Find Your Purpose by Being YOU
Are you on a quest to find live your best life? When on this quest, the question how to find your purpose is likely to come up.
When I decided to intentionally go on a quest to live my best life, finding my purpose of course came up. To live my best life, I felt like I needed a purpose to give my life meaning… And I started asking myself questions like Sian, what is your purpose? What are you meant to be doing in this life?
Have you ever asked yourself these question? What is my purpose? What am I meant to be doing with my life?
Not sure about you, but these kinds of questions can really put the pressure on…
It was a particularly tough question for me to answer, because I have so many interests and have always found it difficult to just focus on one thing. So I started searching for answers… Reading self-help books and blog posts, watching YouTube videos, following personal development gurus and doing their masterclasses. I was looking everywhere for how to find my purpose.
When I moved from South Africa to Italy, my first year was really tough. I was out of my comfort zone and facing many different challenges. And during this time, because it was so challenging, I started doing a lot more soul-searching, asking myself questions like What am I supposed to be doing with my life? What is my purpose?
And I continued searching endlessly online and in self-help books…
And then… one blog post changed everything…
Instead of looking outside, I started looking within for answers
This blog post encouraged me to stop looking for answers in other places, like in books, articles and videos… And to instead, look back at my life and look at what I naturally loved doing. This turned my search around… Instead of looking outside myself for the answers, I turned within… I started looking at my life up to that point – looking at everything I was naturally drawn to. And it was then and there that I really acknowledged my deep passion for health and self-improvement.
For years, I’d been deeply passionate about self-improvement. It wasn’t my job or anything, it was just something I personally felt compelled to explore. I realised that for years I’d be on this quest to become my best self and live my best life. I’d been working on eating healthier, getting fitter, being less stressed, doing work I loved, listening to my intuition…
And in that moment, my quest to find my purpose completely changed. Instead of looking outside for the answers, I started looking within. And that is what really kicked off my journey of self-exploration – A quest to reconnect with myself and to rediscover who I really was…
Life is a journey of self-exploration
And so, the journey began…
At first, when I looking within, I felt a bit empty. It felt like there wasn’t much to discover…
But, through the power of journalling, I started awakening. I’d journal regularly, usually in the morning. At first, I’d just let whatever was on my mind come out onto the page. Then, over time, I started to ‘brainstorm my life’, writing about what I thought I wanted out of life. It was therapeutic, having this time with myself to ponder life and what I wanted.
Through my constant journalling practice, I became a lot more aware about what was important to me. There were certain things I’d write about A LOT – like getting healthy, doing yoga and my morning routine.
And so, I started paying more attention to these things, and making more time for them – I committed to my morning routine, focused my exercise on yoga, and continued to explore my passions around health and wellness.
And as I paid more attention to what I naturally loved, and took the time to do more of them, it felt like I was coming alive… Essentially, through this process of self-exploration, I started reawakening and becoming more me.
Let being YOU guide your decision-making
And as I became more connected to myself, I started listening to my intuition a lot more. And slowly, that started guiding my decision-making in all areas of my life… Essentially, I’d only do things that felt right for me.
Here are some examples:
— I stopped going to the gym, because I realised that really didn’t like doing circuit training and that morning yoga was what I truly loved.
— By acknowledging that I was more of an introvert, I stopped feeling bad about not enjoying big group gatherings with friends, And instead, I started meeting up with friends one-on-one or in much smaller groups. I enjoyed this so much more, as I could have more intimate conversations and really connect. This also inspired me to spend more time alone – something I used to feel bad about – realising that solo-time was something I deeply enjoyed as it allowed me to self-reflect and recharge in my own way.
— I realised that the 9-5 office lifestyle was not good for me, and that the monotonous routine made my feel caged and deeply frustrated. And so I eventually decided to leave the 9-5 lifestyle forever and work remotely, free to manage my own time and work in my own way.
