One Practical Way To ‘Discover’ Your Purpose: 7 Paths to Take

The search of purpose has been a subject of fascination ever since man was alive. I also believe that the greatest omission in learning institutions is the Coaching to Purpose. We focus so much on competence not knowing that if we are competent and lack purpose, our performance will never be equated to those who have purpose but lack competence.

“The greatest omission in learning institutions is the Coaching to Purpose”

The subject of Life Purpose is something that I am so passionate about. I believe that there is a purpose to life and that purpose is the reason why all the 7 Billion of us are present on earth today. I believe that there is none that is useless. Anybody that has breath in them, I believe that they were allowed to live in order to reconnect and fulfill their God-given purpose. I believe that the legacy we leave behind is supposed to influence society for greater good and inspiration.

More of Experience, Less of Knowledge

One thing about purpose though: you have to experience it. Passion and purpose are not theoretical. In fact, some people discover their purpose mostly while in action, rather than in waiting. Therefore, do not be one of those people who are waiting for God to speak to them and give them a burning bush experience. God has spoken volumes already, and the greatest call he gave to us is FAITH. This means that we have to trust the process. One way or another, it will lead us to our purpose.

A Day at A Time

So let me say that purpose is not something that you will zero in at once in one day of asking. Sometimes it takes years of asking, working, seeking, knocking, moments of silence and confusion…until one day the sky above opens and you know that you know that you are standing smack in the middle of your life purpose. Discovering it is an experience. Living it is the crown of life.

Climbing Your Mountain of Purpose

Mountaineering used to be a personal challenge of conquering the heights of un-scaled mountains. Today, it is a sport. Just like any other sport, it needs athleticism, preparation, training, coaching and a host of resources. One thing is for sure, you need to select which mountain you would love to conquer before you can go to another.

There are seven spheres of influence otherwise known as the 7 mountains of influence. Chances are that you are passionate about two or three of these mountains and you absolutely care less about the other 4. It is very rare to find someone that is passionate about all the 7 mountains with the same degree of vigor.

These mountains are:

1. Education
2. Media
3. Politics & Governance
4. Religion
5. Family
6. Economics &Business
7. Entertainment, Arts and Sports

The following simple steps will attempt to help you identify the reason why you were born. Remember, clarity is power. The more clear you are about your reason of being, the more effective you become in life.

1. Identify 4 Spheres of influence that you are NOT passionate about and cross them out.
2. Step 1 leaves 3 spheres. Now rate the remaining spheres on a scale of 1-100 as far as you consider your passion in them
3. If you can find only one sphere where you know that you know your passion about it is 100%, you have already identified your mountain. If you do not have 100% score on any, proceed with the next step.
4. Find activities that you have been involved in in each sphere in the past. If you can document the amount of time and money you spent in each (including research and reading about it) it would be great. Which sphere stands out above the other two?
5. Which of the 3 do you possess more skill, talent, and gifting more than the others?
6. If your answer in 4 and 5 above are the same, you have already identified your mountain. If not, proceed to step 7
7. Picture yourself 50 years from today. Assuming you have all resources in the world to create a change in only one sphere of influence, where would you passionately put your focus on? That is your mountain.

[clickandtweet handle=”@namale” hashtag=”#LifeSignatures” related=”” layout=”card” position=”right”]”Identifying your mountain is one thing. Climbing it is quite another”.[/clickandtweet]

Identifying your mountain is one thing. Climbing it is quite another. Many people have doubts about being correct on their mountain. Some ask, “What if I have selected the wrong one?” Well, this is the time to read my post on “Indirect engagement”. I have insisted that it is in doing that you will find the best fit for your purpose. Get working. If it does not fit, then you will be even much closer to identifying your purpose. It is foolish to do nothing because you doubt the authenticity of your mountain. “Can’t I just have clarity on it before I start?” Well, even God does not work with us that way. Remember the currency for God’s Kingdom is Faith. And also remember that faith without action is dead. So get started, and trust the process.

Here are some pointers on climbing the mountain you have chosen:

1. Write down the vision (the best possible outcome you expect in that mountain over a specified region)
2. Set the goals of the things you will do to contribute towards the vision, complete with the time frames.
3. Set the activities that you will do
4. Determine what kind of person you need to become in order to fulfill the vision and start living those essentials.
5. Share wildly what you are standing for and start finding men and women of like passions. Find such passionate conversations going on and make contributions.
6. Learn as much as possible on a daily basis anything and everything related to your mountain.
7. Repeat these processes for five years.

Over to you. What is your mountain? Start by sharing in the comments below