how to figure out life purpose
A key to unlocking a deep sense of ‘rightness’ in your life is discovering your ‘purpose’.

By this, I mean what you are here to do, why you are here and the nature of your contribution to the world. We all have a purpose, we all have a unique contribution to make to this world, at this time

When I talk to people about this, they always ask: ‘What, you really believe we all have a purpose, we are all here for a reason?’ Yes, I do! Using your individual talents and having lived your specific life journey, you have a unique bank of knowledge and wisdom to bring to others. When you discover your
purpose, you will know that too – you will feel it. What’s great about identifying your purpose and knowing what it is, is that, just like your values, it can act as a compass in your life and as a yardstick by which to measure anything that you are doing or thinking about doing.

It enables you to ask the question: ‘How is this supporting my life purpose?’ Just like living a life honouring your values, staying true to your purpose is not always the easiest path but it will lead you to a richer and more fulfilling life. If living a life honouring our values and living out our purpose is so great, you may ask, why we are not all doing it already?

For me, and all of my clients, the main reason has always been that fear is much stronger than the desire for fulfilment.

This is the fear I described earlier. The fear that leads to self-sabotage, comes in a variety of forms and creates a feeling of dissonance within us. It can come in the form of frustration, boredom, anger or indifference.

When clients come and meet me for the first time, I can sense it as they sit there and tell me why they ‘can’t’ have the life they want, why they ‘need’ to be doing what they’re doing, how they’re not ‘good/smart/ experienced/wealthy enough’ or ‘too old/ young/stupid/’ to have the life they really want.

We’ll go into this in more detail in the next chapter, but just know for now that we all have these voices, and for all of us they have run out of control and have started running the show – the show that is your life.

Through identifying their life’s purpose, I have seen clients completely shift how they feel about themselves, their careers and their lives.

I have seen them go from a place where they are just trudging along, feeling pretty lost and uninspired and questioning what on earth they are doing (even to the point of giving everything up and starting again), to a place where they have a real mission, true meaning and satisfaction, and where they are making a difference and a real contribution to the world.

One client I worked with recently is a classic case in point. She had been identified as a ‘rising star’, someone in her industry with ‘high potential’. She was earmarked for great things, had worked her way up, been very successful, had a great salary, good prospects, the lot, but when she came to me she said, ‘I just wake up in the morning and wonder what I’m doing.

Why am I doing it all? What’s it all for?’

She was at a complete loss as to why she felt like this and what to do about it, and felt completely trapped by the weight of her work and family responsibilities – she had a husband, two children and a mortgage to pay

‘Finding and claiming a life purpose gives clients a powerful sense of direction in their lives. The truth they find in the life purpose statement can make them virtually unstoppable.’

HENRY KIMSEY-HOUSE, KAREN KIMSEY-HOUSE,
PHILLIP SANDAHL & LAURA WHITWORTH

By gaining clarity about her life purpose, she discovered that she wanted to make a big difference in her industry to how people were treated, to working conditions in general, and specifically to equality for women within the workplace.

She wanted to leave the industry in a better place than it was when she joined. She is now very active in bringing those changes about, has become a spokesperson for creating those changes, and inspires others to speak out and share their experiences.

She is making a real difference.

Now she gets out of bed with a spring in her step and knows exactly why she’s there.

As Simon Sinek, author of the global bestseller Start With Why says: ‘Working hard for something we don’t care about is called stress. Working hard for something we love is called passion … Our actions should start with WHY not WHAT.’

The fact that you are even reading this article is a result of me having identified my life purpose.

I didn’t know it at the time, but the reason I first went into television was that I had a deep yearning to share people’s stories. Underneath that, as I now know, is my purpose: I want people to know there is a different way to live and I love sharing the information and tools that show people they always have a choice and can change things – even when they think they can’t.

It was only when I did the Co-Active Training Institute exercise on the following pages that I discovered this was the purpose underlying what I had been doing all those years and why ultimately what I was doing and how the industry had evolved and worked was not actually honouring my purpose or values.

Discovering my purpose  has also allowed me to help hundreds of clients discover, and live by their own values – and this is what I want for you.

Need help redesigning your life + career? There are a few ways I can do that
    • To get clear on what you do and don’t want in your life + career moving forward, get my book Change Your Life in 5 for free now (just pay P+P). Click here
    • Ready to get unstuck in just one hour – and moving forward into the next phase of your life? Book a power-hour Reset Session with me now click here
    • If you’re ready to do more in-depth or longer-term work on redesigning your life + career, I’ve opened up a few slots for working with me 1-1. Book your free Discovery Call with me by clicking here and find out how I can help.
    • If you are interested in Leadership (including remote leadership) + Executive Coaching for you or your team, find out more about my unique Conscious Leader programme by clicking here

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