What is my purpose?

This is a question that I asked myself daily for most of my life. I had no idea what I was meant to do and who I was supposed to be. I have degrees in Psychology, Education, Theology and Zoology. I have had dozens of jobs and done thousands of courses. All that time I was trying to find ME. Every time I thought "THIS IS IT", this is my calling. Each time I lost interest and each time I was disappointed in myself. I often wondered if I was called to do anything at all.r Through this endless searching I finally started finding out who I am and what I was supposed to do with my life. I have done decades of research into the subject and have read thousands of books. Finally, I realised that what I was searching for was right in front of my eyes. The simple truth is that the thing you have battled with most in your life, where you have felt the most pain, is exactly where you can help others grow. My biggest battle has certainly been finding out what I am supposed to do with my life and I have discovered some powerful tools to do so over the years. And now I want to start sharing them with you. My purpose is to help you find yours.r So if you are unhappy in your career, have lost touch with who you are and desperately trying to find what you are meant to do with your life, then the next few articles I write will be just for you.r To start off with, I would like to teach you the "Future Self" method. r You probably already know many different things that you would like to do, or could see yourself doing. They may be in completely different fields or perhaps they are quite similar. You are unique and your favoured options are completely different to everyone else's. r Think about 5 ideas that you think you may be called to be a part of (For example: working with children, being an art teacher, starting your own business, becoming a doctor at age 40 - anything that gets you excited).r Take these ideas and follow this process for each one:r Imagine the following in as much detail as possible.r 1. What is your life like doing this "thing"?r 2. Imagine a typical day in your life. Go through the activities you would do and how you would feel doing them.r 3. After 10 years of this life, what kind of person would you be?r 4. What aspects of yourself would grow and thrive in this situation?r 5. What aspects of yourself would become dormant or unused?r 6. Who are you surrounded by? What kind of people are in your life?r 7. How do people see you? Imagine a stranger is hearing about you for the first time - what are their impressions of you?r 8. What about this life gives you the greatest joy?r 9. What makes you anxious?r As you imagine this life path, take note of how you FEEL. Repeat the process for each of the 5 paths you identified. When you've imagined all of the paths, ask yourself which one made you feel the best. Which choice made you feel inspired, energetic and at peace? Which path felt most like YOU? r If a scenario made you feel stressed, bored, lonely or fearful, eliminate it. Those that made you feel relaxed, self-loving and happy are those you should consider researching on a more in-depth basis.r Also, look at the specific parts of each path that bring you the most joy. What do they have in common? Imagine a life that contains as many of those elements as possible and do the exercise again.r Are you any closer to ideas about what your purpose may be? If not, don't worry. We will discover many other ways to your destination in the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, write down any activity that brings you immense joy. If you are doing something and you are elated, write it down. We will use these hints around your passion next time. * I credit www.theonequestion.com for much of the information in this article.