What is your Purpose?
Neuroscience research suggests that a strong sense of purpose leads to better brain health, increased resilience, and improved cognitive function.
So, what is Purpose?
Introduction
According to the dictionary, "Purpose" is the reason something is created or exists.
Meaning "Your Purpose" is the reason why you were created and why you exist. That is huge. I have always wanted to know why I was created, and I know you do too.
As a human, knowing why you were created and why you exist is paramount. It would take the guesswork out of much of life if only you knew why you exist.
It would answer questions about what you should study, what work you should do, what type of person you are, and why you are the way you are. It would make life predictable for you.
You probably would just get going with the business of accomplishing your purpose on earth if you knew what it was. But life is not like that. At times, I wonder why.
Just like a precious gem, I believe you need to mine the information concerning your purpose. Gold wouldn't be that precious if you could easily get it anywhere on the surface of the Earth.
I guess your purpose is so important and precious that you have to do some work to find it.
Like the mining process of precious metals, there is a mining process to find purpose. A step-by-step approach.
Socrates emphasized the importance of self-reflection and of understanding one's in his famous quote, "Know thyself."
A Step-By-Step Approach
The first step is to know yourself. You are responsible for knowing who you are and why you exist.
The first step in knowing yourself is to gather information from sources that can help you understand who you are.
Step One: Information Sources
A human is a triune Being of spirit, soul, and body. To fully understand yourself, you need to look at sources that interact with the different areas of a human.
These are spirit (spiritual sources), soul (mental sources), and body (physical and relational sources).
The sources we are going to look at are as follows;
1. Spiritual Intelligence
2. Behavioral Science
3. Family View
4. Friends and Associates
5. Boss and Colleagues
6. Teachers and Classmates
7. Childhood Memories
8. Self-Appraisal
You will need a pen and paper to document your findings, or you can download, for free, the journal I created for you below to write down your thoughts.
You will use the information you gathered about yourself as part of the information required for you to find your purpose.
Let's Dive In!
We will look at how to gather information from these sources in detail.
1. Spiritual Intelligence
When you want to understand the reason why a product or work of art exists, you will ask the manufacturer or creator of that work.
Similarly, to understand the reason for your existence, ask your creator. Looking around, you will see that the ecosystem where you live was pre-designed and created before you came.
I have yet to meet anyone who applied to come to Earth before they were born. We all found ourselves here.
Therefore, the best person to tell you why you are here is God.
Genesis 1:26-28 (MSG)
26-28 God spoke: “Let us make human beings in our image, make them
reflecting our nature
So they can be responsible for the fish in the sea,
the birds in the air, the cattle,
And, yes, Earth itself,
and every animal that moves on the face of the Earth.”
God created human beings;
He created them godlike,
Reflecting God’s nature.
He created them male and female.
God blessed them:
“Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge!
Be responsible for the fish in the sea and the birds in the air,
for every living thing that moves on the face of the Earth.”
God, our Creator, told us in this passage why He made humans. He made you godlike to prosper, reproduce, rule, and care for the earth and what is in it.
The Earth is vast and filled with many things, and it requires diverse skills, personalities, traits, abilities, and talents to care for it. You have a little bit of God in you.
All professions, present and future, are designed to care for the earth and humanity.
Your responsibility is to identify which part of Himself God has placed in you and which area of service on earth and for humanity He has called you to.
You are a caretaker with a godlike nature and the capacity to rule and impact a sphere of life.
You should discover which sphere you have been equipped to influence and how. That's your purpose.
Many years ago, a young man was sold into slavery by jealous family members who hoped he would die in captivity.
As a captive, the young man served his master diligently. Over time, the master noticed that the young man was organized, accountable, and had administrative skills.
He put him in charge of his household and never regretted that decision until a day, a series of events tarnished the young man's reputation and landed him in jail.
In prison, the jailer noticed his administrative talents, sense of organization, and people skills.
He put the young man in charge of other prisoners. This made the jailer's work easy.
