The Five Questions You Need to Ask Yourself to Discover Your Purpose

Happy September y’all! Hard to believe there’s really only four months of 2017 left…make them count.

I believe wholeheartedly that we’re not meant to wake up and go to jobs just to pay bills. You do what you have to do, sure, but there should be a greater purpose and reasoning behind it all if you’re not where you want to be. I don’t know about you, but I’m not trying to wake for the next 30 years working and waiting for 5 o’clock every day, or marking down the days until Friday. That’s canceled. Whatever I do, no matter how hard it gets, I want to do something that gives me joy and fulfillment, and helps others along the way.

A dear friend of mine recently came up to me, congratulating me on Imperfectly B, and stated, “I wish I knew what I was meant to do like you do.” Y’all. Our purpose is already within us, but we just have to do some self-reflection and consider what it may be. I was blessed to know mine at an early age, and others do too. However, some, like my friend, may be struggling to find what theirs is. There’s a few simple questions you have to ask yourself.

1. “What do I truly love and am great at?”

I’m not talking about something that you kind of enjoy doing, or kinda sorta are good at. I enjoy singing,  and I’m decent enough, but I’m not out here trying to be anybody’s Beyoncé clone. Nah, forget that. Life’s too short to spend time on something you kinda like. What really sets your soul on fire? For others, it may actually be singing or rapping. For me, it’s writing. What do you love learning more about? What do people tell you that you seem to have a real knack for? What comes natural? What brings you the most peace and joy, or sense of fulfillment? What automatically came to mind as you were reading this paragraph?

You got it in your mind? Okay, here’s my next question:

2. “What causes, beliefs, topics, or ideas do I connect with?”

Once you find what it is that you’re actually passionate about, find a specific niche. Let’s say, you know you’re great at connecting and speaking with people. What would you want to talk about or help with? Maybe it’s how to make the world a better place through political action, or inspiring people to live a better life as a motivational speaker. Maybe you want to help save lives in the medical field. It could be helping people to get their finances together, cuz the struggle is REAL out here, okay? Whatever your cause, make it something you actually like, not something you think will make the most money or get the most attention.

That leads me to my next question:

3. “How can I best implement it?”

So you have what you’re great at doing and you have a topic you want it to center around. The next question is how can you best share your work? Maybe it’s through serving at a specific company or organization. Maybe it’s through your own business. Maybe you want to develop a blog, YouTube channel or a podcast. Hosting your own events or even developing online courses are cool ideas, too. If you’re a musical artist, you might want to develop your own SoundCloud or Bandcamp (let’s get real…you NEED to!). Find a way that you’re best comfortable with, and go for it! 

4. “How can I make it my own?”

There’s so much of everything these days–bloggers, podcasters, artists, speakers, you name it. But what separates us all is simply our own voices. We all have our own individual thoughts and ideas, and our deliveries are all different too. Whatever you decide to do, however you decide to do it, you have to be yourself. Share what it is you REALLY think, in spite of public opinion. Use your real accent, slang, or mannerisms. Showcase your vulnerabilities. The things that you think are weird or quirky about you often are the very things that set you apart. Those are the things that other people find relatable. That’s how you can best connect and serve others, all while living out what you have a calling to do.

So here’s my final question, and it might be a little tough:

5. “Am I seriously willing to fight for this?”

I left this for last because it’s VITAL. When you really have discovered your life’s purpose, YOU. CAN’T. STOP. Literally. You might try, but, in spite of all that rises up against you, you can’t seem to let it go. Through all of the rejection, all of the long nights, all of the stressing, all of the days working a job you don’t like just so you can still work on your actual dream. I don’t say that to deter you, but the hardships will come. There ain’t no way around it. If your goal is something you’re flaky about, or give up at the first hint of trouble, that’s not what you’re meant for. You may have some setbacks, and times when you’re discouraged and want to quit, but you can’t ever find it in you to quit. So you keep on going. You keep on learning and growing and working, because it’s what you’re truly meant to do.

Do you know what your purpose in life is? Are you considering now what it might be? Share your thoughts in the comments below!