People often ask me, “How can someone find their life purpose”? Or “How do you know what your purpose is”? Within a split second, I’m usually flooded with a colorful assortment of ideas for self-exploration. Simultaneously, I'm swaddled in a deep feeling of joy because everyone has some good that only they brought to the world. Sometimes I hear Teddy Pendergrass singing, “You can’t hide from yourself. Everywhere you go there you are”. Other times, I imagine Fannie Lou Hamer singing This Little Light of Mine.
Upon hearing the question, I become keenly aware that there are probably at least as many ways to know your purpose, as there are people. We won’t be able to explore all 9 billion of them today. But here are three fun ways to identify and connect to your purpose. Enjoy!
What's In A Name? “A name is an important word with meaning and energy that identifies someone or something. Our names bring certain patterns to our lives and have the capacity to forge our destinies…It’s a code ingrained in us that allows us, when it is called to remember, recognize, and respond to our purpose.”—Sobonfu Some
Names and nicknames often give us clues about who we came to the world to be. In many cultures, we’re given a name that reminds us of our spirit’s choice of purpose. For example, my grandmother named my father David and my uncle Alexander because she wanted them to be great. She believed they were destined for greatness. Perhaps, your friends and family call you Preacher because of your ability to inspire others or Boss because you’re a natural leader, able to organize a range of talents and skills so people blend together like finely tuned instruments.
What does your name reveal? Ask caregivers and relatives how you got your name. Google your name. Research. Become a detective on a search for meaning in your name. Think about how it connects to your deepest passions.
2. Fired Up!
Answer these questions: What were the things that got you excited as a kid? What pretend games did you play? What work or activities get you most excited about being alive? Are you a banker who enjoys her 9-5 but really loves coaching kids at soccer or baseball or basketball? Perhaps, you feel most alive when you are teaching others a skill or leading a dance class or gardening. Maybe you’re motivated by watching someone smile or bob their head when you sing or read poetry. Or you may like to build houses or decorate them and put in those little conveniences that make people feel comfortable and warm and loved.
What do you absolutely love about that thing you do? What gets you fired up? Name that thing. Call it helping, healing, teaching, inspiring, motivating, or building. Then, claim it for yourself: Healer, Teacher, Inspirational Speaker, Change Agent, or Builder.
3. What If?
What if you had a magical ability to transport yourself beyond our time-space continuum where you could see everything that has occurred and all the choices available to you?
Imagine that you are in the fifth dimension looking at your whole life. As you look over your life, notice there’s a group of people gathering for a banquet. They’re all dressed up in their finest. Someone is about to be honored with a lifetime achievement award. That someone is you. What’s the reason for the award? What great thing have you done?
Think about it. What if you were receiving a lifetime achievement award? Why would others be recognizing you? What do you want to accomplish within your lifetime? How have you added value to the world? As you take a look over your life from the fifth dimension, how is your light shining?
From the fifth dimension, as you watch yourself walking up to receive your award, what do you say? Complete this acceptance speech: Thank you so much for this honor. I am filled with joy to receive the lifetime achievement award for __________________________________.
Teddy Pendergrass sang that the “truth is the light, a light shining within”. Throughout my life, I’ve sung alone and with others, “this little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine…everywhere I go, I’m gonna let it shine. Both songs remind us of a fundamental #truth. At our deepest level, we are light, energy, the power to create. Quantum physicists agree everything is energy that has the capacity to take infinite forms. We chose our form so that we could bring some special good into the world. So let your light shine from the inside out. The world is a better place because you are here.