The following is a guest post from Lachlan Brown from Hackspirit<\/a>.<\/p>\n Do you spend a lot of time thinking about your purpose in life, coming up empty over and over?<\/p>\n I did too<\/a>. That\u2019s until I started learning more about what finding a life purpose actually meant.<\/p>\n Part of my problem was that I thought having a life purpose was this one \u201cgrand\u201d thing I was supposed to be doing.<\/p>\n And, if I wasn\u2019t doing that, then I was a failure<\/p>\n I quickly learned that life wasn\u2019t all about one amazing purpose. It\u2019s about finding and doing things (even little things) that I enjoy and add value to others.<\/p>\n For me, this included simply calling in on family and friends to see how they were doing or writing a blog post that helped people in a practical way.<\/p>\n For those who are wondering about their purpose, I\u2019m sharing 7 counter-intuitive questions to help you get a clearer picture of what brings purpose and value to your life.<\/p>\n Those that talk about wanting to find their life purpose really desire to feel a certain way.<\/p>\n Or, they think that by doing their life purpose, they\u2019ll feel a particular feeling.<\/p>\n Maybe it\u2019s peace they\u2019re after.<\/p>\n Or joy.<\/p>\n Or perhaps it\u2019s a mixture of various positive emotions.<\/p>\n By feeling your desired feeling now, you open yourself up to gaining clarity regarding your life purpose.<\/p>\n Emotions are powerful guidance systems that can help us determine what to do and not do in life. Learn to listen to them.<\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve identified how you want to feel, think about the areas in your life that already give you those feelings.<\/p>\n For example, if you desire joy, think about what brings you joy right now.<\/p>\n Maybe it\u2019s playing with your dog or taking your kids to the playground.<\/p>\n Or perhaps it\u2019s hanging out with friends.<\/p>\n Spend time engaging in the things that help you feel joy right now. As a byproduct, you\u2019ll be living out part of your life purpose.<\/p>\n Think back to when you were a child. What is it that you were passionate about? What did you spend a great deal of time doing? What made you laugh?<\/p>\n If you were into radios, did you collect them? Try to figure out how they worked? Or were you constantly being creative by painting, drawing and generally creating stuff?<\/p>\n Think about how \u201cin the moment\u201d you were back then.<\/p>\n How free you felt doing whatever it is that made you feel happy at that time.<\/p>\n You may find that back in your childhood lie some clues as to what your life purpose is today.<\/p>\n Have you ever been doing something where you lost track of time? Maybe you thought 30 minutes had gone by, but hours had actually passed.<\/p>\n Being that absorbed in something is typically an indicator that you truly love the activity.<\/p>\n You\u2019re in the flow and couldn\u2019t care less about time.<\/p>\n In fact, you wish you could do that thing a whole lot more.<\/p>\n Now write some of those activities down and consider how these could play into you feeling purposeful about life.<\/p>\n What moves you to tears? What inspires you to be better? What issues do you have strong opinions about?<\/p>\n Whether it\u2019s from the news, websites you visit, or chats with friends, the things that you feel strongly about could play a part in your life purpose.<\/p>\n For example, if you feel strong, empathic emotion as you drive by teens playing ball in the city park, explore it further.<\/p>\n Why do you feel for them?<\/p>\n What does it stir in you?<\/p>\n Maybe you\u2019d like to work with teens in some regard. Or perhaps you remember what it was like to try to fit in on the courts.<\/p>\n Take time to explore those issues that make you feel like you want to take a stand or serve others.<\/p>\n Plenty of us wishes we had enough wealth to not \u201chave\u201d to work. However, having endless hours to just sit won\u2019t lead to a very fulfilling life.<\/p>\n What would you spend your time doing if you didn\u2019t have to work?<\/p>\n Maybe you\u2019d read more, volunteer, or go back to school.<\/p>\n Visualize what you think your days would be like.<\/p>\n Mix it up and try to really feel the feelings associated with what you choose to do.<\/p>\n This may help you realize where your passions lie.<\/p>\n Chances are, whatever you\u2019re talking most of the time has something to do with feeling purposeful.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re not sure what you spend your time talking about, ask those closest to you. They are likely to clue you in on aspects of you that you might overlook.<\/p>\n You can also look at who you\u2019re talking with. Are you hanging out with the sports fans?<\/p>\n The tech crowd?<\/p>\n People that talk more about politics and philosophy than what was on TV last night?<\/p>\n Think about what you talked about and whether you enjoyed the conversation.<\/p>\n Spending time with others oftentimes involves shared beliefs and values.<\/p>\n When you take the time to investigate who you\u2019re with and what you\u2019re discussing, it could be eye-opening.<\/p>\n What\u2019s on your bucket list? Things you want to do before it\u2019s going to be too late to do them. If you don\u2019t have one, take the time to make one.<\/p>\n You may find something on that list that you could be doing right now.<\/p>\n By creating a list, you get a different perspective on your personal development goals<\/a> and maybe a few clues about your life purpose.<\/p>\n Life is full of opportunities to feel purposeful.<\/p>\n Try not to get caught up in seeking that one grand achievement that you think will be your life purpose.<\/p>\n Engage in the things that are already meaningful to you and keep asking yourself counter-intuitive questions to gain more clarity about your future.<\/p>\n Lachlan Brown is the founder of Hack Spirit<\/a>, a blog on mindfulness and practical psychology. He loves writing practical articles that help others live a mindful and better life. He has a graduate degree in Psychology and he\u2019s spent the last 6 years reading and studying all he can about human psychology and practical ways to hack our mindsets. If you want to get in touch with Lachlan, you can follow him on Twitter<\/a> or Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \t\t<\/p><\/div>\n1. What emotions do you want to feel?<\/h2>\n
2. What did you love doing as a child?<\/h2>\n
3. What activities do you get lost in?<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/adaringadventure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/pomegranate-2023602_1280.jpg\")
<\/p>\n4. Do you have a cause that you\u2019re passionate about?<\/h2>\n
5. If you had infinite wealth and didn\u2019t have to work, how would you spend your days?<\/h2>\n
6. What do you talk about most of the time?<\/h2>\n
7. What are your ultimate life goals?<\/h2>\n
Wrapping It Up<\/h2>\n
Author\u2019s Bio<\/h2>\n