How to Get to Know Your True Self and Find Your Purpose
“To thine own self be true.” William Shakespeare
If you don’t yet know exactly who you are deep down or what your true purpose in life is, don’t worry.
Your true self and purpose may be buried under many years of doing what other people expect of you or of fulfilling your own expectations of what success is.
For example, you may have worked for years in a job that you don’t like very much, working your way up to the top of the company.
Once you arrive there, you still have intense feelings of discontentment. You’re surprised by this because you thought you’d feel happy once you achieved success in your career.
True contentment and success come from knowing your true purpose in life and doing things that allow you to live that purpose.
But, before you can do this, you need to get to know yourself better.
Getting To Know Yourself Better
There are several ways to do this, including:
- Journaling
- Meditation
- Mindfulness
- Spending quiet time alone without any distractions so that you can listen to your inner voice.
As you get to know yourself better, you’ll be drawn into different directions. New opportunities will present themselves to you.
Finding Your Purpose
You may go through a long process of trial and error but don’t worry about this. Explore as many avenues of opportunity as you want to. If you later find out that one is not right for you, then all you need to do is stop and head in a different direction.
Ultimately, you’ll know that you’re moving in the right direction because you’ll feel deep down that you’re acting in a way that’s true to yourself.
When you’re on this path, continue. Gradually spend more time with yourself, letting go of the chatter and negative self-talk in your mind. As you do so, you’ll move forward, little by little, creating the life you were meant to lead.
When I began to explore my purpose in life, I had no idea what it was. I was worried because other people seemed so sure of their purpose, and I didn’t have much of a clue!
I started by writing articles on an online marketplace. I enjoyed writing but found some of the subjects I wrote about boring. The pay wasn’t very good either.
Later, I started to work with clients directly, writing a variety of different materials. Over time, I realized I enjoyed writing certain types of pieces much more than others. This led me to start an online magazine on one of the areas I’m most passionate about.
I’m still gradually uncovering my purpose and it’s an interesting journey!
