Why you’re not following your life purpose? 

We all have a life purpose, but most do not know what it is. And that there is the problem. There’s a significant number of people not satisfied with their life. A large proportion that wants more out of life. This group feels like they missed their calling and feels as if they aren’t living their dream lives. The older they get, the more convinced they are that they aren’t living their dreams.

As time goes, this doesn’t magically disappear because of age. In fact, it becomes worse because most people want to live a life they love, but are unsure how to do it. They want to stop living a life that aren’t satisfied with. And that is why I wanted to write this blog post because I truly believe that when we stop trying to please everyone, we will live our lives. When we stop trying to become like someone else, that is when we discover what we are made of. That is why this blog post might be one of the most important articles you will read on life’s purpose. Why? Because when you find out why you’re not following, your life purpose will help you a lot. This will help you understand what you need to focus on. So drumroll please. Let’s go.

You’re directionless

Raise of hands. Who has felt directionless? I’ve been where you are right now. I used to be directionless, and this was a big proponent of why I didn’t go after my life’s purpose. I did not know what I wanted to do. Nor did I know what direction I should go in. When you’re directionless, you’ll spend years struggling to play catch up and this can deflate your self-esteem. 

It is important you have a direction. Would you go on a major trip without knowing what route you should take? No. Right. What about presenting a topic without an idea of the topic you will speak about? No. Right. Problem is we are directionless for our life purpose. We imagine a life where we live on our own terms, but we can’t seem to go in the right direction. Pinpoint the direction you want to go in. If you are a photographer, what kind are you? What do you want your life to be like in the next five or ten years? Who is your target audience? Newly wed couples. Young families. Portraits. Nature.

Choose your direction and it will be easier to figure out the next steps you should take.

A weak why

You aren’t following your life purpose because your why sucks. What this means is that your reasons don’t hold water. Have you ever tried using an old sponge when washing dishes? The old sponge doesn’t hold as much water as a new sponge. Why? Because the pores in the sponge have seen better days. Therefore, they can’t hold enough water. 

Your why is like this? Let’s say your life’s purpose is to become a real estate agent. Your why is so that you can make money? This won’t work. Because money isn’t a strong enough factor to push you. One day you work hard and the next when you don’t see results, you will give up. Why? Because you aren’t seeing the results that you won’t and your motivator has disappeared. So, let’s change that why to something more fundamental? Your why is to show people substantial properties so that they don’t feel cheated? You want to change the way real estate works. 

This is a much stronger why because you aren’t focusing on the destination, but on the journey. Many of us start like this. We focus heavily on his destination. If I make X amount per month, my life will change. What if you don’t make that money? Then what? Focus on the journey rather than the destination.

Also Related: Why Should You Follow Your Purpose?

“A Journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     – Lao Tzu

Focus on the journey rather than the destination

The third reason you’re not following your life purpose is because you are spending way too much of your energy on the destination rather than the journey. That is why the quote above is so important. Every journey in life begins with the first step. Sometimes that is all you need to focus on. Step one. That is it. What do you want to achieve? How do you want to achieve it? Focus on step one. Focus on the baby step. And then you can see the whole thing coming together. 

That is the key. Everything comes together. You now see a path that you didn’t see before and you understand what you need to do. Here’s an example. You want to start a blog. Step one. Find what you want to write about. Step two. Research your competitors. What are they writing about? Who is their target audience? Reverse engineer. Find the sweet spot so that you can compete. Then design your blog. Easier said than done. I know that, but this is a simple snippet to understand.

Climbing up a ladder is easier when you take your time climbing each rung. When you try to step on the rung far from your reach, you’ll hurt yourself. That is why you need to focus on the step ahead of you. That is how to get to where you’re going without breaking a sweat. Okay, you’ll break a sweat, but at least you won’t exhaust yourself trying to do too many things all at once. 

Fear has gotten you down

The fourth and last reason you’re not following your life’s purpose is fear. It can be a fear of people’s opinions or your own. What if I fail? What if I’m not good enough? What will people say? The list goes on. So, you need to decide. Imagine there are two doors and you need to choose. One is blue, and the other is red. Now, choose the blue door and you’re life will be as simple as it can be. They will be no hurdles or hiccups. You will experience an average and ordinary life because you took no risks.

Did I bore you yet? The red door is full of adventure, hiccups, extraordinary measures and roadblocks. Or did I forget to mention danger? Not the kind that will poison you or get you killed. Still, it will have adventure and heartbreak. You will explore the world, but also put yourself out there. You will find yourself and yet lose part of yourself. Your old self, that is. You walk with more confidence yet squirm when you step out of your comfort zone. Hope I painted a splendid picture.

Here’s the thing: you can only choose one door. So pick wisely. There’s nothing wrong with either choice. It’s up to. But the red door you will grow more and the blue door you won’t change as much. Fear holds us hostage, and it is the reason many of us aren’t following your life’s purpose. How you combat this is by letting of what people say. Heck, let go of what you think and just do it. Take that leap. You won’t regret it. 

Also Related: Overcoming Fear of Failure

What are your reasons for not following your life purpose? Comment below. 

                                                                                     Keep Pushing

                                                                     Vanessa