Are you one of the many people who feel lost on their path? Are you unsure of your soul’s purpose? Do you wander from interest to interest to find your purpose in life, or just go along with what others are doing or telling you?
If you find it hard to feel passion for anything happening in the physical world or that you’ve lost your mojo or your spiritual connection, you may need a reset to find your purpose in life.
In the following post, I’ll discuss finding your passion and purpose in life. I’ll share:
- What is a life purpose?
- What is the difference between a life purpose and a life path
- The reasons why you should explore your purpose, and also, what happens when you don’t
- Tips for searching for your soul’s purpose
- How past life regression can help you awaken to your life’s purpose
What is a life purpose?
What is a purpose? It is the reason for which something exists, is done, or is used. It is an intended, desired, result or goal. A determined resolution. To set, aim, intend, or design.
It may surprise you to learn that your purpose is not inherent in you but is identified by you and named by you. It is not about finding your purpose; rather, it is about choosing your purpose.
If there is intent, desire, or a goal, then consciousness is a requirement in identifying your purpose. There is a direct and implied connection between your purpose and your consciousness.
Here is what you need to know:
- Purpose only exists as a result of consciousness. Without consciousness, there is no purpose.
- Your purpose depends on knowledge of the entire nature of your being.
- Your purpose is based on knowledge of the entire nature of your intended goal or aim.
- Purpose requires a decision. You must bring together the nature of your being with the nature of your goal to determine your purpose.
If we use a rock as an example, we would examine it for its nature. It is hard and durable, has dimensions and size, is shaped a certain way, or could be shaped differently. Next, we would determine the goal we have in mind. Let’s say we want to construct a building. We can then determine that the purpose of the rock is to create a sturdy and long-lasting wall.
You, too, may have many talents, functions, and uses. It is not uncommon for a person to try many different activities, or functions, in hopes of finding their purpose. Yet that is misguided because, as many have found out, one can function all their life and never find fulfillment or feel like they have been purposeful.
You are free and fully capable of simply functioning and being useful for the rest of your life. That is how so many people live. However, I suspect there is a spark in you, along with curiosity and drive. You are visiting my site, reading this post, and looking for answers. You already know there is more to this quest than waiting for your purpose to show up, or getting advice from someone else.
Why Should You Explore Your Purpose in Life?
Knowing your purpose gives life meaning. It is what allows you to grow into your highest self, and gives each day direction and fulfillment. When you know your purpose, the values on which it is based, and your path to fulfilling it, you are well on your way to self-actualization.
Abraham Maslow was a pioneering American psychologist who gave us the hierarchy of human needs and wrote extensively on the subjects of peak experiences and self-actualization, which he called “the full use and exploitation of talents, capacities, potentialities…” In Personality and Personal Growth (Prentice-Hall, 2005), Robert Frager and James Fadiman describe the characteristics Maslow ascribed to self-actualized people:
- More efficient at perceiving reality, and more comfortable with their relationship to it
- Accepting of self, others, and nature
- Spontaneous, simple, and natural
- Problem-centered, as opposed to ego-centered
- Detached, with a need for privacy
- Autonomous, independent from their culture or environment
- Appreciative, in a way that is always fresh and new
- Capable of mystical and peak experiences
- Able to feel Gemeinschaftsgefuhl (a feeling of kinship with others)
- Given to deep and profound personal relationships
- Democratic in their character structure
- Able to discriminate between the means and the ends, between good and evil
- Philosophical, with a sense of humor that is not hostile
- Creative
- Resistant to being encultured, which means that they can transcend any particular culture
Self-actualization is something to which we can all aspire, and an essential ingredient is being clear about our purpose in life. Yet self-actualization is not a static state. It is an ongoing process that asks us to live fully and creatively. And since it is open-ended, it requires that we become conscious of the unseen quantum universe where thoughts shape reality.
What Happens When We Don’t Know Our Purpose
When a person lacks purpose, it is easy to flounder in life, feel useless, and become listless or bored. One can become easily blown about by the prevailing currents. Also, it is not difficult to see how people get involved with cults or gangs, codependency, and escapism.
To avoid this, identify your values and name your purpose. Take a stand, plant your feet. Pose, take aim, be set. Passionately pursue your desired goals.
