We’re back with part two! In the last blog post we asked the first seven questions in a series of 14 to help you uncover your unique life purpose and mission. I hope you got some really valuable personal insights from those!
If you missed part one or haven’t read it yet, I’d highly recommend you do this before you launch into the next half of the questions. The questions gradually build on each other and there is a method to the life purpose question trajectory.
You can read that blog post here -> 14 Questions To Ask Yourself Today To Uncover Your Life Purpose And Mission (Part One)
Let’s get to it!
The Questions:
8) If you had a conversation with your six year old self, what would they think and say about how you are living life now and what do they think your life purpose is?
Remember in the first two questions of the last blog post I asked, what did you enjoy doing as a kid? and what was the first thing you remember wanting to be when you grew up?, and I invited you to investigate (gently) your own childhood inclinations? These two questions can help us answer this one.
If I was to have a conversation with my six year old self, I think she’d be happy.
Two years ago though, she wouldn’t have been very happy. In fact, I think she would’ve been kind of upset that I spent so much of my adult time trying to be (and appear to others like I was) responsible, and worrying, and people pleasing, and comparing myself to others negatively with harsh judgements. She would’ve been upset that I wasn’t spending any time imagining, or out in nature with the fairies, or writing, or cuddling animals and soft toys. She would’ve been saddened by the fact that I’d forgotten or neglected writing creatively, reading for fun (rather than always reading heavy self-help non-fiction books) and drawing, in favour of “more mature and responsible” activities. And, by extension, she would’ve been saddened that I’d forgotten her.
Once I asked myself this question, I was able to get back on track. I’m now able to be a responsible adult with my new adult responsibilities, preferences and activities as they’ve naturally evolved since childhood, while balancing these with the fun that my inner six year old spirited nature child would be happy with me living. As well as incorporating activities from childhood that I’d forgotten I still enjoy.
So what do you think your inner six year old would say about how you were living your life? Would they be happy with your choices? What would they say your life purpose is? Would they be sad that you’d neglected certain activities or aspects of yourself?
Whatever you do in life, and in your adult life you’re living now with the responsibilities this entails, always remember the inner child.
9) What would that six year old want you to pursue as a life purpose career?
After having that conversation with my inner six year old spirited nature child, I then sussed out what she might like me to do as a career now, or what she thinks my life purpose and mission might be. To do this I used the combined knowledge of my adult experience and trial and error, plus her spirited imagination from back in the day, plus our combined natural inclinations and preferences.
Really similar to question two, I think she would want me to predominantly be a writer (and that’s what we’re doing). It’s also important that I spend time in nature and spend time with animals, and keep them and their welfare in the forefront of my mind with the choices I make. Now that we’re aware of what the veterinary profession entails, we’re not so keen on that given our sensitive and overly empathic nature. That dream was always about caring for animals at its core, and we can fulfil that purpose in many other ways. It’s also important that I read for fun as well as learning, and that I do art and craft in a hobby capacity rather than with the primary purpose of building a business from this.
Note: I’m not letting my limited six year old knowledge and preferences dictate my life choices now as a 28 year old. I’m simply acknowledging a very important part of me that would be unwise to ignore or neglect, as it holds vital clues to my life’s work and broader purpose.
10) What do people ask you for advice about, and do you have a superpower?
Is there something that people seek you out for when they want advice in a particular area of life? What do people ask you for help with the most? Can you see any patterns or a broader theme emerging?
Sometimes, we can’t help meddling in some things like Miss Marple can’t help getting involved in murder investigations (in her own unique but effective way). Are there any things that you just can’t help yourself with? That could be another clue to consider in your broader life purpose.
In terms of superpowers, for me these would be sensitivity, the ability to see both sides of an argument and become something of a mediator, my clairsentience with animals (psychic feeling), noticing small things in nature like beetles stuck on their backs on my nature walks, recognising faces and remembering birthdays, and reviving seemingly dead (or at least on the brink of death) plants.
11) What have you struggled with the most in life?
It’s important to note that when I asked myself this question initially, I was then of the opinion that it was a good idea to help other people with something I myself had struggled with, because this is what I’d seen other people do and I felt this was a meaningful contribution to society. While this definitely can be the case, I’d like to tell you all right now that just because you’ve struggled with something in the past, it doesn’t mean you have to or even should make that your contribution to the world and people in it.
Just because I’ve had struggles with anxiety and related mental health issues (OCD, depression, insomnia, traumas and grief, and agoraphobia), chronic pelvic pain and menstrual issues, digestive upsets, and relationships in my early twenties, it doesn’t mean I want to specifically dedicate my life to helping other people heal from these things themselves. While my unique perspective on these issues could be immensely beneficial to those also struggling with the same issues, and of course I’m open to talking about them with people as the situation presents itself and as it’s appropriate to do so, I’m not going to make my life’s work and life purpose all about that.
The purpose of this question is to consider life purpose from another angle. This question was interesting to me, but the answers to what I’d struggled with mostly weren’t topics I wanted to dedicate my entire life to helping others with. The only thing now that I would be helping others with (and I hope this has been the case for anyone reading this blog!) is how to thrive as a gentle introverted homebody, and similar avenues.
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I’ll say it again: While a lot of people dedicate their lives to helping people in an area that they themselves have struggled with, and you may feel called to do this as well, it’s not strictly necessary and may not be something that would truly light you up.
There are many other ways to contribute to others and the world, and light ourselves up in the process.
12) When you think about the careers you’ve considered in the past, what aspects of those specifically did you enjoy?
