TUNE IN: APPLE PODCASTS | STITCHER | SPOTIFY
It’s a question that we all ponder: “What exactly is my purpose in life?” Answer the following six questions to gain clarity about why God put you on the earth:
If you have NO CLUE what your life’s purpose is:
1. What were you excited about when you were little?
Think back to when you were just a child. Close your eyes and relive the moments that really made you feel alive. What were you doing? Who were you with? What did you dream about? Who did you want to grow up to be?
Outside of dressing up like Shania Twain and making homemade country music videos (embarrassing), the thing I loved to do most, was write. In fact, after high school, I went off to college to pursue a career in journalism and TV broadcasting.
When I met my future husband Freshman year, I tossed all that aside, thinking I wasn’t really that passionate about it anyway. Lovestruck and newly married, we began building our family and commercial roofing business together.
It wasn’t until years later that God whispered to my heart “remember how you loved to write? I put that inside of you and I’m calling you now to use that gift, for My glory.”
When I stepped into God’s calling on my life and launched KatieHedrick.com, I came ALIVE. The passion I feel every day, all day assures me that I’m living out my purpose.
(Recently, I found the binder that I had created in high school full of all the poems, song lyrics and articles I had written. What a treasure! I have such clarity, as I reflect on that, that a writer and speaker of truth is WHO God created me to be.)
2. What areas are people always complimenting you on or telling you are your strong points? Or where are they asking for your advice or expertise?
People are always telling you that you are great at something. What is it? You may not even realize that thing is actually your hidden superpower!
Also, I bet you get asked often for advice in one particular area. Your heart and soul are full of wisdom about that particular topic. You have something amazing to offer the world and your life’s purpose may be directly tied to it.
“You have something amazing to offer the world and your life’s purpose may be directly tied to it.”
-Katie Hedrick
3. What are you passionate about? Could it provide for your family in some way?
We are called to work hard and provide for our family (Proverbs 10:4) while we live out our purpose. While I don’t think it’s the most important factor listed here, it’s wise to take this into consideration.
Opportunities are limitless these days. If you get creative, there may be a way to turn your passion and purpose into profit, while bringing great value to the world. Think outside of the box!
If you think you ALREADY KNOW what your life’s purpose is:
4. Will it grow you and stretch you outside your comfort zone?
“Comfort is the enemy of progress.” -PT Barnum, The Greatest Showman
If we’re not growing, we’re dying. Getting outside of our comfort zone can be terrifying, yet it’s exhilarating! If you take nothing else from this article, remember this: When you’re walking out your purpose, you WILL be stretched and it will grow you into the person that God created you to be.
God does not call us into comfort. Quite the opposite actually, He likes to call us out into deep water. He’ll take us to a place where we cannot make it out without His help, which will bring glory to His name.
In short, your purpose will leave you feeling uncomfortable sometimes and that’s a GOOD thing!
5. Can you see yourself spending the rest of your life doing it?
When you’re living out your purpose, it’s not uncommon to feel so fired up about it that it’s almost hard to sleep. You stay up late and get up early because you’re just so excited to “do the thing.”
People may worry about you “burning out,” but purpose is like a renewable resource. It replenishes you quickly and effectively. It’s thrilling to consider that you get to wake up and fulfill your purpose every day.
(Even on the hard days, and there will be some, purpose has a way of reigniting the fire and helping you remember why you do what you do.)
6. If you imagined yourself at the end of your life, would you be able to look back and say “I accomplished what God put me on earth to do”?
Life is so stinking short. It would be a tragedy to get to the end of it, and look back with the realization that you spent your one wild, precious life fumbling around or just “getting by.”
Purpose is defined as “the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists.” You were created by a God who is good, and you exist for a PURPOSE. It was planted inside you and it’s your job to discover it and live it out.
If you’re a follower of Christ, then you already know that we are called to Love Jesus and Love People. HOW you live out that calling is your purpose.
You were created for a time such as this and there is zero time to waste. Don’t let life slip through your hands, but rather spend it accomplishing what God put you on earth to do, in the unique way that only you can do it.
Today is truly a gift. Let’s live it on purpose, with purpose.
Read my personal story “From Broken to Beautiful: the Truth about KatieHedrick.com” by clicking here. In it, I peel back the curtain on how I discovered, and how I live out my life’s purpose.
Live a purposeful and happy life with my Free eBook “7 Habits of Happiness.” Download it here.
Don’t miss a single dose of happiness from KatieHedrick.com! Become an Insider (it’s quick and free!) to receive exclusive content that will help you Choose Happiness and Live Your Best Life!
What’s your Happiness Personality? Find out in 30 seconds if you are the Queen of Happiness, the Grinch’s BFF or somewhere in between. Once you discover your Happiness Personality, you can let it shine! Curious? Take the Quiz HERE!
Pingback: How to Read the Bible - KatieHedrick.com