How can we find a sense of purpose?

“I have my mission. I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons.” So said St John Henry Newman.

It can be challenging to find a sense of purpose as we move through life, because so much changes both around and within ourselves. Perhaps most fundamentally, for those in full-time work (paid or unpaid) there will come a time when either the need, or the desire, or the ability to work full time diminishes. Children leave the home and go to live their own lives. Relationships change or may even end, both in terms of our partners and friends. How well-prepared are we for such eventualities?  

If you are looking for a sense of purpose, here are some thought-provokers. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list, but it may help to get you started.

1 Talk to people who know you well; friends, family, people you have worked with either in the past or present. What would they suggest?

2 What are your strengths? What are you good at? 

3 What are your interests? What activities or hobbies do you enjoy?

4 What significant experiences have you had over your life and what did you learn from them? What did you find out about yourself as a result? 

5 What are your values and beliefs? 

6 What role could volunteering play in helping you find your purpose? 

7 Have you set some measurable goals for yourself? If not, what could they be?

8 If at the end of this questioning process you are still uncertain, take some more time to reflect. A process such as this can take time, you don’t need an answer immediately. In the meantime, try something new. 

What questions would you add to the list above? If you have been through a process of discovering your purpose, feel free to share your experience here.