Many of us, myself included, have spent countless hours pondering why we were put on this earth. It’s human nature to question our existence and the reasons we are here.
For some, like the Van Cliburn competitor that I’ve been hosting recently, they have always been in touch with what they are meant to do in their life. And it was fostered from a very young age.
For Beatrice Rana, she began playing piano at age 2. And now, at the mere age of 20 is competing in the most prestigious piano competitions in the world and performing at renowned concert venues across the globe. Quite remarkable.
But level of achievement aside, I’m in awe of those like Beatrice who have always been in touch with their purpose.
Being supported from such a young age with the direction you want to take in life is such a gift. Makes for a much clearer road along the journey of life.
But for the rest of us who’ve made it to our adult years and are still unsure about our purpose, how do you figure it out?
It’s tough right? Maybe you don’t even care so much about purpose but just want a job that makes you happy. And fulfills you in some way.
Still can be quite challenging to find.
But I recently ran into someone who spelled it out so simply, I was astounded.
I was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time and met Ryan Powell, a very talented life coach. And unlike some coaches who just have you fill out some forms then give you a 10 step plan toward your goals, Powell goes far deeper. He works on a very intuitive level and seems to know exactly what you need to hear to steer you in the right direction.
In short, the man has a gift.
So partly for blog material, and partly for selfish reasons, I probed him about life purpose. And he basically said this:
What activity do you do that brings you to life?
What, when you wake up in the morning, you can’t WAIT to do?
What were your interests as a child?
What INSPIRES you?
He explained that the word “inspiration” means to be “in spirit.”
Makes perfect sense.
Feeling good, feeling uplifted, feeling excited about something is one way our spirit, our inner truth, communicates with us to let us know we’re honing in on the right thing. So if we look to what makes us feel inspired, we’ll be well on our way to finding what it is we’re meant to do with our life.
Make sense? If not, message me and we can discuss. Or better yet, book a session with Ryan. His voice on this topic is quite powerful.
What’s really important here though, is not pulling it apart logically. Like, “Well I loved baseball as a kid and I still love playing but I’m 40 now so it’s not like I can go be a Pro ball player.”
Don’t analyze it with your mind. Just make a list of what inspires you, what you do that makes you feel good, and then start doing more of those things.
It may not pan out to an exact job or career change right this moment, but I’m willing to bet over time, something will come to you.
It has to. That’s just the way the Universe works. When you focus on the things you love and do what you love, you attract good things into your life. And all the sudden you wake up one day and realize, you’re happier than you’ve ever been.
So, if you’re in the middle of a career transition, searching for purpose in your life, or still wondering what you wanna be when you grow up, think about these things. Make a list of what inspires you. Start doing more of what’s on that list. What makes you feel good.
And choose the life that inspires you. That makes you come alive!
So how bout you? Did Ryan’s advice strike a cord with you? Have you always been in touch with your purpose or are you still searching? Did you find the job you love later in life? If so, how did you find it? We’d love to hear your story. 🙂
Photo courtesy of: The Cliburn
Beautiful!
Thank you.
Grace and peace and deep breath in the Spirit…
Thank you Len!
Hi Ingrid! Lovely post! I think sometimes even when we know what we want to do from a young age we can still be misguided over the years and put on the wrong path. The more we grow up, the harder it is to make big changes. I know we’re both in the midst of big changes right now, so I hope you’re feeling joy in the journey. Sounds like you got some great advice and clarity from Ryan. Cheers!
Thanks Jess! This blog was inspired by a 5 minute conversation he and I had. And that was all I needed to hear. Good news! I got a job! Tell you about it sometime. How is your search going?
Totally agree about knowing what we want as a child. I’m gonna blog on that more 🙂
Love this blog, Inge!!!
Thanks Mom! My #1 supporter 🙂
I found the job I love later in life. After being in sales, like my father, for 25 years, it was time for a change. My marriage was crumbling, my young sons needed more Dad time. What to do? I wrote down jobs that I thought I’d like on a notepad and that would be more family conducive. The common thread in all of the job ideas was service to others. I began teaching Language Arts in middle school. Now I can’t imagine doing anything else! Over the weekends, I miss the kids. I learn so much from them…I know I’m doing what I should be doing. I’m truly blessed.
That is so beautiful Greg! I am so glad you found your calling. Such a nice feeling to know you’re doing what you should be doing 🙂
This is a great post that I could really relate to. I always feel this way myself. I have been reading a lot of great inspirational books lately to help me try to figure out my life’s purpose. I found a great book titled, “The Happy Tips Book” by, Susan Spira that open almost daily to motivate me through life. A spark of inspiration is all it takes to gain greater understanding. I feel much more worth while and happier. Susan has also written two additional books “Happy Shorts” and “One-Liners For Life,” that I intend to check out as well.
http://susanspira.com/
Nice! Thank you for the references 🙂 I’ll check ’em out!