Do You Have A Strong Sense Of Purpose? Here's How To Know & Build It

The more centered you are in your sense of purpose, the more you will become your own anchor during intense times.

Knowing your purpose is freeing—and finding it can be similar to decluttering your home. Like a good home cleaning session, getting clear on your purpose will leave you with the things that you truly value and that bring you great joy. It will allow you to focus on the direction that is most important to you and lead to higher levels of health, success, and happiness. 

Here is a primer on how to strengthen your sense of purpose for the year ahead and beyond.

Like a bright star in the sky, some people think of their sense of purpose as their North Star, which guides them toward a meaningful and satisfying life. But how do you know if you have a strong vision, mission, or North Star? Here are seven questions to ask yourself:

As you ponder the answers to these questions, notice if any images pop into your mind's eye or any songs start playing in your head. Take note of all you are seeing, hearing, and sensing in the quiet moments when you lean into these questions. It might be useful to keep a journal of your inner sojourns and review them as you build or recreate your purpose.

If you already have a basic idea about your purpose, think of a short sentence that describes your vision. An example might be something like "My purpose is to help people or bring in a new world." Then, break the goal down.

Consider how you will accomplish this larger mission. You might think of actions like volunteering with a local organization, becoming a teacher, working to invent new kinds of passive energy, or starting a business that empowers and respects its employees. Put this vision and mission somewhere you can see it often, and jot down notes as new thoughts and ideas come to you.

What are you passionate about? What gives you energy? What brings a smile to your face? What helps you get up in the morning to start your day? How could you have more of that in your life? When you increase what you love to do, how does that affect your spirit, work, relationships, pleasure, and feelings of wholeness? Asking yourself these types of questions often can help you live a more purpose-driven life.

Some people find that looking at insightful readings or being with others in spiritual or religious settings helps them solidify their purpose. Praying or setting intentions to build a stronger sense of purpose may be helpful too. Finally, connecting with people who are aligned with their purpose can also strengthen your vision and mission.

Along your journey, be open to the fact that your purpose may become more defined, and how you accomplish your purpose might change. As I've seen through my Wisdom of the Whole Coaching Academy program, our purpose may shift as we get older, too. For example, when you're young, your purpose may be geared toward building skills, vision, and direction. In midlife, you may be more focused on career, family, property, recreation, and spiritual practice. Sage years follow with the more introspective inner work of life review and repair, forgiveness, facing mortality, and creating a legacy.

Connecting with your purpose is a lifelong practice. Continue to spend time listening deeply to your inner self and gaining insight from events in your life that can give you clues about when you are aligned with your purpose and when you have become lost from what is important to you. Getting feedback from others and various doctrines can be helpful, and when it matches what you feel deep within, you will know you have found your North Star, vision, or mission. Aligning with your clear purpose allows energy to flow in new ways and can take you to places beyond what you can currently imagine.