The process of unearthing our most sincere calling can be challenging at best. To fully honor, respect and value what that purpose is, once it reveals itself to you, can often present as an even more difficult task.
When we start to piece together the clues of who we are, it is common to experience a tremendous amount of fear, particularly if what we discover is not something we were conditioned to view as valuable.
For example, through your process of exploration, you may discover that an important part of your purpose is to share your voice publicly. For some, this might be an exciting discovery met with tremendous support and encouragement from the people and communities around you. For others, this discovery could be intensely disturbing and confronting because you were raised with a lot of overt and covert messaging about being polite, respectful, quiet and subdued.
Each and every one of us is a unique constellation. There are no two people who will ever be exactly the same. The cultural and familial conditioning that we experience may or may not support the deeper essence of our purpose.
For this reason, once you have started to become the compassionate witness and explorer of your own life, and are consistently making it a habit to look for patterns, themes and repetitions in your life, I highly recommend that you reach out for support.
During the years when I felt confused and intense longing to be more clear about my purpose, one of the greatest allies for me was consistent external witness and reflection. It came in many different forms including women’s groups, friends, family, therapists, mentors and teachers.
It is essential to choose your support people very wisely.
If you have friends or family members in your life that you do not feel seen by, don’t go to them for help. My recommendation is to seek out people who seem to exude the qualities and type of presence and purpose that you are longing for. Put yourself in environments where other people care about how they spend their time and energy. Surround yourself with people who are asking questions at a similar, if not greater, level of depth to you.
If you have no idea where those people are or how to find them I suggest experimenting. Try going to a lecture or workshop at a yoga studio, read a new type of book, explore different spiritual groups or traditions, start therapy or listen to podcasts from people that inspire you.
There are an infinite number of ways to engage with the inquiry of life purpose. The most important thing is that you don’t fall asleep at the wheel of your own life. Discovering your deeper purpose is not an overnight experience, rather a gradual and steady process of unfolding. Sometimes the questions feel so daunting that we ignore our longing to know and we don’t actively engage with the process.
Turning our backs on the inquiry, sends a message to our purpose and to our lives that we are not fully invested in knowing the truth.
Know, that if you are asking the question, “what is my life purpose?” you can be rest assured that there is something very profound that wants to be known and realized through you. The pain and struggle that can surround this question are not an accident. Rather, they are an invitation and a call to discovery.
With my deepest respect and gratitude,
