A simple exercise that can bring you closer to finding purpose in life
by Jelena Duma
October 1, 2011

Is there a purpose in life? Why am I here and what is my life all about? Those are basic human questions, but in truth, not that many of us have found an answer to them… yet. Some people choose not to believe in "a purpose". For them life is just a random set of events over which we have no control. On the other hand, some believe that we were all sent here for a significant reason. And, they choose to dedicate their life to that reason.

Purpose or no purpose in life, I genuinely believe that we all posses unique gifts. How we choose to express our gifts determines the quality of our life and the degree of our happiness. When we are in touch with our talents and when we use them in everyday life, everything starts to transform around us. We love what we do; we wake up in the morning feeling excited to explore and express more of ourselves; we go to bed at night feeling fulfilled and contented. Everything makes sense and we start to live a magical life. This life is not without obstacles, it is still challenging, but we start to enjoy the challenge – it helps us learn more!  

To be able to connect to our talents and desires, we need emotional intelligence. We have to pay attention to what we feel.

Steps to find your inner talents:

• Take a pen and a few pieces of paper.
• Begin to write what makes you feel great and happy, and begin lose track of time. What would you like to teach? What values are the most important for you? Notice the feelings. Circle the ones that generate the strongest happy and positive feelings in your body.
• Write what brings tears in your eyes. It’s not about sad stories, rather something so powerful and overwhelmingly happy and satisfying. Something that will help others to recognize you for who you are. This is the most important step. If tears are not coming, there is no connection on a deeper level. Circle the ones that produced the strongest emotions.
• Imagine yourself being 90 years old and have been enjoying the life of your dreams. Start writing all your blessings and skills that you have acquired over the years and feel grateful for them. Circle the ones that have a strong impact on you.

Now it is time for our rational intelligence. When you feel complete with your writing, go over all circled words and put them together. You can combine them in any way you want. Notice what comes out and see if it makes sense for you. If it doesn’t, let go and allow space in your mind. Trust that it’ll come to you. This is a simple exercise to see if you are on the right track; if you are living the life of your dreams. If you are not, there is always time for change and never give up. The more you open yourself and reflect on your deepest desires, the more happiness you will bring into your life and purpose will be known to you.