At some point, you may determine that your purpose isn’t quite on the mark. You haven’t wasted time. Rather, you have learned a great deal and can now make a fine adjustment. Continue to adjust and correct the alignment. That’s how it’s done, and it is more effective than not taking the stance at all.
Each step of the way, bask in the satisfaction and fulfillment that only comes from determined and purposeful aim and action.
My Search for My Life’s Purpose
In my experience of finding my life purpose, I felt lost a lot in the early part of my life. I switched from hobby to hobby, unsure of my own interests. I couldn’t decide on my major at college at first, and as much as I tried, I couldn’t quite secure a clear connection with my higher self or my spirit guides.
Without a true compass, I took on traditional roles and did what was expected. I watched what others were doing, where their passions were taking them, and wished I had the clarity to know myself and my purpose so well. Luckily, my discontent kept me motivated to keep moving, searching, stretching, and discovering.
In my case, I kept following my interests, walking through the doors that opened, and dismissing the paths that I tried and found were not really aligned with me. But still, it took more concerted effort than that to really hone in on my true soul’s purpose.
It is like a flower unfolding with layers of nuance, beauty, and mystery. I’m still fine-tuning my understanding of the depth and breadth of my true soul’s purpose. It’s a work in progress.
Life Purpose v. Life Path
We use the terms Purpose and Path frequently. What do those terms mean, and how are they different? Here is how we can make a distinction between the two terms.
Purpose
According to Webster’s Dictionary, Purpose is the reason for which someone exists or something is done, made, etc. An intended result, aim, goal.
Our purpose is that which we were made to do––or that which aligns with our highest values. When we know our purpose, we can more closely identify our path to achieving it. We can orient our intentions and actions in the direction of our highest goals.
There are two uses for the word Purpose as we will be using it in discussions on this website.
- Purpose is the meaning that consciousness has given to an event, person, or thing.
- Purpose is the unique goal that aligns our Being with our highest values.
Path
Your path is a result of the nature of your intention. It determines whether (or not) you reach your goal, how you get there, your speed, and the experiences you have along the way. Who determines a person’s purpose and path?
Each person determines their purpose and path, and each person is ultimately responsible for achieving them. It is not outside you––it is inherent in you. Living a life of aimed at a purpose will make your path clear.
What do you imagine it would be like to see yourself strong, not weak? How will it feel when you see your purpose and your path already manifested?
Purpose v. Function
One of the first things we will want to do is to separate function from purpose. There is use in function, while there is meaning in purpose.
Have you ever felt used? Perhaps this has occurred in a relationship, or by a boss or company. You may have even felt used by a friend or family member. In looking back over those interactions, you will likely discover that you were serving a function in that exchange.
And, if you are completely honest, they likely served a function for you as well. Yet, if that relationship was purposeful you would not feel used. It would have had meaning and brought you closer to your goals regardless of how it ended. Then, regardless of the difficulty or challenge, you would have been left with a sense of fulfillment.
In much of the career advice I have read, people are encouraged to find what they love or what they do best. This activity is then deemed to be their purpose. But in actuality, they have simply found out how they function best and in what way they can most easily be used.
I may be a good skier, and able to cook a good meal and find cheap flights to Europe, but that is not my purpose in life. I may function well on the slopes and in the kitchen, or be useful to someone looking for a vacation. But that is not my purpose in life. Being good at something doesn’t necessarily give us the clues we need in determining our purpose.
To recap, begin to separate your function from your purpose. List all the ways that you can function. These are what make you useful. They are not your purpose, but they may come in handy once you do know your purpose.
Then make a separate list of things you are passionate about, what goals you wish to achieve, and what will give you the greatest sense of fulfillment. Where will you take aim? Where do you want to take a stance? How will you position yourself?
Your purpose may not come easy. It may require you to stretch, learn, grow, struggle, and be challenged.
As I said earlier, your purpose will have meaning. It will be important to you, make sense, and have significance.
Soul Purpose vs Life Purpose
We also want to distinguish between Soul Purpose and Live Purpose.
Each of us was created with energy that operates in a unique and special way. Some spirits have energy that attracts, and some have energy that inspires. Others have energy that leads, directs, heals, teaches, or manages. Some have a love of detail while others keep the grander vision in perspective. Our particular energy operates in a way that is unique to us.
