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n the previous article, we talked extensively on how you can activate your purpose once you have zeroed down on it. As I was writing that article, I was starkly reminded of the many people that would be reading it and would not be having a personal vision. Like I shared in that article, it took me 12 years to finally have a crystallized vision, mission, and purpose statements.

Today, I want to take some time and show you 6 readily available ways that you can use to inch closer to your purpose and later on your destiny. Why “readily available”? I am glad you asked. There are quite a number of quotes that come to mind on this thought chief of which is from Dr. Myles Munroe:

“God hid everything that a thing is supposed to become in itself”

You see, I believe that [ictt-tweet-inline]everything has within it its own formula for its optimal existence.[/ictt-tweet-inline] I think one of the gravest mistakes we do with seeking purpose is to look away from us, while ignoring what is within and immediately around us. That’s why a very talented artist is now a teller in a Bank (true story if you asked my friend Ambrose Kibuuka, author of “After University What Next?”).

Inching Closer To Your Purpose

The following few are the major ways that you could use to zero in on your life purpose. Remember that we are men and women on a mission, not with a mission. There is a heaven and earth difference between the two. The man on a mission is a man consumed with his purpose. The man with a mission is a juggler, balancing very many things with a mission that might not necessarily be his born to do. But I digress. Let’s delve in.

1. Questions

Do not just look at that title at face value. I am not necessarily constricting you to questions…but the greater message is seeking. A seeker’s greatest tool is questions. My mentor Dr. Mike Murdock says “An answer will hide from anything but a question.”  And how so true it is! I am willing to bet that nobody discovered their purpose cheaply and unintentionally. If you wanted to get close to knowing your purpose, you need to be a seeker, and an”asker”. An asker is someone who

• Asks
• Seeks
• Knocks…

…relentlessly without giving up. That is what I did for years on end with my purpose. Now, I am not saying that it needs to take years for you to discover your purpose. These days with good Coaching it takes much less to crystallize what matters to you. However, the greatest coach in the world will not unearth your purpose in life if you are not a seeker. Purpose is attracted to those who are hungry for it.

Dr. Mike Murdock said:

“The Proof of Desire is in searching. If you are not searching, you are disqualified for it”

Enough said here.

2. Gifts and Talents

I get shocked many times when I ask an audience to lift up their hands if they think they are not gifted. In very many instances, I have seen more than one third of the audience genuinely lift up their hands! You see, everyone has a purpose in life. Nobody came on earth to breeze past and expire. There is an ultimate purpose for every life. Now, all that gifts and talents are is a tool to fulfill that purpose. The problem we make here is to think that the gifted are the sportsmen and women, musicians and actors. There is a whole book written on this topic, “Now Discover Your Gift” I would recommend you get it and read. We spend lots of time and effort getting an education and at times we get educated out of our gifts and talents. It happened to me too. I have been a gifted writer since primary school, yet that gift was shelved for more than 12 years as I pursued what opportunities education could provide.

In between, instead of identifying my body of talents and gifts, I was job-hunting! More of that here.

3. Ideas

I could write a book out of this topic. But the point is this: God himself draws you towards your purpose by dropping small ideas like seeds in your mind and heart. I have seen people’s lives transformed immensely when they took an idea by its horns and pursued it. Now, do not dare tell me that you have no idea, that no idea has ever entered your heart or mind over the years. Even today as you read, an idea is beckoning you. [ictt-tweet-inline]Ideas are God’s ways of navigating you towards your purpose on earth[/ictt-tweet-inline]. So take note, be keen. Download them and start pursuing them to their logical conclusion. Do it. I feel so strongly about this one. Do it.

4. Action

Don’t you ever be a waiter! My point is this: We have millions of people who are sitting at home doing nothing because nobody has given them a job! Please read here to get the context of what I am saying, because I do not have enough space to explain it. What I have noticed is that it is easier to steer a moving object than that which is parked. So do not be parked. Get active now. As you act, you will be steered to what really matters to you one way or another. Notice that you never really get smack in the middle of purpose at the first go. It starts from the distant…but action is the chief catalyst. So find ways to be an “Active Agent” at all times. Whether your “Activity” is bringing in cash or not, you had better be active.

5. Emotions

Oh! How can I say this succinctly! All the decisions we make are always emotional. In fact, we are the only emotional creatures that God created (I hope I am right on this one). There are two major emotions that can give you a hint of what your purpose it.

• Anger/ Hate: What makes you angry? What do you seriously hate? Why do you think that is the case? It is because the opposite of that is what you really want. It is what really matters to you. That is where your purpose is located. Do you hate segregation and aparthied? Then you are Martin Luther King Jnr. or Nelson Mandela. Do you hate sickness? Then you could be a health worker. Do you hate ignorance? Then you could be a trainer, coach or an educator. You get my point. So what do you really hate?
• Love/Joy/Fulfillment: When is the last time you really were fulfilled and what you did did not have monetary value attached to it? Can you remember? That my friend could very well be your purpose or just one degree close to it. Take not of your emotions, they are not useless.

6. Feedback

I ignored this while in school because I was pursuing a chance to get a degree. My friends noted my prowess in working with words, both in speech and in writing. You see, people around you will tell you how your star is shining on them and encourage you to do something more about it. That is feedback that you need to take. It might not be direct feedback like I have always been told, “You need to be a Pastor”, (and so far I have been rejecting it). It could be some compliment such as:

• You really have a calm demeanor…
• You are so ruthless with cheats…
• You make the room come alive…
• Your interviewing skills are up there with the best…
• You really have potential in writing

As a Coach, I have told two of my clients that they are set to be Millionaires (in Dollars). They are still looking at me as a cow on a new gate…but I feel it deep inside my gut about it.

6.5 A Combination

You could use more than 1 of the above 6 to even get deeper clarity. For example, if your friends give you feedback about your purpose and you can see from your analysis that you are both gifted to do it and get fulfillment while doing it…please do not wait for a burning bush experience. Get started.

Over to you.