How many times have you asked yourself I wish I knew what to do? Sometimes trying to find our true place in life can seem impossible! When we have to face the reality of already existing work commitments and other responsibilities and they are not in line with our true purpose in life, it can be a struggle to keep motivated. We try this and that, different ventures or hobbies and nothing seems to bring any lasting satisfaction or success. If we could just find ‘real’ purpose in life we might be a lot happier and more satisfied.

Indeed, what could be better than awaking every day and knowing exactly what you had to do without question? Imagine being so sure of what you need to do and not because someone is telling you to do it, or because it is part of your job, but knowing this is what you must do because it comes from a place of complete certainty deep inside you? This is possible, believe it or not, even if you have no way of seeing how that way of life could come about any time soon! The secret to achieving certainty like this is finding a strong purpose in life.

Clues to our purpose often lie in what you enjoyed when you were younger and more carefree. Think back to what you wanted to be when you were younger, there are always signs there. Did you like animals or looking after people or children? Did you enjoy sports, messing about with building blocks or playing Doctor? The information is always there somewhere. You need to remember the times when you felt that great excitement about something you were doing, something you felt you wanted to do all the time. Was it something that was fun to do, something that grabbed you and gave you those butterflies in the stomach? It may not have been in your childhood. It could have been much later. Did it feel like “yes, I really love this” or “this feels so good?” Whatever it was and whenever it was that you had these feelings, you were very likely close to expressing the essence of your ‘purpose’ in life.

Those moments of ‘joyful excitement’ are great indicators, like the needle of a compass, indicating a direction for us to follow and a potential source of true and lasting contentment. But, without this excitement and this passion, you can get led in the wrong direction and down dead ends. That’s why it is so hard to sustain motivation for targets, goals and jobs that we don’t have our heart in. They’re just wrong for us.

Trying to think of a purpose in life for the sake of it will not work. It has to come from inside us, from our intuition and we have to feel it in our stomachs! It comes back to having that excited feeling. You could say that someone who is constantly flitting from one unsatisfying career or scheme to the next isn’t really listening to themselves… yet.

If inspiration is particularly hard to find then meditation is a very good tool for finding out which way your path lays. Start by asking yourself what it is that would give you the most satisfaction and feeling of fulfilment. You may already have an idea but pushed it aside thinking it was a pipedream or way beyond reach. Well this idea will start to rear its head in strange ways giving you clues and signs. It will try and get your attention. This is the deeper wisdom inside you trying to guide you into the right path, as it always does if we listen closely enough. Mediation and quiet contemplation will enable you to raise the volume on this interior guiding voice.

You may get the call to action. This is when you are inspired to try something new. This is really a call to take up the quest for a better life and better existence. If you ignore the call or refuse it two things can happen. The voice will fade as this opportunity’s presence is taken over by other events. Don’t forget that synchronicity plays an important part in the arrangement of all the elements that make up this possibility for you. They will exist for a time but then will have to re-arrange themselves back in the harmony of the universe. Then you will have to wait for the next opportunity. There will be others. Don’t despair. There will always be others. The door is never closed because you failed to take action but it might become ‘temporarily jammed.’ If you refuse the call, you may consign yourself to a further period of frustration and dissatisfaction but the universe is a forgiving place…always.

The other possibility is that the call will become so loud and in your face that you will be forced by circumstance to jump in and ‘go with the flow.’ This is dramatic and feels like you are in a bit of a roller coaster – just hang on. It may seem like you are being thrown into the deep end , that you don’t have the experience, don’t feel safe etc. you are being pulled out of your comfort zone but this is probably the best thing that could happen to you. There is sometimes a period of upheaval, perhaps, emotional, and spiritual but it will always be for the best in the long run.

Finding certainty and true purpose is one of the most important goals for us as human beings. Only then do we begin to express ourselves at the highest level or reach our highest potential, creating harmony and peace in our own lives and our relationships as well as finding our greatest success.