Most of us spend our lifetime trying to figure out what our life’s purpose is. We want to make a difference in the world, feel a connection to a life bigger than our own giving us a reason for being whom we are. We want someone else to swoop in and tell us what it is – to discover us, so to speak, picking us up out of our ho-hum life and taking us into a life full of excitement, joy and wonder. Gurus, Religions and Self-Help authors have all made a fortune trying to answer this question for others, yet I think the answer is found deep within each of us.
What is Your Life Purpose?
The Answer is Within!
To wait for others to help us live wondrously is to denounce our own divinity, and our right to manifest our own destiny. We don’t need to wait for others to discover our purpose. If we live expressing our specific spiritual gifts, we’ll find we are living a life of joy, wonder and excitement – and living our purpose.
So, how do we find our own gifts?
First, go within, and as always, breathe. Allow yourself to take stock of your own spiritual gifts. Take inventory. Go through this checklist below, and tick off what resonates with you.
These are just a few possible gifts, in no particular order, and you may also have gifts not shown on my list. This is not the time to be humble; you know what your gifts are, so claim them. Add them to my list. Make up your own.
And remember to use your heart, not your mind when claiming your gifts.
Do some of these resonate as your Spiritual Gifts?
- Compassion, Forgiveness, Courage, Faith, Wisdom, Discernment, Prophecy, Strength, Creativity, Knowledge, Discipline, Acceptance, Integrity, Humor?
or
- Perhaps you have skills in Leadership, Hospitality, Service, Teaching, Healing, Counseling, and Expression?
Which of these can you claim as your own? One or more?
Do you notice how instinctively you use your gifts in your day-to-day life?
For instance, being a healer doesn’t always mean that you are in a healing profession. You may be a healer, and use this gift by listening to others and by bringing perspective to the one who needs it. This may be your gift, – and your life purpose.
Once you claim a few of your gifts, (or re-claim), notice over the next few days how you can use your gifts in your day-to-day life. You may find that once you acknowledge how you are already living your purpose, you will come into alignment with your spirit and start to feel at peace. You’ll be living in the moment using small daily activities to express your purpose. And you’ll find that as you start to use your gifts with awareness, you’ll be given more opportunities to use them!
The more you use your gifts with awareness, the more opportunity will come to you to use your gifts each and every day. Before long, you’ll wonder what the question of living your life purpose was all about.
Tomorrow I’m posting a few more specific exercises to help you get in touch with your gifts.
What are you gifts? Please share in the comments – you can claim them anonymously if you’re shy.
[...] I wrote out where I wanted to go in my life. My vision statement has been evolving for years, changing as circumstances changed. I’ve tweaked it as I’ve gotten clearer about my own life purpose and developed my spiritual gifts. [...]
“For instance, being a healer doesn’t always mean that you are in a healing profession.”
Wow, that’s a meaningful sentence. I remember the first time I heard someone say something similar and that memory has never left me. It was one of the most gifted woman I had ever worked with and she was an incredibly practical, get things done kind of woman and she told me that it wasn’t until her late 50’s that she realized how creative she was. It took her that long to realize her ability to take everything apart in her mind and put it back together in very practical ways was a gift equal in value to the most beautiful work of art. Ahhh, people are amazing when they get a glimpse of their true potential. I’ve been blessed to know a few people who’ve had glimpses or more.
Another great post! I just told StumbleUpon about it. Hopefully my next weekly blog at Transforming Stress Into Personal Power will be on this subject. If it is, I will link to this post.
I recently discovered that one of my purposes in life is to write spiritual stories. Wwe originally made our site to share Laura’s stories with friends and family, and in its growth I’ve discovered my own knack for writing stories.
So much so, that I’m now writing a book of spiritual stories.
That said, I am sure there is much more in me waiting to come out… so I don’t think I have a single life purpose, but rather, many… and right now I’ve really only identified that one and maybe a couple others.