One day, the king of the land had a dream that could not be interpreted, and the young man, who had a gift of dreams and interpretation, was called forth from the prison to use his gift to help the king.
The interpretation of that dream alerted the king that famine was coming to the land.
This calamity would require an innovative administrative solution to avert its negative effects on his people. The young man interpreted the dream and provided a solution.
The king saw he had administrative acumen because he saw the spirit of excellence in him with the way he spoke.
The king freed the young man from prison and made Joseph Prime Minister of Egypt. He put him in charge of food security and administration.
As a result of that elevation, Joseph was able to preserve the people of God from starvation.
From a spiritual standpoint, God had an assignment. He knew the children of Israel would be in trouble years down the line, so he predestined a helper with abilities to tackle the starvation problems they were going to face.
Joseph had a gift for interpreting dreams, which brought him before the king. He might not have had access to Pharaoh any other way.
Joseph had raw administrative talents and people skills that needed to be developed. This he did as a servant in the house of his master and as a prisoner.
Did he have to go through slavery?
Maybe not, but how else would a favored son who hardly left his father's side come to a far-off country like Egypt?
In his father's house, with servants and paternal care, he would not have had the opportunity to develop his administrative skills.
God needed a child of Israel to do that job. He needed someone with a humble and faithful heart who would recognize his nudgings.
He chose Joseph long before he existed to do that job, so he orchestrated events to make it happen.
That was his purpose and the reason he existed. Every other event in his life was training him and building him up to the big thing he had to do.
Likewise, God made you to meet a need. Many of your life events (good, bad, and ugly), parentage, giftings, abilities, and opportunities could be a pointer to the area of life He is calling you to.
A man's purpose does not change, but his assignments and circumstances will as he moves through life. "Purpose" is a continuum.
Review your life events, traits that come naturally to you, what people call you for, and gifting that is normal for you but not so common for others, and document them all.
What events have been orchestrated that, perhaps, you are fighting?
At times, what relates to your purpose is strewn along the paths of life, but you do not see or understand it because you think your life should go a particular way.
Be observant. Analyze events and circumstances that happen without your input, and don't wish them away.
Granted, some stuff could happen to you because of your choices, but at times, life happens. Become intentional in living your life.
2. Behavioral Science
To help you identify your talents, traits, abilities, strengths, likely weaknesses, motivations, work style, relationship patterns, and emotional and intellectual disposition.
I will encourage you to take personality tests that can give you more insights into who you are.
Psychology and neuroscience have made this study easier through personality assessments developed by experts to guide your understanding of yourself.
Some of the tests that have stood the test of time and provided viable results for users are;
1. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
2. The Clifton Strengths Assessment
3. The DISC Personality Test
4. The Enneagram Personality Test
5. The Big Five Personality Test (OCEAN)
6. The 16 Personality Factor (16PF) Test
7. The HEXACO Personality Inventory
I recommend that you take these tests for a holistic assessment. Go through the reports and glean as much as you can.
It is likely that you will recognize many traits about yourself that will be familiar.
I have taken most of them myself, and the insights have been priceless. Some of these tests have free versions online.
You can start from there.
3. Family View
Your family is a good place to start as well. What do your father, mother, brother, sister, and other relatives say about you?
Even casual comments from family members can give an insight into who you are.
You can make some calls to any family member to ask them questions about yourself and document their responses.
You can also cast your mind back all the way through growing up to call to mind different scenarios, interactions, and comments made.
Even comments made with resentment are important. Why was there resentment? Call it to mind and document it.
What chores are normally assigned to you? What chores will your mom rather give to your sibling because you either don't like them or don't do them well?
When do your parents commend you? When do your siblings commend you, if at all?
What kind of help do your family members come to you for?
What kind of help do you like to give others?
Are you a homebody or a socialite?
What activities drain you, and which do you enjoy?
As a spouse, what contributions do you make willingly and happily? Which contributions do you make grudgingly?
What problems do you solve at home, and which difficulties does your spouse come to you to help with?