I’ve lost track of the amount of times I’ve said, “I’ve figured out what I’m doing with my life! It’s [insert whatever it is here].” Changing my mind all the time, being a bit vague about my values and unsure of what to do, something interesting would present itself and I’d be all over it. Artist, vet nurse, psychologist, florist, aged care worker, English and art teacher, SSO, art and craft business owner, herbalist, doula, spiritual life coach, and others. I pursued all of these at various points with focused attention, until my enthusiasm ran out of steam after a couple of months or I realised I really didn’t want to do it, and I thought, oh heck no not again… it’s back to the drawing board.
When I thought about wanting to be a vet as a child and vet nurse as an adult, I specifically liked the idea of caring for animals in need – but I didn’t want to do the people side of things.
When I thought about being a florist, I was excited to spend the day with flowers – but I didn’t want to do the driving around and early starts and business side of things.
When I studied psychology, it wasn’t specifically about wanting to sit in an office one on one with multiple people for the whole day working through their problems and grievances. That wasn’t appealing to me. What I enjoyed most about psychology was the learning, the investigation into the workings of the human mind, having the deep conversations, and writing essays.
With these careers, I was excited about some components of them, but I wasn’t willing to deal with their difficult aspects as well. This can be a clue for you to do what you will with if this is similar for you – is there something that you’re so passionate about doing that you’re willing to deal with the good the bad and the ugly for?
The only career or life path I’m willing to go all in with at this time in my life (because it can change and often does evolve as you go through life) and deal with the good the bad and the ugly is writing (whether that’s blogging, books, articles, graphic novels, whatever). To me that speaks in volumes and is a massive clue as to vocation and life purpose.
Similar to the question about the nine different lives and why specifically you would want to live them, it’s useful to ask yourself what aspects of careers that interest you specifically make them interesting. Even more useful is asking yourself more broadly WHY you want to do them.
As I’ve done above, have a think and maybe journal or talk to a friend, whatever you like, about the careers or jobs or vocations that you’ve considered doing in the past, or in your nine lives. Then for each of them explore the specifics that light you up about them, and the WHY behind them.
You may be surprised by what is revealed to you in this exercise. Just keep an open mind and don’t censor anything. It’s all useful information at this point.
The specifics and whys that you discover in the specific careers that you’ve considered may be transferable. What I mean by that is that what you like about one career could be better applied in another career that also takes into account other bits or even all of the things you’ve enjoyed and that light you up from the different careers. Think of it as a jigsaw puzzle; how do all the pieces fit?
It may look like a franken-career monster or the patchwork life’s work, but if it lights up your heart makes your soul sing and benefits the world (you being joyful and fulfilled is a benefit to the world in itself), then why the hell not do it?
13) If you died tomorrow, did you live out your life purpose in a satisfying way, and how would you want people to remember you?
We may be getting into morbid territory here, and if this seems upsetting to you then skip the question.
To me, thinking about potentially dying used to be really scary (I mean it still is a little scary for various reasons), but now I use it as a gauge of whether I’m living the life I feel called to live and that I’m meant to be living.
There was a lovely interview with Dr Rangan Chatterjee speaking to Mo Gawdat that I’ll link here if you’re interested – Mo Gawdat on the Feel Better Live More Podcast. After watching this I decided that I needed to use my limited heartbeats wisely, and not to squander them.
On another note, I have a habit of being overly concerned with what other people would think about what I’m doing with my life. I also think, if I was about to die, it wouldn’t really matter. So then I embody all that and go, if I was going to die in a matter of months, how would I live my life? Then I take action on that, and it’s turned out pretty well so far.
Getting back to the question at hand, thinking about how you would like to be remembered by the people in your life if you were to suddenly die gives you some indication of your values, or how you want to show up in the world and be seen by important others (this is probably the only time I’ll get you to consider what anyone else may think and say about you! At the end of the day people are going to think and say what they want regardless of how you show up, and that’s never your job to manage other people’s perceptions of you, but just roll with me for the purposes of this questioning).
Think about how you live your life now and what people may say at your funeral and who they think you are. Are you happy with that? Is that really how you want them to remember you?
If it is, well done, keep on livin’.
If it isn’t, then how would you like them to remember you? Now live your life aligned with those values and take action to become the person you want to leave behind in people’s hearts and minds.
Asking yourself questions like, would I want them to remember me as the responsible workaholic who had no life outside of work and was money obsessed, or as the spirited lady who lived out her dreams in unconventional but soul-satisfying ways? can be really helpful and put things into perspective.
14) What does your ideal life look like?
The final question I’d like you to consider is what would your ideal life look like?
Let your imagination go wild and visualise or write down what you would want your ideal life to look like.
My ideal life involves a lot of nature, animals, cottage witchery, writing, a cottage in the woods (or at least near to woodlands) that’s cosy, has a log fire and lots of shelf space for books and plants, and lots of space for animals to roam. I don’t want to live too close to people, but also not too far away that I feel isolated. Off the cottage would be a little cosy art studio and craft room. I’d like to have enough space to grow my own vegetables and fruit trees, and for rescue animals (maybe rabbits specifically) to find a place to feel safe and cared for.
I yearn for space, freedom, and simple slow living.
Final Questions!
That concludes all the 14 questions so far in finding (or making!) a career aligned with your purpose, values, and inner soul whisperings and yearnings.
What did you discover?
Do you have a career or life’s work in mind after reading these two blog posts?
(You can revisit part one here -> 14 Questions To Ask Yourself Today To Uncover Your Life Purpose And Mission (Part One))
I’d love to hear especially about what your ideal life looks like!
Get in touch in the comments below, or email me at [email protected].
I’d love to know your quiet thoughts!
Keep being curious,
