What is your Purpose? More times then I can remember I have been asked this question by friends and family. No doubt you’ve probably thought of this on numerous occasions as well. This is an important question that all of us face as we grow older and (hopefully) wiser.
Why are we so compelled to ask this question? Two reasons jump out at me more than any other.
1) We are inborn with a desire to find our purpose.
2) Society places strong importance on what you’ll be “when you grow up.”
It’s easy to see why we need to figure out some sense of purpose, it is reinforced inwardly and outwardly, a strong combination obviously. Do you remember when you were young? Most boys wanted to be Firefighter’s and most girls wanted to be Ballerina’s. I have often wondered why these “jobs” are so prominent in children. Who’s going around feeding these kids minds with those jobs? (I’ll leave that up to you to figure out!)
Anyway, back to the question at hand. Right now, I own a Metro PCS store and am also expanding into another cell phone business. When I was young I NEVER thought I’d be working in the cell phone business. It’s something that I sort of just fell into. It’s not so bad, really. I have plenty of time at work to write articles like the one you’re reading now, and I also make ok money. BUT, I know that this isn’t my purpose.
Purpose runs deeper than a job, or even a career. Your purpose is the essence of who you are. It’s that one thing that really moves you, makes you strive to be greater in every area of your life. I’m not naive enough to believe that all of us can wake up one day and instantly be living our purpose. That’s a fantasy. I do believe, however, that we can work towards our purpose everyday by making choices that that lead us to our ultimate purpose.
What if you don’t know what your purpose is? I’m not going to pretend that I can give you a simple formula to discover your purpose, but using the Socratic Method I can help you figure it out. There are 4 simple questions that you must answer, but take heed, answering them correctly takes immense introspection. Let the answers flow from deep within you, and you will begin to get in touch with what Napoleon Hill called “Infinite Intelligence.”
With no further ado, here are the questions:
1) What makes me cry?
2) What makes me happy?
3) What angers me?
4) What make me smile?
Now, it’s important to realize that puppy dogs may make you smile, but they aren’t your purpose. Losing a loved one may make you cry but that’s not your purpose. Really s l o w drivers may make you angry but that’s not your purpose. Really delve deep into these questions. Try to think beyond the normal, look into your subconscious. Here are my answers to these questions.
1) Seeing hurting people who have no help. (What makes me cry?)
2) Helping somebody overcome their problems and succeed in life. (What makes me happy?)
3) People who take advantage of others. (What angers me?)
4) Seeing or hearing about someone I have helped doing well. (What makes me smile?)
Based on these answers, I know that my purpose involves helping others overcome their problems and growing into mature, successful, happy, and nice people. That is why I find myself now gravitating towards personal development and this blog.
I use my businesses as a means to help others. I may be in the cell phone business right now, but in reality I am in the personal development business, I’m just not getting paid for it right now. As I continue on and give all that I have to help others, the money and opportunity will arise to work full time in my purpose.
Don’t get discouraged if you have trouble answering these questions. Think about it and come back to it if you get stuck. The important thing is to answer truthfully. You’ll also find that their may be some crossover in your answers, and that’s fine. As you answer all 4 questions, you’ll begin to see a theme taking shape. This is your inborn calling making it’s way forth. Let it out and watch as your behavior changes to accommodate your new discovery.
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