How I Found My Life Purpose
How I found my life purpose was a game of fate.
Who doesn’t have a deep desire to discover the unique purpose that gives our lives meaning, direction and fulfilment? It’s a universal quest, an exploration that transcends the boundaries of age, background and circumstance. The pursuit of a life of purpose is a journey of self-discovery, with twists and turns, reflections and revelations.
Ultimately, the process of discovering your life’s purpose connects you to your deepest values and aspirations, reflected from your inner being, your true self, your soul, or whatever you choose to call it. This revelation gives you a comforting sense of clarity and direction. Even if the details of the path forward are unknown.
In this article I will tell you what triggered my quest to look for my life purpose, what challenges, doubts and limiting beliefs I encountered. How I overcame them. And how everything in my life has changed since then.
This is an invitation for you to open your heart to synchronicities and possibilities that can open doors to new paths in your life.
Finally, I will give you a list of the top 10 bestselling books on finding purpose in life.
Midlife Crisis
Finding my purpose in life was never on my radar until I was in my mid-forties. I had never before thought about such a philosophical subject and never dwelt on existentialist questions. However, I did often think about happiness and what makes some people happy and others not, regardless of their circumstances. But up to that point I had never associated happiness with a life purpose.
Was my search for purpose triggered by a midlife crisis? Probably. When I least expected it, I found myself down a deep rabbit hole of questions, reflections and self-analysis.
Looking Back
Remember when you were trying to figure out what you wanted to do when you grew up and some kids knew exactly what they wanted to be? I am not talking about children whose parents induced, seduced or indoctrinated them into believing in what they should become. I mean those children who embodied their foreseeable future with heart and conviction.
I met a few of them. And I was jealous.
The first career I remember being interested in was psychology. I must have been about twelve. I had always loved observing people, analysing their behaviour and attributing reasons for that behaviour. Later, my interest shifted. I had just turned eighteen and was about to move from Italy to the United States to start college. On a flight from New York to Milan, I met a successful Italian architect who, after hours of fascinating conversation, sparked my curiosity about architecture.
The Inevitable Choice
Once in college, I followed a general Liberal Arts curriculum at Villanova University, in Pennsylvania, a highly competitive and very business and engineering oriented institution. This was a time of great anxiety. At the same time that I was enjoying classes in languages, writing, philosophy, and world religions, I was living in fear of having to declare a major after the first two years.
By the time my second year came around, I was reading through the majors catalogue, trying to figure out what to choose. I had ended up at a university that did not offer any of the majors I would have chosen: psychology or architecture.
A Twist of Fate
After an exhausting selection process based on eliminating the least desirable options, I chose Economics as my major. To make my academic life more enticing, I fed my passion for languages by adding a Spanish minor to my academic curriculum. The economics electives sat on my Pain Island, and all the language electives in English, Italian and Spanish, as well as the philosophy, became my escape to Pleasure Island.
But because the universe had my back, towards the end of my undergraduate journey, a logistical setback forced me to move to Switzerland. Moving to a new university that did not offer an economics major pushed me to a major in International Management and introduced me to marketing. A new passion was discovered and I was finally free of economics.
The Unexpected Questions
Fast forward to my mid-forties. After years of working for multinationals, smaller companies and a family business, I finally started my own business.
In the first year, my accountant was so impressed with my performance that he offered me a book for Christmas.
“You must read this book! It will help you grow your business,” he said.
Surprised, proud and grateful, I immediately plunged into the book of success strategies. It started in an unusual way for its genre, I thought. The first of many exercises included in the book was the following question:”What purpose or higher good am I serving?”
I wished someone had filmed my face when I read that question.
My thoughts froze.
“What?”, I thought.
Then came the question: “If I could be doing anything I wanted to do, assured that all my living expenses and material needs and desires would somehow be fulfilled, would I be working at this job? “. My answer: “No, I’d leave tomorrow.” Remember, this was my company!
That was the opposite of an aha moment. It was an oh sh**t moment. In a split second, I understood why I had become so restless in previous jobs after a while. There was always a feeling that something was missing. Even when I had my own company. But I just couldn’t quite work out what it was.
The Journey Begins
At this point I felt lost and uncertain about the direction of my life. Had I just wasted what I thought were the most productive years of my life?
Had I contributed nothing to society other than paying taxes?
Was my life just about getting a degree, finding a promising job or business, buying a house, a car, going on holiday once a year and repeating the same boring routine over and over again until I retired? What then?
Was my highest aspiration in life just to build a profitable business to prove that I had made it? Prove what? To whom? To what end?
“What a limited, mediocre and selfish way to look at the precious gift of life!” – I thought.
It dawned on me that I was probably halfway through my life and I had wasted it. I was unfulfilled, overworked, unhealthy and had no long-term vision. But from that moment on, I made a commitment to turn my life around and make the second half count.
First Steps Towards Purpose
Armed with a wealth of tools, I set out to find my purpose in life. I began by dedicating the early hours of each day to self-development.
Every day I set aside non-negotiable time to do exercises, read a book or watch videos about self-awareness and self-improvement.
These practices provided the inspiration and motivation to begin peeling away the layers of my old mindset to embrace a new way of thinking and being.
Challenges and Doubts
At first I felt like I was walking on dangerous ground. I had opened my trunk and was pulling out all the things that had been hidden and forgotten at the bottom.
I began to look at and question many things about my past, my beliefs and my values.
At the same time as I felt an overwhelming urge to throw away everything that no longer served me and to rid my life of people who were not contributing to my growth, part of me was doubtful.
