002 A Lesson On Meaning And Purpose

Have you been searching for how to find your purpose and passion in life? In this lesson, I will provide questions to ask yourself that will help in discovering your purpose.

If you have been searching for more meaning in your life, then you will find value in this Martial Way Network lesson. In it I will share how to find the balance between order and chaos. The principle shared in this video can help you create more serenity in your life.

Here are the steps to finding your purpose with a life purpose questionnaire:

What do you like to do?
How are you serving other people?
What are you curious about?
What do you enjoy reading or researching?
What brings you to tears?
What makes you laugh?
Who are YOUR people?

After answering these seven questions, you should start to see a trend on what makes you unique and what might bring your life purpose. It may be one main area that truly lights up your soul. Or, if you are like me, it could be several different areas.

For example, here are the answers that I personally would give to those questions.

Things I enjoy doing are martial arts (my biggest passion), arts & crafts, parenting my boys, spending time in nature and being around animals.
I currently serve others through teaching karate and tai chi, designing wood crafts & gourmet salts for sale at the local farmers markets, mentoring adults in children through various organizations.
I’m always curious about different martial arts techniques, theory and teaching strategies. I am also into new techniques in woodworking and cooking.
I enjoy reading personal development books, martial arts books & videos. I’m often found researching karate or tai chi techniques, woodworking craft ideas and new recipes.
I am brought to tears by women or children that are abused. I want to give them confidence and show them how to protect themselves.
Funny things that my children do, jokes my husband shares with me and the antics of my pets always make me laugh.
MY people are usually free spirited from all walks of life who enjoy living. I admire those who make their own path through life and inspire me to be a better person every day.

Notice a trend or theme in my comments? The Martial Arts are definitely my number one purpose and meaning in life. Followed by crafting and entrepreneurial service to others. Which, thankfully, I am on that path currently. I wasn’t always following my true purpose and when I wasn’t, I wasn’t happy. I felt stressed, angry at times and stuck.

Once you have a good idea of your life’s meaning and purpose now it’s time to follow it. This is where it can get tricky. Especially, if you are on a completely different path in your life.

How to follow your purpose

Following a path of meaning and purpose didn’t happen for me all at once. It was a gradual transition. I will say that once I knew what my passions were, I began taking steps every day towards a life of purpose. I started spending less time on those things and people that didn’t bring me joy or lead to my purpose. At first, I’ll admit, it seemed selfish of me to to want to change things and focus on what I liked rather than on what other people thought I should do with my life. That was the hardest for me. I didn’t want to disappoint the people that were closest to me.

What I did first was get a good mentor. I chose someone who had been there and was in a place I wanted to be in the future. This is important. Never take advice or get mentored by someone who is not where you want to be in the future. That’s like asking a poor man to teach you how to earn a fortune or asking a hair dresser how to perform heart surgery. It just doesn’t make sense!

To find a good mentor, simply ask around in the area you are interested in, who is the best? Who is the most respected and admired? Then send them a note or pick up the phone and ask if you could ask them for some advice. You’d be amazed at how many people at the top of their field are willing to share their advice. Most will do it for free. Some will ask for a coaching fee. Depending on who it is, that may be worth it!

Secondly, I stopped taking advice from people who weren’t living the way I wanted to live in the future. Yes, many of those advice-giving people were family and close friends. However, their advice was skewed by their own world view and personal truths. They weren’t MY truths. Once you are an adult, no one has the right to tell you how to live your life or what decisions are best for you. Only you can make those decisions as you have to live with yourself for the rest of your life. You might as well make the best life possible for yourself and not duplicate someone else’s life that you don’t even like! Seems simple, right?

It’s not easy though. You will go through fire and suffer some consequences for choosing a different path. ESPECIALLY from those that are closest to you. During this time of growth towards your true self, you may have to cut ties from some of your most negative friends and family. With family it is harder, but you can limit time with them and limit the number of conversations you have with them.

Bonus tip

Here are three things you can say to well-meaning family and friends that are confronting you about your life choices. These three things will help you to avoid a major confrontation.

Thank you for bringing that to my attention
Maybe you’re right (Maybe pigs fly too — but, don’t say this part!)
Let me get back to you on that

To help during this time, find a good mentor. (Like I mentioned above.) They should be able to introduce you to other people that are following a similar path. This will become your new support group and it will definitely help you during your transition to a life of meaning and purpose.

A life of meaning and purpose straddles the line between order and chaos. It is here that you answer the question “what is my life’s purpose?” and begin living a life of truth. I can’t say it will be easy, but it will be worth it!

Vashon Borich-Leach is a 6th Dan and Sensei at Branson Karate in the art of Shorin Ryu Karate. She also is a Shifu in Wudang Tai Chi & Qi Gong. ***** The martial way is a method of seeking knowledge as a way to improve ones life and the life of others.

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