What are you good at? What do others say you are good at? That might be the key to discovering what you’re supposed to do with your life. And once you know, how do you go about obtaining it?
If you can’t figure out what gets you up in the morning, other than a will to pay the bills, you might need to think a bit deeper about your life purpose.
Consider what you have to offer the world. That’s a good place to start. Are you motivated by a will to help others? That offering to the world can be anything from getting your children ready for school in the morning to providing a meal for yourself or a loved one in the evening.
According to writing for wellbeing expert Kate McBarron, there are many positive outcomes to having a life purpose and better health is just one of them.
– A 2014 study by researchers at Carleton University in Canada and the University of Rochester Medical Centre in the US suggested that having purpose in life helps you to live longer.
In an ideal world we would all seek out work roles and environments that we enjoy. In cases where that’s impractical, the trick is to focus on the elements of the work that are enjoyable.
Try to offset drudgery with activities that you find rewarding—for instance, listen to music while tackling that big backlog of email in your inbox, or listen to an inspiring podcast to get you through the daily commute or boring chores in the home.
Give something new a go like a writing for wellbeing course that will help bring focus and clarity to your life.
Kate McBarron’s 4-week Finding Purpose short course opens online on Monday 4th March. Sign up for a two week trial here or register for free if you are already a member.
