Determine Your Purpose

A friend handed me a Christmas gift. I pulled out a T-shirt that says, “Created with a purpose”. I smiled. It further inspired me to start this blog. I’ve been trying to figure out my purpose for most of my adult life, with more concerted effort recently. Determining your purpose can be difficult and frustrating. If you are the type of person who always knew what you wanted to do from a young age, then I’m jealous. That wasn’t me. When I was a child, I loved animals, so I thought I wanted to be a veterinarian. I also wanted to be a dancer and a singer because I love dancing and music. When I graduated from college, I pursued a career in financial analysis, but I went into a few different directions later. I still don’t know what I want to be, but I am taking steps to figure it out. It’s overwhelming because many think that their career is their purpose. Besides being a business professional, my life experiences led me to writing. Being a writer wasn’t something I ever thought about being. It never even crossed my mind. And this leads me to my point. I believe that people have multiple purposes, which are ever-evolving and need to be continuously explored. If there is something you may have an interest in pursuing, take a risk and go try it. All of the time you spend thinking about it could be used for actually doing it. You don’t have to quit your day job, and you won’t know if you like it until you try. I came across careerthesaurus.com, which may be a start to point you in the right direction. It allows you to pick three interests and see what jobs match them. You can switch out interests and see the results. Outside of what you do to pay the bills, pursue your passions. Otherwise your’e starving your soul. I’ve taken voice lessons, performance dance classes, guitar lessons, and sewing lessons. I’m currently studying to see if I want to be a realtor. And yes, even though I was one of the most shy and socially awkward kids in high school, I even tried out for American Idol! My advice to everyone, including those who always knew what they wanted to be, is don’t sell yourself short. There may be things you haven’t pursued that enrich your life and others. Don’t ever live to say, “I wish I had tried             !” I strive to do the things that make me happy. What steps will you take to determine your purposes?