“There are two great days in a person’s life; the day we were born and the day we discover why.” ~William Barclay

Did you ever have a day that was chock full of activity; chores to do, tasks to complete,  people to connect with, calls to make, emails to return, not to mention the time and effort involved in the basics of life like getting up and ready in the morning, eating, and whatever it is we do to support ourselves. By the time the day was done, you were exhausted and wondered what you had really accomplished in all the “busy-ness”.  Perhaps you even heard yourself asking, “What am I doing?” or “Why am I doing this?” or “What’s the point of it all?”

Imagine, for a minute, a life in which every action, interaction and activity was for a purpose. More specifically, what if each and every day of your life was by design and according to your purpose for being on the planet? Imagine that your purpose took into consideration your skills, talents, desires, dreams and preferences and provided you with a foundation for all your actions and the fuel to keep moving towards its fulfillment?

The reality is that most people don’t slow down long enough to think about what they’re here to do, what they’re passionate about, what makes their life worth living or what they want to accomplish in life. Too often, by the time kids get into school, their hopes and dreams are pushed aside and have been reduced to ideas like, “that’s not possible” or “that’s just crazy” or “get your head out of the clouds”!

And so we do. We put aside the clues to our passion and purpose and quickly find ourselves filling up our days with tasks and chores and activities that have little meaning or connection to our purpose. The older we get and the more responsibilities we have, the more our life becomes about making a living versus truly living our lives.

That is a depressing thought, but I’m not going there today.  It’s spring! A time for rejuvenation, new beginnings, fresh starts and new growth!

So take a few minutes right now to begin to explore your purpose for being here in this life.

This may sound huge … perhaps too big to tackle in just a few minutes, but I encourage you to start the process right now.

I further encourage you to begin to shift the way you start your days. Spend a couple of minutes each morning thinking about your purpose. Do it again at night as you fall asleep. Your purpose doesn’t have to be perfect, nor does it have to be huge … just start where you are and look within and look forward.

I had an amazing experience two years ago when I turned down the volume and decreased the speed of my life for a bit and began to explore my reason for being on the planet. At the time I was busy but I was bored, unhappy, unfulfilled and frustrated!

My first attempts to uncover my purpose felt awkward and confusing, but quickly, I felt a shift in my energy which continues to expand today!  My purpose was fuzzy at first. It took a lot of tweaking to get clear… and I’ll bet I’ll tweak it yet again as I learn and change and grow.

My purpose is not perfect, but today, my purpose does need to be part of my daily routine. I am happier, more energetic, more focused and more successful than I have ever been. I have made a lot of changes in my life now that I am living on purpose … new people, new work, new attitudes, new focus. Taking some time to explore my life purpose has been the most important thing I have done to improve my life and put me on an exciting and meaningful path.

Let’s get started! Get a notebook and pen or a blank computer screen.

Activity 1

1) Make a list of 101 things you want to be, do, see or have before you die. You may want to take some time to watch the movie, “The Bucket List” to get in the groove of creating your own bucket list.

Try to brainstorm as many things as possible in one sitting to help the subconscious mind get engaged in the process and bring unconscious desires into the conscious mind and onto the page.

While you’re creating your list, think in terms of unlimited possibilities, i.e. anything is possible!

Look for trends and themes in your list that may give you clues about what is meaningful to you.

Consider sharing your list with others. It can be a pretty powerful experience! You never know who is listening, who or what resources they are connected to and how they can help you reach your goals. The truth is, it is inherent in our nature to want to help each other succeed.

I recently received a huge sum of money that was way beyond my means to support a project that is on my bucket list. The money came after I shared my dream with a group of people I was teaching. Apparently, my benefactor had it on her bucket list to donate some money to help at risk teens and decided that I was the person she wanted to help.

Activity 2

~To zero in on your purpose, start with a list of the times in your life when you felt most happy, passionate and alive. What were you doing? Who were you with? Where were you?

~What did the experiences you listed above have in common with each other?

~Can you imagine a way to make a living doing these things?

Read more about creating your life purpose statement in Jack Canfield’s book, The Success Principles: How to Get From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be.

Consider hiring a one on one coach or participating in a coaching group program or study group to get more support.