Many of us have had an existential crisis over our purpose at some point in our lives. One day, you might have a sudden epiphany that you don’t like what it is you’re doing, or that you feel like you should be doing something with more meaning.
But how exactly do you go about finding your purpose?
Chances are, your purpose is at the intersection of the following factors:
- It’s something you love. Your crisis probably got started in the first place because you were stuck in a job or a career track that you didn’t like. So obviously, your purpose is going to be something that you definitely
enjoy.
- You are great at it. Loving something isn’t enough. You have to actually be good at it if you’re going to consider it your purpose. All of us have probably had dreams of being the next big rock star at some point, but let’s face it… only a tiny percentage of people have the talent (and luck) required to pull it off.
- The world needs it. For there to be a sense of purpose behind whatever it is you do, it has to be something that solves some sort of problem in the world. Now, these problems don’t have to be on the level of world peace or poverty, but without some sort of problem to solve, there really isn’t a whole lot of purpose behind your work.
- You get paid for it. This last factor is a snap back to reality. In the end, you need to be able to make money in your job. While you might find something that you love, that you are great at that helps to fill a need in the world, that doesn’t help you to support yourself.
When all four of these areas intersect, you’ve found your purpose. This is, of course, way easier said than done. Many of us are never lucky enough to find a career that we feel gives us the sense of purpose we’ve been looking for. But if you’ve found it, you should do everything you can to keep it.
Copyright 2015 Viral Solutions LLC
by Thomas von Ahn | Chief Elephant Slayer
Viral Solutions LLC is a Digital Marketer Certified Partner, Infusionsoft Certified Consultant and a Mobit Certified Partner. We help overwhelmed small business owners duplicate themselves – so business can be fun again.