In this weird and wacky time that we are currently experiencing, I wanted to talk about a question that’s been popping up quite a lot over the past couple of weeks:
How to find your purpose when you feel lost and directionless.
This season that we are living through can really feel directionless like there aren’t even days of the week. All of a sudden it’s #TrainingThursday in the Hub and that’s how we know the days of the week, because we’re watching some random thing on the internet not because we are living through the days as we used to.
It’s really easy to get lost, feel directionless, and like our purpose has shifted and changed.
This might be a time of reflection for you, at the moment. You might be reflecting on whether you are truly living your life on purpose and the purpose that you were here for before.
When it comes to living on purpose, it leaves clues. And when you fly helicopters as I do sometimes, the same thing happens. There are clues to help you when you feel a little bit lost.
Let me share some of my insights on finding purpose and direction with you…
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Go Back To A Waypoint
First off, you can go back to where you came from. Find the most recent waypoint that you remember feeling confident of what was going on.
For you, when was your most recent waypoint when you felt most confident? Was there a time where you felt more YOU than you had in a long time?
Prior to this time, there have been opportunities when we might have felt really confident and secure in who we were, at that moment. It might not have anything to do with business – it could be something else.
It’s like going to a spot back where you had clarity and certainty because the thing that we don’t have right now is clarity and certainty.
These days, we never know what’s going to happen with:
- level one, level three
- lockdown
- not locked down
- who can work and who can’t work
The certainty just isn’t there the way it has been in the past. And the thing about that is that we have an opportunity to reflect on a time when we did have certainty.
Review Old Journals And Notes
What I’ve been doing, and what I highly invite you to do, is go back and review old journals and notes. Look for the things you felt confident enough about to invest time and energy on, to remind you where you were at that point in time.
I’ve been going through some of my old journals. And there’s some incredible wisdom that comes out when you are journal writing or taking down notes. There are things that resonate for you enough that your whole neural pathways engage in the act of writing it down so you can remember it for a later point.
NOW is that later point.
You will start to see them, especially if you’ve got old notes and other bits and pieces. If your office is anything like mine, you might have bookshelves full of notes from past experiences. It might be time to declutter them and have a look. Go through and find that last waypoint where you remembered what you were about. Find something that sparked your interest, that you spent time, energy, and effort on.
When we go back, we have an opportunity to remember that certainty and clarity. And we can start to pick up little hints along the way.
The same thing happens in a helicopter. We go back to the waypoint, check what’s happening, and then we pick a direction from that point.
Feeling Off Track
The thing about your direction in a helicopter is that it can change by just one degree. And yet, only an hour later, you could be kilometres in the other direction, over the top of an entirely different city or Township and you might be completely off track.
That might be how you are feeling now. You might be a little bit off track with:
- the way you’ve been engaging with clients or potential clients
- what you’ve been creating
- the type of niche that you wanted to serve before
- thinking about serving somebody else
Or you might be thinking about jumping ship entirely. I’ve heard a lot of that, at the moment, as well.
But my invitation to you is to first go back to a waypoint where you had certainty.
Then, pick a spot where you’re embracing that feeling of certainty of who you are.
That inspiration, that moment that reminds you of your preferences, your values, and how you define yourself. Then look around for clues as to where other things have been.
This is what happens in a helicopter. We go to one spot, we circle around it once or twice and notice where we are. Then we pick something that we remember as a certainty and look to the horizon. But when we look to the future that’s not quite there yet, the horizon can be really deceptive.
Follow The Breadcrumbs
The same thing happens in life. What’s happening in the future right now can be very deceptive and can change the closer you get to it.
But you have to pick a point off in the future and head towards it because then something will evolve. You’ll start to notice other things that make you a little bit more certain. It’s a bit like following breadcrumbs. There’s a little conversation that will happen on the side. A little podcast, piece of research, or a person that comes into your perspective.
Then all of a sudden, you’re like, “Oh! I’m on the right track.” or, “That might be me off to a slightly different track.”
Instead of looking through the lens of fear and uncertainty, you’ll start to look through the lens of confidence. By doing that, you will start to notice the opportunities around. And when we’re thinking about the opportunities that are around, more opportunities start to show themselves.
Just like when you’re up in a helicopter, more townships start to show themselves and you’re like, “Okay, I see these three. What’s going to happen??”
That’s what has happened with a lot of my mentees recently. They’ve gotten into a really dark place where they’re not quite sure what’s going on, what they want to do, how they want to contribute to the whole profession, or if they want to completely jump out.
Go Back To The Core Of You
But go back to your real core of why and remember who you are. Do a little bit of a circle and check-in with data, with actual things.
I’ve been checking in with my journals and I found things from 2016 when I was first starting to figure out what I really wanted to do. I wanted to expand and see what would happen. Then, I realised that for the previous six years, I had already been mentoring on the side of my naturopathic practice. But I didn’t see it until I looked back.
It’s a bit like a pulling an arrow – you pull back to leap forwards.
That’s what happening at this moment. We may have an opportunity right now to pull back a little and then when the time is right, to leap forward and the arrow will shoot further than we could imagine. Just like in a helicopter. Pull back, check what’s out there, and then start to look on the horizon for what’s forward.
See where you’re aiming and other things will start to come into your periphery:
- serendipity
- conversations
- little gold nuggets to keep you on track
- some questions you couldn’t answer
- other things that sparked your interest
Then all of a sudden (in the helicopter), you’re over a township trying to decide if this is the township I was actually aiming for?
Follow Your Internal Compass
The thing about finding your purpose is, you don’t know when you get there. Many people think that purpose hits you like a lightning bolt. “This is my niche and who I’ll be helping forever.”
In all honesty, it’s very rare for me to find people that it’s hit them like a lightning bolt. Instead, they wonder – even when it’s seemingly a lightning bolt moment and you’re noticing everything over the top of this township that looks exactly how it’s supposed to – whether or not this is their purpose.
It’s times like those that you have to check back in again with the certainty of who you really feel inside that you are. Those moments of reflection of the times when you were truly you. Go with the vibration or the energy to scope that out and find that moment. Rather than the thing you think you should be doing, now is a really great time to notice and pull back to reflect. Find the certainty of who you truly are. Then, move forward with that as your internal compass rather than all the things that are trying to get your attention from the outside.
Take Action
Hopefully, this has been helpful for you. If it has or you think it would be for someone else, please share it and tag them.
It’s a really crazy time that we’re living in. I want to remind you that you have purpose right now. You matter. Whatever you’re doing is exactly what you need to be doing. Everything that you’re being and exploring, either internally or externally, is exactly as it needs to be right now.
Be generous and gentle with yourself. These times won’t last forever.
I don’t want anyone to miss the opportunity to reflect. To take stock and evolve and not just rush back to the thing that you think was the old normal. Because the old normal wasn’t getting you the results that you wanted in the first place. So take time, reflect, and find that certainty within you. I’m really looking forward to seeing how our whole profession evolves right now. You and your purposeful nature are part of that profession and I can’t wait to see how that evolves for you, as well.
Come join us in the Natupreneur Hub to share how you’re feeling and what insights you discovered when you looked back. We’re all here to grow and thrive together.
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