Working for a living can be hard
- especially if you loathe your job. The sense of
frustration and the feeling of wasting your life can be
hugely dispiriting. To me it's sad that so many view work
as though it were some kind of penance - that unhappiness
is somehow part of the deal and that we shouldn't fight
the system, or try to change things.
Many people - especially writers
- dream of being their own boss but don't know where to
start. It's all very well coming up with an idea for self
employment or starting a business but most times you need
to ask yourself, Do I have enough commitment to make it
work? Do I have enough passion for this to continue when
the going gets tough - as it usually does at some point.
I believe that knowing who you
are - and knowing your overall purpose in life can help -
before you take one step towards your goals. Because it's
only by knowing yourself and what motivates you that you
can begin to understand the type of work that will set
you free.
So how can you discover your
purpose in life - and quickly?
The following is a precis of a
technique I discovered in a book called "What's Your
Purpose" by David Jacobs, published by Hodder
Mobius.
1. Imagine you're on a desert
island.
All of your basic needs are taken
care of. There's limitless food, utilities, gas for your
free car and there's no need for money. Oh, and there's
also a few thousand other nice and law abiding people on
the island with you - so you're never going to feel
lonely or depressed ever again.
Now, what are you going to do?
It would be tempting to do
nothing but sit in the sun and drink martinis for a while
but what about after that? What would you do to fill your
time? More especially, what could you do that might
benefit your community?
Write down your answer, whatever
it might be.
2. Imagine, after you've died,
you're looking at your tombstone.
What would you like to see
written on it? It could be just one word like
"Statesman" on something longer like "She
made a difference". Whatever. Write down your
answer.
3. Imagine you're in Heaven and
reading through a "Book of Life". Next to
everyone's name there is a 50 word description of their
life. What would you like yours to say? Write down your
answer.
4. Imagine Hollywood has made a
movie out of your life - and they need one of those
taglines to advertise it. What would it say?
It should be short and snappy
like "Justice has a new hero" or "She
rocks", something that sounds like a slogan.
Write down your answer.
5. This is a good one. Imagine
you have a one minute slot on a microphone that everyone
in the world will hear. What would you say?
Basically for this one you need
to work out what you would want to be remembered for - or
what kind of important message you would like the whole
world to hear. Write down your answer.
6. Imagine you're a superhero.
What powers do you have?
You can make a list of 5 or 10.
it's up to you. Then pick one,
This really teaches you about
what kind of person you are - and what's important to
you. Do you want to be able to fly? If so, why? Do you
want to be able to become invisible? Why?
Write down your answer.
And finally, based on all of the
answers to the questions above,
7. Make a statement about your
purpose.
Start with "My purpose
is..." Try to keep it short, less than 12 words is
ideal.
Write it down. Carry it with you.
Look at it often. Change and update it if necessary.
You'll find that just having a meaningful purpose
statement can change virtually every area of your life.
It helps you prioritize what's important to you. It helps
you make decisions about what to do in your life - how
you spend your time.
Your purpose statement gives you
a 'rudder' by which to steer your life.
Make it a good one - and don't be
afraid to think big!
