Find Your Purpose in Life: Live Each Day with Passion and Clarity

Introduction

The Key to a Satisfying Life

Perhaps you’ve heard it said that the two most important days in a person’s life are the day they were born and the day they discover why they were born.

It’s an exhilarating process to discover your purpose in life—why you were born. Almost everyone knows the day they were born, and they celebrate it every year. But many people never discover why they were put on earth at this point in time. They drift from one opportunity to another, one situation to another, without a clear sense of direction or focus.

Nearly all of us have asked ourselves, What am I doing with my life? What is my reason for existing? How can I live with meaning and significance? Some people are easily able to answer these questions and enjoy a life guided and motivated by a compelling purpose. Many others, however, struggle with these questions for years and never discover their God-given calling.

The truth is, if you want to be content, it’s essential to discover your passion. Without a clear purpose to guide you, all your activity and ambitions will not ultimately bring fulfillment.

Before we go any further, I want to set the foundation by sharing truths that I believe with absolute conviction:

You have a mission and a calling. Your life has meaning because you were born for a particular why—an indispensable reason for being on earth.

You were created with God-given talents and skills to live out your purpose.

You can live a fully energized life, knowing you are contributing significantly to the people closest to you and the larger world around you.

You have enough and are enough to reach your full potential and become the person God intends you to be.

With these truths in mind, let me ask you: Have you determined your purpose—your why—for being on Planet Earth? If it is just to enjoy the ride, then it won’t really matter much what you do with your life. You’ll just coast along, hoping things will somehow work out. Or if you want to become wealthy or have status, you’ll make it your ambition to climb the career ladder—whether or not it represents your true calling.

On the other hand, when you believe that God created you with a unique purpose, you’ll want to know how to live out that mission consistently and effectively. If you have any doubt that your life has meaning, let these words from Scripture sink into your heart and mind: We are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:10). A different translation uses this language: We are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago (

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When you seek to align your thoughts with God’s will, you’ll begin to recognize his calling for your life and the way he equipped you to fulfill it. You are his handiwork and masterpiece, fully equipped to carry out the plans he has for your life. Living with purpose, direction, and conviction means that you won’t wonder where time has gone, regret missed opportunities, or question what your life has amounted to.

Let me share another encouraging Scripture passage, one of my all-time favorites and the theme for the Seattle-based mental health program I founded, The Center: A Place of Hope. The Old Testament prophet Jeremiah spoke this message from the Lord: "‘I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the

Lord

, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’" (Jeremiah 29:11).

Though recorded centuries ago, these words are just as relevant today. God does indeed have plans for you and me. Clarifying our purpose enables us to envision a joyful, gratifying, hope-filled future. We can wake up each morning with enthusiasm and energy for the day ahead, and we can go to sleep each night with the satisfaction of knowing we used our gifts to enrich others.

A clear sense of purpose creates meaning in your life that guides your daily decisions, influences your behavior, shapes your goals, and inspires you to service. In the pages ahead, we’ll explore these areas, looking closely at …

The power of purpose. You’ll discover the many ways a clear direction in life will benefit you—and others.

The many pathways of purpose. For some people, purpose is focused solely on their vocation—meaningful, satisfying work. But a wholistic perspective recognizes that purpose applies to many aspects of life, including family relationships, friendships, community involvement, spiritual pursuits, and creative endeavors.

How to find your purpose. We’ll ask probing questions and discuss specific steps you can take to fuel your imagination and pinpoint your path forward.

At the end, we’ve included an additional set of activities and exercises to sharpen your focus and set a new trajectory. The goal is not to overhaul your life overnight, but to foster, hone, and update