DISCOVERING YOUR PURPOSE IN LIFE

The moment that any life, however good,
stifles you, you may be sure it isn’t your real life.
Arthur Christopher Benson

Everything on this planet has a purpose, although we may not know what that purpose may be. Some things, such as spiders, may seem to be only a creepy annoyance, but that is only because we haven’t discovered their purpose yet. Actually, spiders do have specific purposes, depending on the spider. This life lesson applies to absolutely everything on this planet.

In the garden, spiders prey on the insects which can damage your garden plants. There are studies being done currently which are studying how to use spider webs for different things. There may also be uses for spider venom. Who knows what science will discover about spiders in the future. This is only one example, there are thousands of others.

The point is, absolutely everything on this planet has a purpose, and that includes YOU. Scientists are working hard to discover the hidden purpose for many plants and creatures on this planet. In the same way, you have to discover what your ultimate purpose in life is.

Is your purpose to merely eat, sleep and live a comfortable life or is there a much higher meaning to your life? You are here for a specific reason, one that only you are meant to fulfill. Discover your purpose and follow your heart. No one can fulfill your purpose exactly like you can. You are unique and special!

This brings up the question of how do you discover your purpose in life. Well, there are five steps that can help you discover your purpose in life.

1. List the things you are interested in or like to do.
   You have preferences for a reason. You don’t want to spend your whole life doing things that you hate just in order to get by or make a living. What do you love to do? Answering this question is the first step in deciphering your purpose in life.
2. Think about what special talents you have and develop those talents in your life.
   You were given those talents for a purpose, but it is up to you to put them to use. Everyone has something that he or she is good at and which comes naturally for him or her. What is your special gift in life?
3. Reflect on how you can use those talents to serve others.
   How can you use your special talents to serve others or to provide for those you love? You weren’t given your talents to hide away in a closet. Figure out how to use your gift for a constructive purpose.
4. Meditate on what you want out of life.
   What is it that you want to accomplish in life? What kind of legacy will you leave when you die? What do you want your children and grandchildren to remember about you? Meditating on this will help you find the answers you are looking for concerning your ultimate purpose in life.
5. Be willing to take a chance.
   You have to be willing to try. Take a chance. Everyone who has fulfilled their ultimate purpose in life has had to step out of his or her comfort zone and take a chance to be successful. Doing what you love, and fulfilling your purpose in life, demands that you have the courage to risk failure, but it is worth the risk.

You only live life once, make your life the best that it can be! You may think that it is a big risk trying to do what you love in life instead of merely taking the safest job route, but it is a much bigger risk not trying. When you are old and reflect back on your life, you will regret the things that you didn’t do, or didn’t try to do, much more than you will regret the things which you tried unsuccessfully.

Have the courage to at least try to live the kind of life you dream of in your private thoughts. Once thing is for sure, if you don’t try you are guaranteed not to succeed. Take the chance to fulfill your purpose in life and you will find that the Universe will support you.

Live as you will wish to have lived when you are dying.
Christian Furchtegott Gellert