During my performance evaluation, the HR Director offered this piece of advice: “Laura, you’ve done a great job. I have no complaints. My only recommendation would be, I wish you could be more creative in your work.”
I was confused. I wrote stories at an early age, liked to draw, wrote calligraphy, was on the synchronized swimming team and took piano for years. But in the job I held, I didn’t think I had permission to be creative or that it would have been rewarded. But because I looked up to her and respected her opinion, I went through the next few decades believing I wasn’t creative.
That is, until I took a team assessment that evaluated roles we naturally gravitate towards at work. The result? My primary role was as a “Creator”. Now, that was a surprise! Afterwards, I started thinking about myself in a whole different way. It gave me a new sense of significance.
Questions to Ponder About Purpose
Isn’t it interesting how the opinions of others can sway the way we see ourselves and how that can impact the purpose we pursue? Many go through life questioning whether they’re living up to the reason why they were put here on earth.
They’ve asked themselves:
- Am I living a life someone else chose for me?
- Am I following a path I just fell into when I was younger?
- What is the real purpose for my life?
Erik Hogan, a talented writer and photographer on Substack, tackled those same concerns in his recent philosophical essay.
He wondered:
“I, and I think many others, am looking for some form of a guide for not only living a satisfying and good life, but also for giving that life purpose and significance.”
He then asked, “I want to know where to direct my efforts and energy. I yearn to fight a good fight. How do we know what that looks like?”
He continued, “Do you think that if we have a natural ability or predisposition it should guide us in choosing our role…?”
All good questions, which I will attempt to address below.
What Does It Mean to Find Your Purpose?
Purpose is the fire you feel about the impact you have on others or the world at large. It is having a sense of congruence. Yes, I believe that natural ability can play a role in helping us discover our purpose. After all, we often pursue things we enjoy doing, which can also be what we’re naturally gifted at. Or, we can create purpose based on what we choose to learn.
Earlier I wrote about finding your purpose after learning about a writer who chose to become a play-by-play baseball announcer. He pursued it with great energy and commitment. Was this something he knew he wanted from a young age or did he discover it as he grew older? Did this become his life’s purpose or was it just a stop along the way?
I believe our purpose can shift over our lifetime, perhaps as we mature, learn more about ourselves, or seize opportunities that come our way. Sometimes, what we learn in one part of our life helps us clarify a different purpose. It’s another step on the ladder towards discovering our greater purpose.
7 Steps to Discover Your Purpose
Here are some exercises to help you uncover your life’s purpose:
- Do a life audit: Record all the interests you’ve had and activities you’ve done throughout your life. It should include things you were drawn to as a kid, in school, extra-curricular activities, hobbies and what you day-dreamed about. What books do you like to read or which movies are your favorites? What kind of projects have you pursued in the community, at church or at work, even if they weren’t part of your job description?
- Solicit feedback. Ask a few friends, family members, co-workers or people from church, “If you could describe what I’m good at, what would you say?” You’re not just fishing for compliments here, you want insights that you may have overlooked about yourself.
- What gives you the greatest joy in life? You’ll probably want to say things like, “My children, my spouse…” but we’re looking for things you’ve done or maybe admired in others. What have you naturally gravitated towards?
- What gives you energy? What are you doing when time slips away? When you get lost in an activity? What you would do no matter if someone paid you for it or not?
- What kind of people do you like being around? Is there an activity you share? Are they pursuing a lifestyle or occupation you admire?
- What if you had it to do over again? Knowing what you know now, what other path(s) would you take? What subjects would you study? What hobbies would you adopt?
- Finally, make note of the repetitions that comes from answering these questions. What themes arise? Don’t be tempted to discount the information you’re getting by saying, “This will never happen. This is unreasonable. It’s not practical.” Suspend judgment for now.
Consider the new vehicle phenomenon. You’ve experienced this — when you’re looking for a new car or truck and decide on a make/model, all you start seeing on the road is that same type of vehicle. The same will happen when you discover a new purpose in life. Soon you’ll pay greater attention to activities or occupations that support the purpose on your horizon.
Take a 50,000 Foot View
Rather than trying to zero in on your purpose at the micro level, step back and consider a broader perspective by looking at general interest categories, like below:
- helping others — first responders, lifeguards, non-profits, search and rescue
- healing others — mentally, physically, spiritually
- entertaining others — music, poetry, comedy, writing, singing, acting
- educating others — teaching, coaching, training, watching the light bulb come on
- keeping others safe — police, school resource officers, security guards, military
- working with one’s hands — woodworking, metal, automotive, construction, agriculture
- analyzing data — engineers, analysts, scientists
If you then want to zoom in for a closer look, check this out to see a complete occupational list, then take a highlighter to focus on those that trigger your interest. Notice any similarities among them? What do they have in common?
Action Steps
Once you have compiled a list based on the exercises above, give it some time to percolate. Then, take action. You can do one or more of the following to move forward and explore your pending purpose:
- Volunteer your time to see what it’s like in real life
- Assign yourself a project
- Do informational interviews with those doing the same or similar activities
- Read up on it
- Sign up for a class
- Watch videos on YouTube
Coming Up Next: The Roles We Pursue in Life
The roles we play are our predisposition to interacting with people or things in a way that brings meaning to our life. As I mentioned above, my former HR Director didn’t see much creativity in me while I was working for her. However, when I took a Team Roles assessment, my results indicated I was a strong “Creator”.
In next week’s article, we’ll define exactly what the four roles are, including Creator, Advancer, Refiner, Executor and Flexer. This information may help you further clarify your purpose by discovering what role(s) you naturally gravitate towards in life. We’ll also describe what it’s like when you have discovered your purpose.
Until then,
Warm regards, Laura