There is an interesting fact about elderly people.
If you ask them what knowledge they’d love to pass onto younger generations, most of them would say some version of:
“Life is short. So find something you really care about, and focus wholeheartedly on it.”
“Spend more time with the people you love, and don’t take disagreements with them too seriously.” Or…
”Love is all that matters, so find something you love doing and be with those you love”

Maybe that is the best possible definition of life purpose: To do what you love and be with those you love.

And yet, most of us want to find a purpose that is much more specific than that:We ask ourselves “What exactly am I meant to be doing with my life?”

Your life purpose has three elements

After so many years of searching for my own purpose, and helping others find theirs, I’ve come to the conclusion that our purpose has three threads, or paths as I like to call them, that we walk simultaneously. And all of them are equally important aspects of our life purpose.

The first one is our Path of Congruence. Where we learn things about ourselves, who we are, what are natural gifts, talents, passions and values are. At this stage or path, we also learn to differentiate how it feels when we are living in integrity with our values and when we are not.

The second one is the Path of Growth, where life sends us challenges and problems for us to overcome. And in the process, gain some wisdom, become stronger, and grow into a better version of ourselves.

The third path is the Path of Contribution, and this is the thing most people are truly searching for when they are looking for their purpose.
The funny thing is, you need to be crystal clear about the other two paths before you can find clarity about your specific contribution.

This is the reason why most people find their purpose around midlife, even if they’ve been searching for it since they were little kids.

What are you meant to do with your life?

If you’ve been searching for your life purpose all these years,  there is a high probability that you too, were really searching for your contribution or in other words, how you add value to the lives of others.

There is sense of fulfilment that comes to us when we are helping others.

It might be at a small scale, as when you are with your friends and family radiating calm  with your presence, or when you foster understanding and acceptance between those around you.

Or it might be on a bigger scale, like when you run a big company that creates a huge impact on the lives of many people.

How to find your life purpose

So as you can see, at the heart of what we call Purpose is always the transformation you are meant to make. And the best way to find it is by looking at the other two paths:

1) Know yourself: Discover with all your natural talents, gifts, your interest, passions and dreams.
2) Identify Your Life Lessons and the wisdom you gained through personal experience.  And based on those,
3) Clarify Your Contribution: Find the common thread between the previous two, as that is a strong indicator of what you are supposed to be doing with your life.

I’ll give you an an example my own life purpose:
Based on my who I am naturally, my Life Lessons and my experiences, I’ve come to understand that my Contribution (the third aspect of my purpose) is this:
“To help smart, multitalented women with heart struggling in a meaningless job, to discover what’s the wisdom, transformation or healing they are meant to bring into this world.”
And my specific way of doing this is by:

1st help them, through writing and speaking, how to understantd, love, and accept themselves and
2nd guide them to clarify what’s the career or business path that expresses their purpose in a way that feels good to them.

So my coaching for you today is this:

Now it’s your turn. You are here to add your special kind of contribution. So, to the best of your abilities, and based on the knowledge you currently have about yourself and your life lessons, what do you think is the contribution you are here to make?

If you need some help to know yourself, connect with your natural talents and passions.

Please, share your answer in the comments section and lets continue this conversation below.
Charo