Start again?
What would it take?
How long would it take?
What about everything I had worked on and for?
Just throw it all away and never look back? That’s easier said than done!
Self-Reflection and Awareness
Self-reflection is a fundamental part of finding your life purpose. Most of us are so used to ‘doing life’ that we don’t take the time to reflect. We just go through life on autopilot. I was no different. But if you don’t ask, you don’t have answers. Without answers you don’t have awareness. And without awareness, there is no change.
Once I learned to stop and look within, things began to change as self-awareness became a daily practice. Journaling, yoga, meditation, breathing exercises and daily gratitude lists became my daily morning routine.
One of the pivotal moments in my self-discovery process was when I looked at the results of something called the Timeline Exercise. Looking back at my life, its ups and downs, and the lessons I had learnt, it became clear to me where the focal points of my life had been, and consequently where the opportunities and possibilities lived.
It was a painful and emotional exercise, but extremely revealing, liberating and packed with possibilities.
Embracing Passions and Talents
After the life path analysis, the fun began. The unearthing of lost and forgotten passions slowly began to rekindle a dormant fire. A new breath of life was blown into my being. It felt refreshing and empowering.
Yoga practice, psychology, personal development, writing, reading, learning, teaching, travelling, being in international environments, speaking different languages, welcoming people and art are the main elements of a list of revived passions. I began to explore them and gradually incorporate them into my life.
By now my purpose in life was clear: to inspire and empower purpose-seeking individuals to find direction, fulfilment and balance while helping them to improve their physical, mental and emotional well-being.
It was also clear that I wanted to fulfil my purpose through coaching and mentoring, in an international environment and location free.
Overcoming Challenges and Doubts
Knowing my purpose in life and having a clear vision of where I wanted to go was empowering, but taking that first step was petrifying.
After five years of working tirelessly to build my business and make a name for myself in the market, I had to make the difficult decision to let it go. At the end of the last event I organised, I felt like an acrobat performing without a safety net.
From that moment on, the journey was a mixture of frightening, humbling and at times humiliating. I was questioned, pressured and criticised. Countless sleepless nights haunted my mental health and eventually caught up with my physical health. So many times I thought of going back to ‘normal life’, but that would have defeated the purpose.
What kept me going? The conviction that I was going in the right direction.
After a while I had gone too far to turn back.
Making a Difference
Finding my life purpose made me understand that I am here to help people go through the process that I went through to find my purpose in life.
Today, nothing gives me more joy than witnessing my clients tune in to themselves, discover their strengths, experience their passions, explore and hone their talents, align with their deepest, most core values, and begin to see life as a white canvas, no matter where they are in their lives. It’s extremely empowering for them and for me.
For me, true fulfilment comes from making a difference in the lives of others.
Conclusion
Some people are born knowing what their life purpose is, but others, like me, may take many years to figure it out.
My transformative journey was triggered by set of questions, and I believe that these questions landed on my path through synchronicity. The steps that followed were a deep dive into my past, questioning my beliefs, reconnecting with my values, reviving my passions and interests, acknowledging my talents and skills, and overcoming limiting beliefs.
But the journey is not over. Self-discovery, self-development and growth are lifelong commitments.
I encourage you to embark on your own purpose-seeking journey, knowing that it’s never too late to start living fulfilling life.
If you would like to have a taste of what a life purpose journey looks like my 5 Steps to Falling In Love With Your Life Again, will help.
Download it for free and share it with anyone who might benefit from it.
Before you go, be sure to check below a list of the Top 10 Best Seller Books on Finding Life Purpose.
Bonus: Top 10 Best Seller Books on Finding Life Purpose
These books offer diverse perspectives and practical guidance on finding life purpose, making them valuable resources for individuals on their purpose-seeking journey.
Here are the titles of 10 best-selling books on finding life purpose:
1. “The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For?“, by Rick Warren
This influential book offers a spiritual perspective on finding purpose in life and living with intention.
2. “Man’s Search for Meaning”, by Viktor E. Frankl
A profound exploration of finding purpose and meaning in life, based on Viktor Frankl’s experiences as a Holocaust survivor and psychiatrist.
3. “Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead”, by Brené Brown
Brené Brown delves into the importance of vulnerability and embracing imperfections to live a wholehearted life, which aligns with finding one’s purpose.
4. “Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action”, by Simon Sinek
Simon Sinek explores the concept of purpose-driven leadership, emphasizing the importance of understanding the “why” behind our actions and endeavors.
5. “Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance”, by Angela Duckworth
Angela Duckworth’s book explores the power of grit, passion, and determination, all crucial elements in the pursuit of one’s life purpose.
6. “Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life”, by Héctor García and Francesc Miralles
This book explores the Japanese concept of “ikigai,” which translates to “reason for being,” and offers insights on finding purpose and fulfilment in everyday life.
7. “Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us“, by Daniel H. Pink
Daniel Pink explores the science of motivation, shedding light on the factors that drive individuals, including autonomy, mastery, and purpose.
8. “Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life”, by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans
The authors provide practical tools and exercises to help readers design a life that aligns with their values, passions, and purpose.
9. “Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation”, by Parker J. Palmer
Parker Palmer’s book emphasizes the importance of listening to one’s inner voice and aligning life choices with personal values and authentic purpose.
10. “Awaken the Giant Within: How to Take Immediate Control of Your Mental, Emotional, Physical and Financial Destiny!”, by Tony Robbins
Tony Robbins provides insights and strategies to help readers take control of their lives, set meaningful goals, and find purpose in their actions.
