Determining what our purpose is in life can be one of the hardest questions that we as humans must try to answer. In this article we will be going through a step by step process, exploring your feelings and options, and by the end, you should have a fairly solid tool you can immediately employ in your life to help give it a meaningful direction!

There are three steps to the process of discovering the purpose of your life:
1. Understanding the principle of choice
2. Creating your “underlying principle”
3. Aligning your life with this underlying principle

1. Understanding The Principle of Choice
Norman Vincent Peale has this to say about the power of choice. “The greatest power we have is
the power of choice. It is an actual fact, that if you have been groping under unhappiness, you can choose to be joyous, instead. And, by effort, lift yourself into joy. If you tend to be fearful, you can overcome that misery by choosing to have courage. The whole trend and the quality of
anyone’s life is determined by the choices that are made”.

“Choosing” is the most important activity of your mind, because by making a choice, you are
proclaiming your desires to your subconscious mind. Once the subconscious mind gets to know your desires, it is going to do everything that it can to manifest them in your life. With this in mind, you can start to understand how the choices that you make are not only what lead you toward your goals, but they can actually act as the driving force behind the creation of your
goals and desires in the first place.

Indecision, on the other hand, not only creates frustration and anxiety, but can also confuse the
subconscious mind about what you want. But it is important that the choices you make are
made by you, in accordance with your true desires, purposes and aptitude. A lot of us let others make choices for us, or make our choices according to what we think is ‘correct’, even if that means that we go against our wishes. What is right for someone else may not be right for you, and the way to know this is listening to what your heart says.

So, to begin with, make a list of things which interest you; things which you have always enjoyed, which make you feel better, which inspire you to surge ahead, no matter what obstacles you face.

Do you like doing something creative, or something artistic? Do you enjoy nature? Do you like the sea? Do you enjoy helping others? Do you get pleasure out of making a difference in
other people’s life?

Whatever it is that interests you, write it down and answer these questions:
What thing do you love to do?
What is it that you love about this thing and why?
How could you integrate this into your everyday life?

2. Creating Your Underlying Principle
The next step is to examine the list you just made and nd out if there is any recurring theme. Maybe, it is a certain idea that keeps coming up, or a desire to seek or give love, or helping your parents cope with old age. Whatever it is, try to identify the central theme of the things you love
to do, and try to put it in a short and precise statement. This will be your ‘Mission Statement’.

It may even be a quote by a famous person, or a philosophy that has inuenced you. Of course, as
you continue with your life, this statement could evolve, but its soul will remain the same. Now,
write down your Mission Statement.

3. Aligning Your LIFE With Your Underlying Principle
The final step in this journey is to map your path to your ultimate purpose and to begin implementing changes that help to align your daily life with your underlying purpose. By making these little changes in your lifestyle, you will start to be able to begin living this principle
out each and every day. It might take a few days, but by becoming aware and intentional of this
underlying principle of your life, you will certainly start to feel the difference in your enthusiasm for life as a whole. If you realize that you love being amidst nature, plan out a camping trip to go on, or maybe an outing with your children could be enough to recoup your energy. If you discover that you enjoy helping those in need, start to look for opportunities to volunteer in your community. On the other hand, you might even want to change your job, or start a new
business that is more in line with your mission.

So there you have it! By following along with the steps outlined above, you will be on your way to
finding and living out your purpose. And, as you go through this process, just remember, “You
were put on this earth to achieve your greatest self, to live out your purpose, and to do it
courageously.” – Steve Maraboli