Discovering Your Life’s Purpose

If you could do anything with your life, what would you do? Where would you live? Who would you spend your time with? When you own your own business, knowing what drives you is an essential element in developing a company that satisfies your craving and an instinctual quest for life’s purpose. It could be your love for travel, accomplishment, security, financial gain, or simply serving others that gets you up in the morning. Taking the time to become fully aware of the driving force behind your desire will change how you run your agency and life.

Self-awareness is a focused process of understanding and acceptance of who we are. And who we are is made up of our environment, events that have happened in our lives, and the decisions we’ve made or failed to make along the way. As human beings who live in a complex and changing world, we often put our reactions on autopilot by creating habits to deal with the mundane and boring issues that no longer hold our interest. We drift through life without even noticing it, making decisions subconsciously as a relentless surge of learned impulses drives us. While some of these impulses are positive and make our lives easier, others affect our business and personal lives tragically. For most of us, we live life this way without a realization or understanding behind it all. Until that is, we hit rock bottom and fall into the dark world of sadness and frustration.

To stop and pay attention to what is happening in your life is the first step in understanding why, at this point in your life, you are where you are today. Without placing blame or playing the victim, you need to clear your mind of all distractions and take a hard and focused look to remember the events and decisions you’ve made to end up exactly where you are at this very moment. Sit in a quiet room. It could be in your home, a calm place on the lake, or in your neighborhood yoga studio. Take a deep breath. Close your eyes if it helps. Relax. Become aware of your body. Clear your mind of all the clutter about the past and future. All that matters right now is today—this moment. Engage in the process of recreating who you want to become in a deliberate way.

Practicing formal meditation one to two times per week can be one of the most effective ways to help you relax and bring a fresh new perspective to your life. However, becoming aware of who you are is not going to come to you in a few sessions. True awareness is a process that has to be cultivated over time. It requires effort and dedication until the process becomes part of our routine and learned impulse.

During meditation, whatever you feel or observe, embrace it. Understand it to the fullest. If it is something that is causing you pain, accept it for what it is. Feeling sad or in pain from a past event does not make you weak or unworthy. It’s a normal human emotion that is natural. Do not be afraid of it or ashamed. When you understand your past and truly accept it with a clear understanding, it has made you what you are today; you can let it go and become stronger because you realize you survived it. Bad things happen to every one of us, even death. There is no escaping it. Tragedy is an unfortunate part of life. And while we may not be able to control everything that happens to us or the ones we love, we can certainly control our reactions and interpretation of those events. Instead of developing ways to escape from the past mentally, embrace it for what it was. If it was the loss of a loved one, be thankful for the memories and times you shared…however brief it may have seemed. If your pain is from an abusive relationship, understand you have survived, and that the abuse has made you stronger.

Guilt is often the reason for holding on to the pain to punish ourselves for mistakes we have made. Resolve this guilt by admitting your mistakes and apologizing to the ones we hurt. Even if the one we hurt has passed, write a letter or have a spiritual conversation to express your feelings and sorrow. Make peace with your past. Realize that continuing to bring pain to yourself may also hurt the ones around you now.

Let go. Letting go doesn’t mean you will lose your memories or recollection of your past. It simply means accepting your life for what it is and realizing each day is a gift you have been given. Cherish this gift. Please don’t take it for granted. Your new interpretation of your past events will shape your reality and perception of your future. And it is your perception of your future that shapes your attitude and dictates your behavior to realize your true purpose in life. For without purpose, life has no meaning. Living a life with meaning is the secret to happiness. You are not here by mistake. You are special. You have the power to shape your destiny and improve the lives around you. Stop and listen. Find your true purpose in life, and don’t let anything or anyone stand in your way!