You are a unique gift to the world, so how are you going to make this gift as valuable as it can be?

Start by clarifying your life purpose. What’s your vision of the world and your part in it? What’s the Big Idea in your life, the theme that holds it all together?

We are all aware of our purpose at some level, although it may be hidden in the subconscious waiting to be discovered. Look within. The biggest clues are your talents and your interests. If you are not clear about what these are, there’s a third clue – what you were good at and most enjoyed as a child.

Let’s look at each of these in detail.

What are your talents?

You are endowed with certain talents. How are you going to make the most of them? Ask yourself:

• What am I good at?
• What do I do better than most of the people I know?
• What do others most appreciate about me?

For example, are you a good communicator, a person who can bring peace to those around you? Do you get on well with the young, the elderly or the sick? Are you musical, sporting or artistic? Good with numbers? Are you strong and able to do physically demanding work? Are good at making or repairing things with your hands, taking them apart and making them work better? Do you have ‘green fingers’, and so on?

Don’t withhold your talents. Share them gladly and be grateful for the opportunity to make a contribution your own way.

Does your work express your life purpose?

 Most of us spend a significant proportion of our time at work. Does your work express your values and life purpose?

• Do you love your work? Does it energise you?
• Do work and leisure feel the same to you?
• At times when you feel discouraged about a particular aspect of your work, do you still maintain a deep feeling that what you’re doing is ‘right’?
• Is there something you’d rather be doing?

What do these answers tell you?

What are you enthusiastic about?

Your purpose will almost certainly have something to do with what you enjoy.

Is it practical to follow your bliss? Absolutely! You make your greatest contribution when you live authentically and put your heart and soul into what you’re doing.

What do you enjoy? Make a list, and then ask yourself:

• What proportion of my time do I spend doing things I enjoy?
• How could I do more of what I enjoy?
• How could I increase the enjoyment I get from what I currently do?

What did you enjoy as a child?

What did you enjoy when you were young, before pressure was put on you to choose a career and making a living became imperative? This is a potent question. Children are more closely in touch with their natural selves. Their intellects have not yet developed to the point where they interfere with their intuitive guidance.

If you’re not sure, ask people who knew you as a child or look through old  diaries and photo albums.

If this doesn’t work, take time to sit or lie down comfortably, breathe deeply, close your eyes and relax. Imagine you are drifting back in time. ‘See’ yourself as a child in your imagination and silently ask your inner self, ‘Who am I, and what do I enjoy? Ask slowly, concentrate and be patient. You may need to do this several times before the answers come.

When you have some answers, ask yourself, ‘Am I currently doing these in my daily life?’ This can be very revealing.

The clearer your vision, the less you have to struggle

Spend time exploring how you would like your life to be. Let a vision form of how you wish to live and what you want to achieve. The truer you are to your purpose and values, the happier and more productive you become, and the more open you are to receive the love, wisdom and other great blessings that are your birthright.

You also find that you have less of a struggle making the right things happen, and coincidentally, more happens around you to support you.

©David Lawrence Preston, 14.5.2016

Follow me on Facebook and Twitter @David_L_Preston

How To Books, 2007