Stop Asking What Is My Purpose? Instead, Ask What Am I Pulled Towards?

If you’re still trying to figure out your purpose and what you want to do in life, you may be up in your head weighing up the pros and cons of different options.

Perhaps you’re comparing the salary of job A vs. job B, looking at which industry is going to be the most stable, or getting shiny object syndrome and being lured by the buzz surrounding the latest hot space (for example, blockchain).

Or maybe you’re just trying to find an area you can apply your skills to and find fulfilment and satisfaction in.

Yes, this is one approach. And these are valid questions to ask, but the main problem with trying to weigh up the pros and cons and logically find your purpose is that generally the focus is on external factors, like money, status, stability, opportunities, benefits etc.

But, fulfilment and satisfaction cannot be offered externally they come from within. Yes, it’s nice to get recognition for a job well done, but to feel any real meaningful satisfaction and fulfilment it has to come from within.

Some good questions to help you uncover what you personally find fulfilling is, what am I magnetically pulled towards? Like a moth to a flame, what are you naturally attracted to?

What areas do you seem to have a natural inclination to pursue? Maybe, when doing these activities you lose track of time and are not easily distracted, you don’t have to push yourself to study these areas there’s a natural interest.

This is a much better gauge of what will help you find fulfilment in life than just focusing on the external carrots like money, status, stability, benefits etc.

Or as Mr Miyagi, from the 1980s classic Karate Kid, puts it, “If come from inside you, always right one”, when referring to trusting your instincts and inclinations.

Once you find what can bring you satisfaction within, you can try to match that to a career, business or activity and focus on the external factors after.

This way, you’re giving attention to what can help provide internal fulfilment as well as external success, and trying to balance both sides of the same equation. Instead of just focusing on the current trend in society, which is just to focus on external success.