Purpose And Serving: Living Beyond You.

People who use time wisely spend it on activities that advance their overall purpose. Now, let’s pause for a moment and try to re-read the statement “People who use time wisely spend it on activities that advance their overall purpose”. When are heard this statement from John C Maxwell it made me reflect on my day-to-day activities. The things we do daily either bring us closer to living a fulfilled life or further from it. Besides, living a fulfilled life is a daily activity, just like success, it is not a destination but a journey.

Having a meaningful life is far much better than “happiness ” and it leads to living a fulfilled life. You can not have a fulfilled life without purpose.  According to the Oxford dictionary, purpose is defined as the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists. So why do you exist? Without no doubt, this might be a very tough question to answer that is why they say the two most important days in your life is the day you were born and the day you discover why. I have had a lot of people ask me who they find their purpose in life. The truth is I have no definite answer but I strongly believe asking yourself the right questions and strategic trial and error will be of great help. And above all asking God, normalize including it in your prayer time. One thing I know for sure you will not find your purpose without being intentional and proactive. Seek and you shall find, if you haven’t started the journey already I encourage you to do so. Surely you would not want to live a life constantly trying to pay bills waiting for your death date. John Maxwell puts it this way ‘ Some people are already dead they just haven’t made it official yet’

A lot of people are discouraged when it comes to talking about purpose because they assume if I do not have a purpose that influences a large number of people like Mother Theresa then I have no purpose. Please note people are different and have different assignments. Comparison of purpose might cause you to miss your purpose because you feel it is not significant enough. Being satisfied with who you are is one of the greatest achievements. Two years ago I took the life purpose exercise by Jack Carnfield from his book Success Principles. I will put the test down below to assist you in your journey as well and don’t worry if you do not get a definite answer today. The good news is you have started.

The Life purpose exercise

The process involves answering three questions:
1.    “What are two qualities I most love expressing in life?”
2.    “What are two ways I most love expressing those qualities?”
3.    “What would the world look like if it were perfect right now, according to me?”

Question 1: What are Two Qualities That I Most Enjoy Expressing in Life?

First ask yourself, “What are two qualities that I most enjoy expressing in life?”

For my wife, it is authenticity and spontaneity. For one of my clients, I just worked with it is discipline and order.

For me, it would be love and joy.

Question 2: What are Two Ways I Most Love Expressing Those Qualities When Interacting With Others?

Second, ask yourself, “What are two ways I most love expressing those qualities when interacting with others?”

For me, it’s inspiring people with stories like those in the Chicken Soup books and empowering people by teaching them practical tools for creating greater success in their life through my live training, Online training, coaching, books, DVDs, teleseminars and video blogs like the one I’m doing right now with you.

Question 3: What Would the World Look Like if it Were Perfect Right Now?

And finally ask yourself, “What would the world look like if it were perfect right now, according to me?”

For me, it would be that everyone was living their highest vision of their most fulfilling life.

You see, I believe that every single person is like a cell in a human body, and it takes every cell doing what it is meant to do for the whole body to work correctly.

Similarly, I believe that it takes every human being doing what they are meant to do for all of humanity to work.

Combine Your Answers into a Single Statement

Once you have answers to all three questions, you can combine them into a single statement.

When I put all 3 of mine together, my life purpose ends up being to inspire and empower people to live their highest vision in the context of love and joy, in harmony with the highest good of all concerned.

Take Action Steps to Live Your Purpose

Next, ask yourself “On a scale of 1 to 10, how actively am I living my purpose?”

*Above exercise was extracted from Jack Canfield’s book

Finding your purpose alone does not guarantee a fulfilled life. It’s an achievement to find yourself but an even greater one to lose yourself. You lose yourself when you start living beyond you and step out of the me mentality. Your purpose is designed for others to enjoy, the good thing is you get to enjoy others as well.  If you are not a musician, take a look at how music can be an inspiration to go after your dreams or simply put you in a good mood. That is an example of you enjoying other people’s gift and talents and them fulfilling their purpose. I never understood the idea of getting fulfilled from service until I started receiving messages on how the blog is a source of encouragement for them.  Find your purpose and start serving others and start living a meaningful life.

Enjoy your everyday life by living a meaningful life.

tanyafungai