Are You living according to your Life’s Purpose without knowing it?

One of the questions I asked my friends as I was creating my community “We live Purposeful, Meaningful and Fulfilling Lives(you are very welcome to join!)” was “What is your life’s purpose? Do you know?” A (very) small number had an immediate answer ready. Some looked at me uncomprehendingly and said, “I need to think about that,” and others said, “I have absolutely no idea.” It was this last group that puzzled me the most.

Indeed, it was clear that some of them really had no idea, but a number of others instinctively live their lives as if they know exactly what their life purpose is.

I started to wonder: How can we know if, without consciously realising, we are living according to our purpose in life?

Looking at these friends’ lives, I gathered that they

• Know themselves – they know what they want and where they are going. They know what skill, knowledge and experience they have and have higher self-esteem and more self-confidence as a result.
• Have identified their values. They know exactly what their five most important values are and they make decisions taking these into account.
• Are aware of their strengths and use these to help others. The also know what their weaknesses are and are not afraid to ask for help when they need it.
• Are focused on what they want to achieve, on what is important to them and on the people who matter to them.
• Take responsibility for their actions, they do not blame others when they fail. They find out why they failed and make changes so that it won’t happen again.
• Communicate with clarity, compassion and kindness. They also are active, understanding and attentive listeners.
• Appreciate what they have and regularly take time out to remind themselves all that they are grateful for and share what they have generously.
• Live in the moment, do not fret about the past and do not worry about the future
• Build supportive relationships. They surround themselves with people who put as much into the relationship as they do.
• Do not compete with others. If a man’s gift is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully. Romans 12:4-8
• Take care of themselves. They know they are their own most valuable asset.
• Find it easier to make decisions and therefore cope with challenges and change with less effort
• Don’t procrastinate and they are not perfectionistic. They are patient and have mastered the art of waiting actively.

Are you also living according to your life’s purpose without exactly knowing what it is?

If you like this vignette of my life here in Gascony, you can escape to the south of France for a virtual visit by subscribing to my mailing list HERE.