Discovering Your Purpose In Life

Did know that only 3% of all people have written goals and know where they are going in their life?
Did you know that 10% of the general population dream about changing their life in some way and think about their future periodically?
Did you know that 87% of the general population live their lives without any specific goals and have no definite plan for their future? n Discovering what you want out of life will get you into the 3% club. However, most of us have never been taught how to figure out what we want in life or how to discover our personal destiny.n n“Designing Your ‘Future Self’”n n University psychologist, Hazel Markus, conducted research in the field of exploring our “future selves”. This involved seeing images of who we might become and what we might look like in the future. In one study, college students were asked to choose from 150 possible descriptions when imagining their “future selves”. When asked to describe themselves in the present, they chose 51 descriptions. When asked to construct a picture of what they would look like in the future, they chose an average of 80 descriptions with some choosing as many as 147. Almost half of them chose all 50 of the positive descriptions when creating a picture of their “future selves”. n I believe that most of us could create a picture of who we would like to be in the future, and, in most cases, we would choose descriptions that would be positive and push us beyond who we currently think we are.

“Looking Within – Discovering Direction in Your Life and Defining Changes”

Here is a practical technique used in solution focused therapy that may also help you discover some direction in your life. This exercise can also be applied to gaining insights in areas of your life that you may want to change. Most people, if they simply took enough time to reflect upon who they would like to be and how they would like their lives to be different, could develop a future picture of some kind.

“The Life You Have Always Dreamed of Living Exercise”

Find yourself a comfortable, quiet place where you can be alone. Close your eyes and take ten deep breaths, relaxing yourself. Then do the following exercise.

Imagine yourself climbing into bed, ready to have a restful and peaceful sleep. Imagine falling into a deep sleep. While you are asleep, something mysterious takes place.
It seems as if while you were sleeping, your life was being transformed.
Imagine yourself awakening in the morning. You notice that there is something very different about this particular morning. You sense something you may have not experienced in your entire life. You feel alive, energized, optimistic, and enthusiastic about waking up and living out the day.
While you were sleeping, your life changed. It has become the type of life you have always dreamed of living. You can hardly believe it is true; yet, it is.
You get out of bed and begin to live out this wonderful day of your new life. It is almost as if you have had a rebirth of some kind. You see yourself doing what you have always wanted to do; having what you always wanted to have; being the person you have always wanted to be.
You are so different.
You look different. You act different. It seems as if everything about you has changed.
It seems like you are living the life you were destined to live.
You are living the life you always dreamed of living. The life you knew was always possible for you.

“A Moment of Reflection and Insight”

As you reflect upon some of the wonderful and positive changes that have taken place in your life on this day, take out a piece of paper and write down the answers to the following questions:

1. Where are you living?
2. What are you doing that is so exciting?
3. Who are you with? What are they like?
4. What things do you have?
5. What do you look like?
6. How have you changed?
7. How do you feel?
8. How has your life changed for the better?

Now, review your answers and take away the insights you have gleaned from this exercise and write them down.

“Going from Counselor to Speaker”

Sometime ago, I did this exercise and saw myself as a successful author and speaker.
I was living on a beautiful island. My book was a best seller, and I was in demand as a motivational speaker. Everything in my imagination looked great.

“Getting Real”

I could have become overwhelmed and depressed since my dream life seemed so impossible to achieve. I also knew that it might take time to turn my dream into a reality. Somehow, I had to get started working toward my goal. I took immediate action and contacted the local newspaper and the local Toastmaster’s Club.
If I was going to slowly move away from being a psychotherapist working in the field of psychiatry and move toward becoming an author and speaker, I had to somehow and in some way move toward the direction of my goal while I was still supporting my family through my day job.

“Bloom Where You are Planted…Do Some of Your Dream even if You Can’t Have It All Right Now”

I did not start out writing a book. I contacted the local newspaper in town and asked them if I could write a weekly article called “Moments of Motivation”. I knew the task of writing a book would be overwhelming to me; however, I started out small and did what I could with what I had and where I was, to get me headed in the directio
I wanted to go. I must admit, the first few articles were poorly written; yet, my writing skills improved over time. I also created quite a following of loyal readers who enjoyed the articles.
In terms of becoming a speaker, I knew I wasn’t ready to keynote major conferences. I knew I had to improve my speaking skills and do a part of what I considered my big dream.
I joined Toastmaster’s International and entered speaking competitions, winning several of them. My weekly articles that appeared in the local newspaper also resulted in invitations to speak at local clubs and schools.
I did not get paid for writing the articles and for most of the speaking engagements; however, I do believe that if you begin doing what you love to do, people will catch your energy and eventually the money will come.

“Take Consistent Action Congruent with Your Dream”

My advice is to dream big and start out small. Each week, I would see my articles being published in the newspaper. I clipped them and kept them in a folder. Each night before I went to bed, I would mentally and emotionally recall my victories of winning speaking contests. I would look at my trophies, ribbons, and certificates, and then repeat, “The Life You Always Dreamed of Living” exercise. My confidence, skills, and abilities were growing. I was making headway toward the fulfillment of my dream.
How?
By taking small steps on a consistent basis that were in line with my ultimate goal.n n“Translational Confidence”

The experience I gained writing articles for the newspaper and magazine gave me the confidence to write this book.
I mean, if you can write several articles, then you can write several pages for a book, right?
Simply translating the confidence from small wins into pursuing bigger wins is really what it is all about.

“What Can You Do?”

After doing “The Life You Have Always Dreamed of Living” exercise and discovering clearly what you want, ask yourself the following questions:

What can I do right now, even on a small scale, that will begin the process of moving me away from where I am and toward where I want to go?

If I could scale down my big dream and fit it into my life where I am right now, what could I do?

What small step could I take on a consistent basis that would take me in the directio
I want to go?n n What kind of person do I need to become in order to live out my dream? What changes can I make right now to begin making progress toward becoming such a person? n n In what ways can I “bloom where I am planted”?

What can I begin doing now to get a few “small wins” under my belt in order to build and translate my confidence to take on an even bigger challenge? n Each morning write on a piece of paper the question, “What three things can I do today to become the type of person I want to become and create the type of life I want to live? Make them small, achievable goals that will eventually take you in the direction you want to go in life.nn nn