Discovering your life purpose creates a feeling of fulfillment and delight with your life.  It feels energizing.  It’s also about the contribution you make to the larger whole.  However, it’s important to stop and reassess your life purpose periodically.

As you go through life, your interests may change. Life is dynamic and your abilities, desires and needs will change, so your purpose might change as well.  New experiences may open up new interests and avenues of service.  

Don’t feel as if you’ve failed if you realize a dream you once held no longer excites you or it doesn’t work out.  Life and purpose are a journey and no experience is wasted.

It was a bit of a shock to me when I realized I no longer felt energized and fulfilled with teaching.  I had felt on purpose as a teacher for a long time. But by listening to that inner voice and seeking my next steps, I found what I had actually set into motion 30 years prior to that moment!

If you’re humming along quite nicely with your purpose that’s great!  A check-in is still a good practice to see if there is anything you’d like to tweak to make it even better.

Here are some practices that can help you discover or reassess your life purpose:

1. Ask yourself questions and journal about the answers you get. 

A good practice is to spend five or ten minutes at the end of each day reflecting upon the events of the day. 

Ask yourself what experiences were life-giving and energizing and which experiences were life-draining.  Did you feel in the “flow” of life at any time during the day?  What were you doing then?  Were you with anyone or alone?

2. Pay attention to your nightly dreams. 

Set the intention that you will remember them and keep your journal or a notepad and pencil by your bed so you can record them right away before they fade.

Dreams are a way for the subconscious mind to work on issues going on in waking life.  Dreams deal with symbolism, so as you reflect upon them, think about what the symbols are telling you.  Take your time and think about the symbols over several days.  Dreams can be multi-layered.  What do those symbols mean to you?

Dreams may have clues to your purpose or be helping you to clear the way toward it. They can be working out the answers to things that are bothering you, or guiding you in a direction you may not have consciously thought of.  

The more you do this, the more you’ll remember your dreams.  Rather than trying to interpret them, just reflect on them and allow a meaning to surface.

3. What difficulties and challenges have you overcome in life? 

How did you do it?  Who helped you?  What did you learn from the experience?  Your past pain may be the very thing you can turn into a way to help others overcome the same thing.

4. What are your top values?

Your purpose will always align with your values.  It’s good to check in with your values periodically, as they may change as well.  Some values may move to the top that weren’t a priority before, as your life circumstances change.  You can go here to download a values activity that will help you identify your values and determine your top five.

There is no right or wrong to what you choose as your purpose.  It’s yours to decide.  You’ll know it because it will be a reflection of what feels good to you, what you enjoy and employs talents and skills you possess.  

You may find your purpose within your family, community or on a larger world scale.  Purpose is about what gives you a feeling of meaning and a reason to get up in the morning.  So check in with yourself periodically to see if what you’ve been doing is still what lights you up!