As a parent, what do your children commend you for? What activity would they rather have you do for them?
Are you their go-to resource person? If yes, why? If not, why?
Mentally go through your home life and document every relevant information you can glean from your interaction with your family members.
4. Friends and Associates
Your friends, like your family, can give you a reflection of who you are.
What do your friends call you? What kind of friends do you have?
Can you describe your friends, their character, personalities, way of doing things, core values, manner of speech, and hangouts?
This is likely who you are as well. Like they say, birds of the same feather flock together.
Ask them to tell you what they think of you. Tell them you're doing a self-assessment and you need their candid opinions about you.
You might be surprised that the way you see yourself is not the way others see you.
When you quarrel with any of them, what usually causes the fallout? Document everything.
A thorough self-assessment is not a walk in the park; it is work.
5. Boss and Colleagues
Your workplace is perhaps one of the easiest places to learn about yourself. You already have a role you were employed in.
Maybe you can check to see if you like the work you are currently doing. If not, what would you rather do?
Your team play will show forth your interpersonal skills, while your supervisor will appraise you for your technical skills.
Your performance evaluation, if properly done, will give you a 360-degree assessment of what your employers, your colleagues, and your boss think about you and your work.
You might also want to document the informal feedback you get while interacting in the workplace with others.
Your boss could also give you insight from informal discussions you have had or comments made to you or to others about you.
Document all things and look through as many of your work appraisals as you have.
Look through them dispassionately, if you made copies of them, and objectively review the comments and ratings given as part of your move to assess yourself.
6. Teachers and Classmates
School is another place where you can get an idea about an aspect of your life.
The rating system in a school gives you an idea of whether you like formal education or not.
Maybe you're school smart, but you do not like the teaching style.
Maybe you liked books and enjoyed reading, and academic activities.
It could be that you preferred sports or other extracurricular activities.
Your interaction with schoolmates is also a pointer to your preferred form of friendship. Were you reserved or outgoing?
Events that happened throughout your school years, how you perceived them, and how you responded to them are also pointers to who you might be.
This is because circumstances might, at times, overshadow your real self.
Maybe if your personal circumstances are not comfortable, it could affect how you react to other events in your life.
You might want to cast your mind back to your school years and document the good, bad, or ugly experiences.
How did you react to them, and how did they shape you?
7. Childhood Memories
Your childhood memories might require you to have time and solitude to reflect.
This is more about your dreams and aspirations as a child.
Who do you want to be? What did you want to achieve? Where did you want to live? With whom you wanted to be.
Why do you want those things? Your childhood is a pure and innocent place.
Your dreams and desires are without judgment.
Where your real self is not bogged down by the vicissitudes of life. When experiences have not reshaped your pure motives.
You didn't have to play to the gallery, so your desires and aspirations came from within you.
To uncover them, you need a place of quiet and solitude without disturbance to dig them out.
You have to be intentional about this step as you cast your mind back and reflect.
It has to be an uninterrupted mental journey where you move back in time to revisit your younger self, the child in you.
Document everything that comes to you without judgment, and you will be surprised by what you might discover about yourself.
8. Self-Appraisal
This is where you visualize your life. Take a mental trip to different facets of your life such as; your family (spouse and children), your work and professional networks, your money and finance, your friends and social network, your contributions and charity work, your health and fitness, your personal space and self-care, your relationship with God, your relationship with yourself and life.
Query every area of your life.
Ask yourself how you are relating to each area, how well those areas are doing, what could change, and what you are going to do to change it.
Document everything and have a dossier on your life.
Conclusion
The process of discovering your purpose is not an easy one, but it is extremely important.
True joy and fulfillment will come when you know who you are and why you are here.
You can then be intentional about what you say "Yes" to and what you say "No" to.
You will start living life on your terms, confident of where you are going and what you need to do to get there.
When there is an alignment between you, your existence, and your Creator, you live each day energized, and life becomes purposeful as you thrive.
Comment and share your purpose journey!
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