What is My Purpose in Life?-by Vicky Westra

Oftentimes, people believe they should know what their purpose in life is, as if they should be born with this knowledge. When I was in High School, one of my friends (Marcela) seemed to know since 9th grade that she wanted to be an aeronautical engineer. However cool I thought that was at the time, Marcela was not the norm. The majority of people don’t know what they want to be when they grow up….even many as they get into their 50’s and up.

Start General – oftentimes people want to start with what specifically they want to do and start trying to figure out how they should go about doing it. This is a very stressful process that oftentimes takes a lot of effort. Actually, you want to start in just the opposite place. Start thinking about your life in general terms. What are the things that are important to you? Most people say that they want to experience “Happiness” or” Joy” and that is a great starting place. Setting that intention will start you on your path!

Identify a list of key emotions that are important to you or that you want to experience more of. Some of the key ones on my list are Appreciation, Unconditional Love, Fun, Excitement, Compassion, Abundance, Creativity and Acceptance. 

Start thinking of your life in terms of the different areas that make it up. Sometimes, people think their purpose is tied to their job or career, but our lives are made up of so much more than this. Some of the areas you might want to start thinking about include:

Health/Wellness
Relationships (Romantic/Friendship)
Career/Job
Recreational/Fun
Finances/Abundance
Spiritual
Family

Now pick at least 4-5 areas that are important to you and come up with a statement that would create some excitement when you think about having this in your life. In other words, don’t just state it blandly, but come up with a phrase that lights you up!

Examples:
Bland Statement (Not so good)            Statement that Lights you Up (Good!)
Health: I am healthy                                 I love my healthy, strong and vibrant body!
Relationships: I have friends                    I am surrounded by wonderful friends and we have great times                                                                         together!
Career/Job: I have a stable job                I love the work I do so much that it feels like play more than work!

Now, you are ready to start thinking a little more about the details. A key thing is not to attach to any set outcome. One of the students that attended our Employment course said that he wanted to work at an Apple retail store. He had applied to Apple over 20 times with no response. I said to him, what if there is another job that is a better fit for you and could offer you even more than a job at Apple would?

If you only think your happiness can come one way, your adding a lot of resistance to this creation process. Plus, you don’t really allow for the magic that the Universe can perform for you.

I have found that when I don’t attach to the “hows” things will happen, they can happen in ways that surprise and delight me! We can limit the good things that can happen when we only see one way to it. In fact, the more ways you can imagine in terms of how the relationships, careers, finances, etc. can come, the more avenues you open up!

Now you are ready to act! If you thought that you could sit there and wait until the things you want fall into your lap, you would be mistaken. We always need to be part of the process by taking action (and preferably inspired action) to get things moving forward! When you are in a good feeling place you put yourself in the best possible place to receive an inspiration, or find out about something that can support your intention, or connect with someone that makes it possible, etc. Trusting or having faith that things could happen for you is key in this creation process. Have you heard the bible verse “Ask and it is given?”. Well, I believe that we are intended to live our life joyfully and if what we are asking for aligns with our true self and doesn’t have any adverse effect on anyone else, then I believe it can happen! It just may not happen in the way I think or expect, and that is okay by me!

My friend Marcela pursued a degree in Aeronautical Engineering and didn’t like it so she changed careers. Today she is a stock analyst. This leads me to my final point. Your life is a journey. It’s not about reaching one place, but understanding that one thing leads to another. You evolve and change, so why shouldn’t your path also evolve and change. If you keep the perspective that there is no wrong move and that everything you do is helping you clarify your next step, you will have a more joyful journey!

In Joy and Love,

Vicky