How to ignite your purpose in life:12 sensational ingredients you were not told

What is your purpose?

Your purpose in life is the reason you exist. It’s what gives you fulfilment.

Discovering your purpose in life is discovering your uniqueness as a person. This is probably one of the most important questions people often ask. Everyone has a purpose. You’ve got to kick start yours!

Why you should discover your purpose for yourself.

Everyone should have a road map in life.

We all aspire to do something, how and when we want to do it and which people would help us get there. Otherwise, other people will make that choice for you and you may not be fulfilled in life.

 

The richest place on earth is the cemetery because it holds many passionate people who did not live purposeful lives.

                                           -Myles Munroe       

Purpose gives meaning to your life. I don’t think you want to  be “living dead”.

This is for those who know they have more to offer in life. Those who have a story to tell. Those who dare to think they can impact the world. They are those who can.

 

Let’s go down memory lane for a bit

Remember when you were a child and you wanted to be a doctor, soldier, preacher, lawyer? We dressed up on Career Day in school proudly showing off our career uniforms while our parents and teachers took pictures. We watched all the cartoons, TV commercials and some celebrities we admired and thought to ourselves, “One day, when I grow up, I’m going to change the world”.

Now you’re all grown up (to the stage where you should have been successful in that career or at least be doing something in line with that) and for some reason, you buried your passion in the sand.

The good news is, it’s not too early or too late to live a purposeful life. Don’t put it off and live to regret it later.

Read also: 20 things you’d regret in life by Uncle Ebo Whyte

Know that you’re passionate about that dream for a reason. It was put in your heart for a season. It may have been buried for a long time but it’s still there.

Now, the big question. How do I discover my purpose in life? 12 practical ways

1. Enquire from God.

Only the manufacturer knows the use of an item. Be specific in asking and be expectant to know what it is. Don’t end at prayers. Be sensitive!

 

 

God created you as an original. Don’t live by someone else’s manual.

-Emmanuella Obeng-Koranteng

Your purpose in life is to know God.

 

2. Note some positive trends in your family.

Yeah, I know. Before jump at me, I don’t mean to say that you should just follow the ladder. Off course we’re all different but there are some talents that run through the family. Some are music, medical practice, writing or academia.

 

2. Spend some time reflecting on yourself.

This doesn’t mean cutting everyone off. Get to know yourself better. Your strengths and weaknesses. The happiest moments you have ever experienced in your life. That joy or the pain, the sadness.

 

 

Your strengths and weaknesses don’t define you. They influence who you choose to be.

-Emmanuella Obeng-Koranteng

 

 

Do it for joy, not for money. You can never get paid enough for being you.

-Emmanuella Obeng-Koranteng

 

4. Be mindful of problems in your environment.

Not everyone sees problems as problems. Your purpose in life solves a particular problem(s).

Helping others or your society solve problems can help you find your purpose in life.

Don’t say it has all been done. No one will be able to do it the way you can! Go for it!

 

Everything has beauty. Not everyone can see that.

-Confucius

5. Push yourself out of your comfort zone.

There comes a stage in your life when you have to do things for yourself. Change can be scary because of uncertainties. Only people who dare to get there take the risk— purpose-driven people. This requires courage and wisdom. I mean, it’s ridiculous to jump off of a 5-story building and think you’ll float somehow, without using a plane.

 

 

If it’s doable, it should have been filtered through wisdom.

–Emmanuella Obeng-Koranteng

 

6. Take note of the compliments you receive from others.

Some compliments may sound like a cliché but wear the positive compliments on your face. Well done! You’re really good at this! You should consider starting this as a business! I’d pay for your book or to attend your concert! That’s a rare gift!

However, don’t let the compliments puff you up and go about bossing everyone around.

Your character matters! Beware!

They can suggest who you can be but their opinions are not conclusive in themselves.

 

7. Be accountable to a trusted higher authority

We are all prone to slipping off the path and we need someone to prompt and help redirect us to get there. We build character by overcoming challenges in life but to avoid making the same mistakes over again, we need people. People who can look you straight in the eye and say, “You’re wrong!” or “Talk to me, I know there’s something on your mind”.

 

8. Expect disappointments.

The root of many problems in life, I believe are disappointments. Then trust is affected. Then we shut out the world and live in suspicion. Sometimes, we get disappointed not because something did not happen but because it did not happen the way we expected it to.

It will probably not be the last time that happens. You need people! You can’t get there alone. Trust God and learn to work with people.

 

9. As said earlier, pay attention to your childhood dreams.

Unfortunately, not everyone had a good childhood experience. Guess what, you still have a chance to make things better. Your dreams may change over time, but there may be something worth considering in it. Whether good or bad, your purpose can be unfolded as long as you realize it. Revive it. That’s the beauty of life.

 

10. Understand that discovering your purpose is a process.

Some things just take time. Stop fretting over when and how it will happen. What if something goes wrong? Do I have really had what it takes to get there? How do I get the resources to start? Where do I begin?

There are more critics in the world than encouragers.

It may be difficult to believe in yourself but believe in the one who placed that passion in your heart. Believe God enough to override the critics and stay with positive people. People who challenge you and help you grow and reciprocate love.

Just do it afraid. You will meet the right people. People who will appreciate what you do and how far God has brought you. Such people are keepers.

This is a bonus. The most common advice I’ve received from influential  people in my niche (Thank me later!)

11. When you finally discover your purpose in life, the meaning for your existence, don’t get overly excited and quit your day job.                                                                 

Get enough information and exposure in your niche to decide when you can actually launch it out into a full-time job and earn a decent income if you intend growing it as a business.

 

12. Finally, ask yourself, “What will you be remembered for in life?” 

Will people be able to tell how God used you to transform their lives?  Will the master be able to commend you by saying, “You good and faithful servant?”.

 

 

Take responsibility for your life and live it well. Discovering your purpose in life can only be done by you!

-Emmanuella Obeng-Koranteng

Related: Remarkable discovery: 25 lessons in 25 years