— For years I had felt the strong pull to study health coaching at IIN, and eventually made that happen three and a half years after discovering the college. And after studying health coaching, I was further inspired to build my online wellness business.
As you can see, I was using BEING ME to inspire change in many areas of my life – from my career to my health to my social life.
Forgetting about ‘finding my purpose’ and instead focusing on ‘discovering myself’ was a game-changer in my life. Because I was aligning the different areas of my life to what felt good to me, I naturally started feeling happier and more fulfilled. And these aligned changes sparked a much more meaningful life journey.
Realising that BEING 100% YOU IS YOUR PURPOSE
It was through this journey of self-exploration that I had a huge AHA MOMENT that BEING 100% YOU IS YOUR PURPOSE.
BOOM – explosion in my mind. The penny dropped and it all became so clear.
We are all unique. We are one of a kind.
You, dear reader, are one of a kind. There is nobody like you in the entire world. How amazing is that!?
Just take that in for a moment…
Too many of us hide who we are. We try to fit in, wanting to be loved and accepted.
But… being 100% who we are is, in fact, our superpower. By being 100% ourselves, we become completely unique and that is where the magic happens. That is when we can truly radiate and live our own unique and deeply fulfilling lives!
By being yourself, and letting that guide your decision-making, your life will naturally open up in meaningful ways. You will spend your time on what really matters to you. You’ll do the things that feel right for you, the things that truly light you up inside. You will spend time with people that make you feel good and bring out the best in you. You’ll spend time in places and situations that inspire you.
Do you see where this is going?
Just by focusing on BEING YOU and letting that guide your decision-making, your life will naturally unfold in a way that feels meaningful to you. Because you’re living your life in a way that is aligned to who you are, and that is what fills us up. That is what is means to feel fulfilled.
And by making your life an expression of who you are and what’s important to you, your purposeful living emerges.
Perhaps finding you purpose is just about being YOU?
In my personal experience, ‘finding your purpose’ can often add a lot of pressure to people. They feel like they need to find this one specific purpose, and if they don’t have it, it can frustrate them.
And even if you feel like you have already ‘found your purpose’, I encourage you to think about this idea differently…
Perhaps FINDING YOUR PURPOSE is just about BEING 100% YOU?
By being true to yourself, and by following your heart and your gut, and listening to your intuition, you can make unique life decisions that feel right for you. And by doing that in all areas of your life, you’ll create a life that is uniquely designed for you.
I encourage you to go on a lifelong journey of self-exploration. Consider every area of your life, and think about what you deeply want in each. And then, make little changes to each area so that it feels right for you. Forget society’s expectations or what you think you should do… What feels good to you? What kind of exercise do you really enjoy? Do more of it. What work do you really enjoy doing? Explore that. What truly gives you joy? Make time to do more of it…
When I stopped looking outside for answers, and approached life as a journey of self-exploration, everything changed. I reconnected with myself, and started letting that guide my decision-making and how I spent my time. And that’s when my life started to take on a really meaningful path.
Looking back, this shift has been instrumental in helping me create a meaningful life.
I personally don’t like to put ‘my purpose’ in a box and say it is one thing. Instead I like to approach it as a lifelong journey of self discovery. And as I work on making all areas of my life a true expression of who I am, I live with purpose.
By living a life that feels right for you, you’ll naturally feel happier and more fulfilled. And that feeling of purpose will unfold naturally along the way.
Are you inspired to find your purpose through a journey of self exploration?
I hope that this blog post has inspired you on your quest to live a meaningful and fulfilling life.
When you focus on being you, and let that shine out into all areas of your life, your life will naturally becomes more meaningful and fulfilling. Because you’re living in alignment with your true self and that feels good.
I’d love to hear from you.
Have you been searching for your purpose? What have you discovered along the way? And, has this post inspired you in some way to shift your focus on BEING MORE YOU?
Post a comment below, send me a direct email, or DM on Instagram. I’d love to hear from you and learn more about your journey to living a life full of purpose!
Keeping shining xoxo Sian
