How to Find Purpose: The Most Valuable Exercise I Do Every Year
Asking the Right Questions
Finding your purpose starts with understanding who you are and what you want on a very deep and specific level.
However, the only way to uncover these insights is by asking yourself questions and giving very detailed answers.
By honestly answering the following questions you’ll have a foundation for building the life you want.
What do you want to DO?
What experiences do you want to have in your lifetime? Be honest with yourself because life is finite and so is the list of peak experiences you can have.
Exercise 1:
Write 3–5 things that you want to DO in your lifetime.
Examples: Travel the world, start a business, learn filmmaking, perform original music to a crowd of people (I know these examples are a bit vague, but try to be as specific as possible for the best results)
Think big and be selfish. If you were 90 years old and on your deathbed, what would you regret not having experienced?
What do you want to BE?
Next, channel your inner child when being asked:
“What do you want to be when you grow up?”
Exercise 2:
Write 3–5 things that you want to BE in your lifetime.
Examples: Musician, pro snowboarder, CEO, researcher, parent
What do you want to HAVE?
While I do try to practice minimalism, it’s still good to know what you want to have.
From tangible items like sports cars to abstract things like personal freedom and financial independence (which I recommend more than sports cars), knowing what you want to have will give you insights into what you should do.
Exercise 3:
Write 3–5 things about what you want to have in your lifetime.
Examples: Financial independence, successful personal brand, 1 million Medium Followers, supportive group of friends, children, a Nobel Peace Prize
What’s the most important?
Part of the beauty of life and our experiences is the fact that we can’t do everything. Achieving big goals takes sacrifice. Think about what you want to experience and how you want to be remembered.
Now for the most critical (and probably the most difficult) part of this entire process.
Exercise 4 (The Final Step):
Take your list of things you want to do, be, and have, and select ONLY the top 3 most important items.
From this list of your 3 most important goals/dreams, write the first 5 actions you can take to get you closer to making it a reality.
I hope this gives you a starting point for creating the life you want.
If you got value out of this article, follow me on Medium because tomorrow I’ll be posting about how to turn your dreams into detailed action plans.