Experience the joy of creating your life as an expression of what you love to do. Joy is something that can be felt in the present moment rather than struggling for years on end to then enjoy the fruits of your labour. Joy is available to anyone, anywhere, not only when you are rich, have the right partner, are retired, or have time to enjoy your life—which is sometimes what the mind will try to tell us! Find out what it is you love to do and is that is meaningful to you. What gets you enthusiastically wanting to get out of bed every day?
Allow yourself to express your talents through your work, and you will be living your life on purpose. You may need to develop your talents into skills; however, if it is what you love to do, you will find it all a joyful part of the journey. Expressing your gifts and talents can be a great source of joy and happiness. Do what makes your soul sing.
If your passion is to be a musician but you decide to be a lawyer because it pays more, you may feel inside that you are off course in some way. This will be indicated by feelings of dissatisfaction. You may develop the skills to be a lawyer and find some interest in the profession, but if it is not your passion, what you love to do, you are always going to feel (and this can be buried very deeply) that something is wrong or missing.
Chances are that if you really want to be a musician and it is your true purpose in life, you could be very good at your profession and be paid more than a lawyer. However, for people who are truly on purpose in life, the money is just a bonus. When you are on purpose, you experience a deep sense of fulfilment that can be measured in ways other than money.
Teachers, who love sharing their knowledge and the company of children, are likely to be living their life on purpose. They may not be the most highly paid in the community, but know the internal happiness that comes from doing what they love. Similarly, if you want to be a stockbroker but instead take up gardening, you may not feel deeply fulfilled by your work. Career compromise can occur for reasons such as: financial reward, not feeling good enough, or following your parents’ wishes instead of what you want to do.
Life will always give you clues if you are not on track with your true purpose. This may feel like slight discomfort or unhappiness. In the workplace, you may feel like a square peg in a round hole. Time at work drags on; you look forward to lunch. These are all signals that you are not living your life on purpose. Unfortunately, emotional signs that you are not living your life’s purpose can be ignored. The body then manifests pain in the physical body to get you to listen. Persistent health problems, such as headaches or sinus can be a signal to ask, “Am I doing what I truly love in my life?” If not, it is a great opportunity to take responsibility for your happiness and start to develop a plan.
“Do what makes your soul sing”
During my thirties, I was employed as a human resources manager in a large corporation. I did the job to the best of my ability, however, found myself constantly looking at my watch and looking forward to lunch. I was tired and de-energized at the end of the day. The position had a large administrative component and was not in line with my natural skills and talents. I left after a mere six-month period realizing this was not the right job for me.
When I ran my own businesses, the days went by in a flash. I often forgot about having lunch, as I was so engrossed in what I was doing. I had many difficult times, but my underlying passion for my work enabled me to move through the challenges.
Living your true purpose may involve sacrifice in terms of time and money in the short run. You may have to engage in work that is not your preference while you study, for example, but if you are living on purpose it makes it all worthwhile. Gandhi had to endure unpleasant situations during his lifetime. His sense of purpose sustained him through the challenging times.
Give yourself every opportunity when it comes to living your life on purpose. Find out what makes your soul sing and do it!
To learn more about building your confidence and self-esteem and overcoming challenges see: Bliss Every Day
