3 questions to discover your purpose
If one does not know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favourable. ―Seneca
👥 Serves: 1 person
🎚 Difficulty: Easy
⏳ Total time: 11-30 minutes
🥣 Ingredients: Pen and paper, a timer
🤓 Wholebeing Domains: Accomplishments, Meaning
💪 Wholebeing Skills: Commitment, Determination, Direction, Fulfilment, Goal-setting, Legacy, Purpose, Significance
3 questions to discover your purpose
📝 Description
Sitting with 3 thought-provoking questions to get closer to your purpose.
Purpose is an essential human need, one that gives meaning and significance to our lives. According to Dr Scott Barry Kaufman, author of the book Transcend: The New Science of Self-Actualization, “the need for purpose can be defined as the need for an overarching aspiration that energises one’s efforts and provides a central source of meaning and significance in one’s life.”
Since everyone’s journey to finding purpose is unique, we have several recipes to help you tap into your purpose, from “5 steps to purpose” and “A way into your purpose” to “A picture says a thousand words”, “Guidance from within” and “Discover your Ikigai”. The following recipe has been inspired by the questions that according to Mindvalley help you find purpose and create a life around end-goals. The invitation is not to spend more than 5 minutes on each answer so you can avoid over-thinking them and allow answers to flow through you.
This recipe has been kindly donated by our changemaker friend Juan David Aristizabal of Los Zúper.
👣 Steps
Step 1 – First question (5’)
Take your journal or notebook and spend 5 minutes reflecting on the first question: “What are all the experiences I want to live in my life?” The focus of this question is on the experiences you want to live in your life, without the boundaries of time and money. Think about end goals and make a list, e.g.
- I want to be a teacher in Italy.
- I want to run a marathon.
- I want to have a year-long vacation.
- I want to be published in 3 languages.
Step 2 – Second question (5’)
Spend the next 5 minutes to reflect on the second question: “How do I want to grow?” The focus of this question is on the competencies, skills, abilities, qualities, attitudes, character traits etc. that you may wish to build and develop as you live the experiences you identified before. For example:
- I want to be proficient in Italian.
- I want to build physical resilience.
- I want to become a more compassionate leader.
- I want to improve my writing skills.
Step 3 – Third question (5’)
Spend the last 5 minutes to reflect on the third question: “What are all the ways that I want to contribute to the world?” The focus of this question is on your contribution to the world, starting from your family and friends expanding outward to your workplace, your community, and the planet. We’re talking about your legacy here. How are you going to create a better world while you grow and have the experiences in your life that you identified before? For example:
- Kids will become better leaders thanks to my pedagogy.
- My books will change mindsets worldwide.