To get a closer look at your own Soul Purpose, go into a state of meditation in whatever way you prefer, and consider the following questions.
- Over your lifetime, in what ways have you naturally used your energy?
- When you consider many lifetimes, what are your general predispositions?
- What do you typically stand for?
- What are your passions? What drives you?
- What are important social issues and why?
- Do you typically:
- Draw people into groups?
- Disseminate information?
- Create and share love, information, ideas, or resources?
- Break things down to examine their parts or structure?
- Create chaos in order to shake things up?
- Heal things that are broken or out of balance?
There are many other choices as well. Reflect on how your energy operates in the world to get a sense of your Soul’s Purpose. Occupations, hobbies, and other activities may help suggest your basic dominant pattern.
Within the grander cycle of a Soul Purpose, each individual has a Life Purpose in a given incarnation. This purpose, when aligned, supports the Soul Purpose. Yet the Life Purpose is more focused on activities and goals within one particular lifetime.
A Life Purpose might involve:
- Learning a lesson, such as overcoming a negative pattern or habit (greed, jealousy, violence) or gaining positive character traits (courage, compassion, loyalty)
- Assisting another person, particularly someone in your Soul Group. When others in your Soul Group are moving forward, it is easier for you to move forward as well. Helping them always brings a deeper reward, in addition to the fulfillment of supporting someone close to you.
- Gaining knowledge about the universe from various perspectives (poverty, royalty, warrior, artist, etc.)
- Furthering your range of experience to fulfill your Soul Purpose. For instance, a Soul Purpose of being a healer may be supported in various incarnations with a Life Purpose of being an herbalist, a shaman, a dentist, a nurse, a massage therapist, etc.
Searching for Purpose
There is a particular feeling that can be sensed when one is on the right path and moving in purposeful experience. It may be subtle or it may be intense. Oftentimes the sensual response is even more obvious when one moves off the path. You’ll find it easier to stay on course when you heed these signs.
When seeking clues to your purpose in life, consider the following factors:
Childhood Interests
Examine your childhood desires and games, hobbies, interests, and concerns.
When we are children, we are frequently more in touch with the nature of the purpose we hoped to accomplish this particular lifetime. By going back in our memories, we can often recall many activities that magnetically drew our attention. There may have been many hopes, dreams, and fantasies that were important to each of us.
As we were developing in our childhood, we may have been encouraged to “grow up”, be responsible, and do what was expected. These commands can confuse and cloak our true calling, our passions. Too often we end up playing out someone else’s script, someone else’s dreams. The result is a sense of disconnection and discontent.
Take a moment to think back to your childhood interests:
- What games did you play? What toys did you enjoy?
- What were your interests? What activities came easily to you?
- Do you feel any resonance with any of those activities?
- Have you continued to participate in any of those same types of activities?
- Have any of those playtime interests developed into a career path?
- What opportunities presented themselves in the course of your life?
- How many of them contain clues to your purpose?
- Do you recall a sense of urgency about wanting to accomplish a particular goal?
- Were you frustrated when you couldn’t access or realize certain talents or abilities?
Remember that your Life Purpose may not be tied directly to your occupation. Some occupations are simply what you do for a living, or what you are good at doing, and are not necessarily your purpose for coming into this life.
In what ways do your occupation, interests, talents, and relationships give you clues to your Life Purpose or support its fulfillment?
Values
Next, it will be helpful to have a solid awareness of the hierarchy of your values.
- What is important to you?
- What and who would you actively seek to gain and keep in your life?
- What motivates and inspires you?
The answers to these questions will point to the people, things, and activities that are valuable to you, and will give hints concerning your purpose.
Although I give my private program clients a full version of this exercise, you can start by simply naming the ten most important people in your life, the ten most important things you have in your life, and the ten most important activities you engage in. Then, put them all in order of importance with the most important at the top.
In your daily life, are you prioritizing these values?
While working through all that, keep this in mind:
Two things are required for the human experience: Consciousness and Existence.
- Consciousness is required for us to be aware that we exist at all.
- Existence is required to have a focus for Consciousness.
- Both are axiomatic and foundational to life.
