map out your own life.
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