Find Purpose and Direction: The First Steps
Posted on October 06, 2021 by Ivan Grgas, One of Thousands of Life Coaches on Noomii.
In order to re-align ourselves with our purpose we must be willing to sit, think, and talk to ourselves.
Are you the captain of your ship? If not, what can you do to take the helm?
Most people would agree that improving their lives, finding ‘success’, and living ‘well’ is extremely important. But how many people take a conscious deliberate approach to this important endeavor? How many are willing to dig a bit deeper and discover a greater sense of purpose for their life journey?
Many people have gone to school, obtained jobs, careers, developed specializations, all in a bid to make improvements to their lives or, at the very least, to do what they feel is expected of them in their society. Even some of those who have achieved some ‘success’ may feel like passengers on a ship with little influence over their direction and destination. Many often avoid thinking too deeply about their life and its direction because it can be uncomfortable and scary to do so. It may be more comfortable to continue drifting along where the currents take them.
Talk to Yourself
If you find yourself feeling a bit lost and at the mercy of external circumstances, it’s time to examine, re-discover, and/or strengthen your guiding principles and values. We can all get caught up in daily routines and endless distractions, and they can cause us to lose a sense of direction if we don’t discover or re-discover what’s important. In order to re-align ourselves with our purpose we must be willing to sit and think and talk to ourselves.
The simple task of sitting in silence away from a computer, TV, and phone, is becoming more and more difficult to do every day, but is a necessary prerequisite for finding deeper purpose and fulfillment. We need to ask ourselves about what we value and what we want our life to be about. Here are some general points to help get started on this important task:
-Call upon your willpower and set aside 20 minutes of quiet time at least once a week. Your body, mind, and spirit need the temporary isolation from the daily distractions in order to build an internal dialogue and strengthen a “center of gravity” within you that will help you stay strong when the currents push your ship towards the rocks.
-It is recommended to start slow and without much expectation at first. We must first learn to develop the habit of sitting, observing, and thinking. The more natural this habit becomes, the clearer and stronger the signals of inspiration and purpose we receive from the depths of our being.
-Once you have developed some consistency and strength in your introspection, it’s time to introduce questions for the thinking sessions. Here are some questions to ask yourselves:
What do I value?
What are a few guiding principles for my life?
What are some realistic goals I’d be willing to work towards?
What does my life look like in 5 years? 10 years? 15 years?
The questions listed above are meant to begin an internal dialogue that can strengthen your sense of purpose and direction. As answers and revelations present themselves, it’s a good idea to write some of them down, especially the ones that feel stronger and resonate with your spirit. Some of the answers can be used to create a vision statement about your life and what you want it to be about. They can also be used to identify and create specific and measurable goals. This can be a very complex and involved process, so it’s always advisable to connect with a trusted coach to help along and support this internal development. Please reach out to me with any questions!
