7 Strange Questions That Help You Find Your Life Purpose

Finding your life purpose can be an arduous task, oftentimes feeling like an insurmountable goal that's hard to pin down and reach.

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Many individuals strive to enhance their lives by discovering their life purpose. A mission that drives them towards personal excellence and productivity.

1. What do you want to do with your life?

Many people struggle to determine their purpose in life, which can be both confusing and discouraging. Deliberation over your ideal path should lead to meaningful steps being taken toward it, rather than inaction leading to nothing being accomplished. Thus it is vital that individuals identify what their desired goal in life should be so they can create a plan and take steps toward it.

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Start by considering what activities and hobbies bring you joy; this could include anything from building things to playing legos to reenacting cowboy and indian stories or climbing trees; any of these hobbies could become potential career options.

Consider what expectations others and yourself hold of you, such as school attendance and grades or finding well-paying employment. Such expectations could prevent you from discovering your passions and potential.

As much as possible, try to put aside practical considerations when trying to figure out your next move in life. Consider what would you do without concerns for money or time: would it involve starting a blog or learning new skills?

2. What do you want to achieve?

Answers to these questions can help you define your goals and how they might relate to your purpose. Being specific about what your goals are is important; for instance, "I want to write more" may not be specific enough, whereas "I want to complete the first draft of my novel" would. Furthermore, it's also essential to determine whether they are short- or long-term based on whether you can achieve them within months or years such as saving a certain amount or taking an online course; long-term goals typically cover larger aspirations such as career milestones or mastering a skill over a period of years or decades.

"What are you hoping to achieve in life?" is different than the more prevalent and familiar question, "How are you hoping to change the world?" because this latter inquiry focuses on global issues that might make life more meaningful. However, having clarity around your goals can give purpose and motivation when life gets challenging; although, you may never fully uncover it all at once! Your purpose will undoubtedly shift and develop as time goes on.

3. What do you want to contribute to the world?

Finding your purpose can be an enormously daunting challenge, with immense pressure placed upon finding something that makes you truly fulfilled and provides meaning. But part of the problem may lie with our expectations; too often we elevate purpose too much before realizing its true nature as something to discover over time.

An alternative way of approaching this question is to think about what contribution you want to make to society. This question does not involve sitting around eating Doritos while searching for meaning; rather, it calls on us all to get up off our asses and do something good for other people.

Of course, no single person can solve all the world's problems; but you can start by choosing one to focus on. It could be something local like school system reform or poverty, or something more global such as climate change or gender equality. Your greatest impact will come when your efforts align with both your values and passions; therefore it's a good idea to consider which issues excite and motivate you before choosing one to prioritize.

4. What do you want to be?

Oft times the answer to this question lies not within something tangible but more in an essence or idea that drives you. This could include something as basic as kindness being important or it could even be something as complex as engaging in activities that bring pure joy - having clarity about who you want to be can help ensure you remain true to yourself, avoid setbacks and live longer.

Your emotions are an invaluable asset when identifying what drives you. For instance, feeling jealousy of others could be a clear indicator that success in some form or fashion is what you desire - this could include running your own business, having more money or reaching another goal which makes you happy and fulfilled.

Question #2: "If It Were Your Last Day", is also useful when considering life goals. This all-or-nothing approach allows us to pinpoint our attention on whatever truly stirs within ourselves, such as saving the environment or educating children or even starting an artistic career path.

5. What do you want to feel?

Many people struggle to discover their life purpose because they focus on the wrong things. Instead of setting vague, general goals such as "I want to be successful", like "I want my dreams realized", such as aiming to "become successful", focus on finding out which feelings you would like every day and put all your efforts toward them instead.

Once you establish how you wish to feel, your desires will become less susceptible to shifting with each passing mood. And when these desires align with your purpose, then you can feel assured that what you're doing is exactly the right path forward.

Identify your personal values to better understand yourself. Doing this will allow you to recognize what matters to you, which can aid in finding out your purpose. Write down all your top values, then ask yourself why they matter so much before finding ways to put those values into action daily.

6. What do you want to be remembered for?

An important way to focus your energy, the question of how you want to be remembered can also be used as a powerful means to gain clarity about what matters to you most and inspire a higher purpose than yourself. When we think back over history's most revered figures' legacies, helping others has often been one of their hallmark characteristics - something we can take inspiration from when thinking of our legacy today and centuries from now.

Think about how you want to be remembered and act accordingly. For instance, if you wish to be known as reliable and trustworthy person then take steps now towards acting this way. Or, if helping others overcome challenges is your ultimate goal then start helping people on this journey now!

Making decisions about how you want to be remembered may seem intimidating, but it can actually be much simpler than you might expect. Everyday decisions create your legacy over time - don't wait for an emergency or death to make you contemplate this question now - start living your purpose now!

7. What do you want to be ashamed of?

As you attempt to identify what matters most to you, it may be beneficial to identify areas of your life which cause shame. For instance, if your job or hobbies feel irrelevant to who you are now or feel embarrassing for you - that could be an indication it's time for change.

Though feeling ashamed can be natural at times, persistent feelings of shame can become debilitating and significantly impact your life in significant ways. Shame often results from unquestioned beliefs that come naturally about oneself; through therapy we help individuals develop techniques to identify critical or negative self-beliefs that might be the source of shameful feelings.

Self-compassion can also be helpful, helping you accept both flaws and mistakes as part of being human. Be as kind to yourself as you would be to a friend. Kristen Neff provides guided practices for managing difficult emotions on her website. Finally, cultivating a supportive community that gives love and acceptance will create the basis from which to identify what your purpose in life might be.