Imagine for a moment that there is only consciousness. Thought, awareness, observation. Yet, there is no existence. Nothing to focus on, nothing to observe. Just a homogenous sea of nothingness. Then, imagine that there is only existence. Matter, but no ability to be aware of it, to shape or use it, to admire or appreciate. No, they are both necessary. And both are fundamental to our very reality.
Therefore, Consciousness and Existence must be the highest values that we can have. To initiate and expand our consciousness and to establish and solidify our existence.
When I speak with clients who are struggling to identify their soul’s purpose, I suggest that they can start by simply attending to their consciousness and existence. A vital goal we each have is to feed experience into the subconscious and/or super-conscious mind. These experiences are the basis for personality, behavior, and morality. Our beliefs, decisions, and direction are all based on these experiences. They establish our goals, our fears, and our destiny.
So, in your list of values, put Consciousness and Existence at the top, and see if all the cards below those words are aligned to support these axiomatic parts of your life.
Virtues
Then, you will want to sharpen your resolve to take the action steps to gain and keep your values and follow your highest dreams. These action steps are often referred to as your virtues. Here is a list of virtues that you can start to practice.
Reason: Recognizing your mind and thought processes as your greatest tool for discovering and interfacing with reality and truth.
Honesty: Holding your thoughts, words, and actions in alignment with truth and reality, and not compromising them to the delusions of others.
Independence: Think for yourself and maintain the value of your perceptions of reality.
Integrity: Aligning your thoughts, words, and actions with your rationally chosen values.
Justice: Giving value for value in all areas of your life.
Productiveness: Living deliberately and with purpose, creatively shaping your life, and moving it towards your highest goals.
Pride: Holding yourself as your highest value and gaining the self-esteem and self-worth that you have earned through the pursuit and achievement of your values.
As you work on the above items, you’ll explore the various doors that you notice opening for you and the paths that stretch out in front of you. You can pick and choose the ones that resonate with you and the ones that carry you closer to your goals.
Past Lives
As you explore and hone your alignment with your soul’s purpose, you will benefit from Self-knowledge which will, of course, be at the heart of it. Not just knowledge of who you are in this life, but who you were created to be as a soul, and how you have expressed that over many millions of lifetimes.
Visiting past lives through past life regression is useful in seeing the many ways you have expressed your soul’s purpose throughout history. Those who are healers, for example, many find they have been an herbalist, a doctor, a witch doctor, a counselor, a medicine man or woman, a midwife, or a parent. All different approaches to a singular intent and purpose.
While all experiences can be purposeful, some experiences will get you to your destination quicker and more directly than others. It is your choice how fast you want to learn and grow, and what impact on the world you wish to make.
Exploring your previous lifetimes is an initial step in discovering your soul’s purpose. If you’re trying to uncover your soul’s purpose by exploring your past life memories, here are simple steps to get started:
- Explore several of your lifetimes in meditation, with a guided visualization, or with a qualified guide or hypnotherapist.
- Look for common themes that tie various lives together.
- Search for a deeper theme shared through many lives.
- Ask yourself what the purpose of pursuing this theme is.
These answers will be strong clues to your soul’s purpose. As you collect, connect, and integrate the memories of your past lives, you’ll start to increase the mass of your soul and your energetic body. This, in turn, provides you with more momentum and power to move forward toward fulfilling your purpose.
Gaining mass also adds to your spiritual protections and attracts higher-level guides who will want to work with you. A past life regression is a great first step for beginning a life of living with purpose.
During a regression, you may also explore factors in your decision-making process prior to coming into this life. Doing so will likely illuminate both your Soul Purpose and your Life Purpose. You may also meet spirit guides who can give you valuable information. Everything that happens in the regression can shed light on who you are and give you clarity about your Life Purpose.
Ending Thoughts
I’ve shared many concepts and pathways of exploring and discovering your Soul Purpose and Life Purpose. In conclusion, it doesn’t matter whether you choose to be a carpenter or a rocket scientist; it’s the diversified experience that is the basis for perpetuating existence.
A career choice is only a matter of taste. When you are in the flow with your natural talents and gifts, you’ll gravitate toward those activities and situations that will continually align you more precisely with your purpose, and your experiences will be more fulfilling on a deeper level. Being aimed at your highest purpose will allow you to lead a rich and satisfying life and put your gifts to the highest use.
