The four checks to test your purpose

Your life’s purpose consists of the central motivating aims of your life- the reasons you do what you do; essentially your “why”. Your purpose is used to shape your goals, offer a sense of direction, and guide life decisions. This translates into the type of work you do, the people you associate with, and the impact you wish to create. During the course of you striving for an ideal life, one must have pit stops along the journey to make sure you’re on the right path. Let’s call them checkpoints! This is where we check and see if all we’re doing is aligned with our desires and motivations. Here are four ways to test your purpose:

Intuitive Check

Your intuition typically helps you make decisions quickly and allows you to adapt to rapidly changing conditions. Trusting your intuition is the ultimate act of trusting yourself. As you pause and take a look at what it is you set out to achieve and how you’re progressing to that goal, consider how you feel. Do you feel joy or do you feel burdened when taking on the tasks that are aligned with your purpose? Are you happy with where you are and where you’re going? These questions are important to reflect on periodically because changing your “why” if it no longer serves you is just as important as the direction you’re headed.

Support Network Check

Having a strong support system to help guide, mentor, and keep you accountable is something that has many benefits, such as higher levels of well-being and a better, longer life. When you forget your checkpoints, this support system will become the automatic reminder on your journey. Let’s call them your “GPS”. If you need to go in a different direction based on the destination you’re headed, your “GPS” will be there to help guide you to where you need to go. Your friends and family who truly know you will know what resonates with you and what truly makes you happy. They sometimes have the ability to see your natural talents when you aren’t able to see them yourself. In testing your purpose, your support system will help you navigate the ups and downs just as much as keeping you aligned to your highest self.

Calendar Check

On a daily basis, when you look at your calendar, are your activities centered around who you want to be and how you want to impact the world? The best place to see if you’re on the right path is to check your habits. Time is a precious resource and every day you have 24 hours to delegate between the most important things. In being aware of how you spend your time, you can then see if your activities are aligned with your purpose. Now we know life gets in the way--work, school, and basic activities are necessary, but how are you spending your free time? Being able to do the things you love is important so use your time wisely!

Decision Check

When faced with decisions about life, job opportunities, where your time is invested, and why, you should always revert back to what you set out to achieve in the first place. When making decisions that are impactful, think about how it lines up with your purpose. Do you go for the corner office or do you take the job that’s less glamorous but allows you to impact the world you envisioned? There will be challenges and things that pull you in different directions but what guides your path will be a common element--your purpose. Your decisions ultimately will help you lead a life you want so always be mindful of your goals and how they align with decisions for the day, month, for that job position, and so on!

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How you decide to orchestrate your life is up to you. You can be anything you want to be and achieve any goal you set but always have an anchor. Always know why you’re doing the things you do and that is when you can go forth confidently knowing you’re living in your truth! Having clarity of purpose is essential if you want to live a lifestyle that is committed to having a positive impact in the world! I affirm you will find that one thing that drives you and you spend your days achieving it!