Finding Your True Purpose in Business, Part 2

Finding your life purpose is a critical element to your success, as I explained last week. But determining exactly why you're here and what you're meant to do isn't always easy. That's why today, I'm going to give you some steps that you can take to help you figure it all out.

Meditate

Meditation is one of the greatest tools at your disposal. Meditation is wonderful for stress release and it allows you to think with increased clarity. So the first step to discovering your purpose is to meditate. You don't have to meditate for long to experience the benefits - your goal isn't to become a Zen master here, it's to clear your mind and get in touch with your core self. So just take 5-10 minutes a day and meditate, focusing on your breathing, and clear out the cobwebs. Once you add meditation to your daily routine, you may discover that you already feel more grounded and centered and are able to tap into your life purpose much more easily.

Take an inventory

Next, you're going to take an inventory of your life. Look back on your entire life. What activities or themes have been consistent throughout your life. For example, when I looked back over my life, I realized I've always been a teacher and a writer- these things have been important parts of my life, from the moment I could communicate. So sit down with a pad of paper and a pen and start writing. Start at the beginning - go back as far as you can remember - and write down anything about you that holds true today, whether it's activities, roles, or personality traits. When you feel that your list is complete, go back over it and eliminate anything you've written down that doesn't resonate with you as a part of your purpose. This step requires that you tap into your intuition and your deepest feelings, and that you're honest with yourself.

Ask for help

If you're having trouble with your inventory, ask people who know you and care about you to help you. Ask them what they see as the most consistent activities or themes that have always been present in your life. Beyond that, ask them about characteristics that are important parts of your personality and life, then compare their answers and see what themes emerge.

Do some soul-searching

Spend some time looking within and asking yourself what you've always loved. What comes naturally to you? What activities are easy for you or seem to flow effortlessly? What are you passionate about? Focus on the inventory you took as well as the response you received when you asked for help, but allow your mind to wander further and see what else comes up.

What comes next?

Once you've gone through these steps, a few consistent activities, roles, or themes should emerge. If you still aren't certain that you have a direction to follow, it may be useful to hire a coach who specializes in helping clients discover their life purpose to help you figure things out.

Next week, I'll conclude this series by show you how to pull it all together and talking about what to do once you've discovered your life purpose. Stay tuned!