To unearth your life’s mission, you must be willing to dig deep within yourself. Start with the surface—your interests and hobbies. What activities make you come alive? What makes you lose track of time? These are the initial clues. Writing always did that for me.
Next, delve into your talents and strengths. What are you naturally good at? What do people often commend you for? Your talents are the tools you’ll use in your mission.
Go deeper still into your values and beliefs. What principles guide your decisions? What causes or issues are important to
you?
Here’s the thing about life’s missions—they are as unique as the individuals who undertake them. It’s tempting to compare your journey to others, but that’s like trying to navigate with someone else’s map. Embrace your uniqueness and understand your path will be unlike anyone else’s.
If you keep experimenting and exploring, it’s only a matter of time before you identify your life’s mission.
Now, it’s time to set about pursuing it. Your mission is achievable through actionable steps, whether grand or modest. Break it down into smaller tasks, and start taking them, no
matter how small. Every step you take brings you closer to your purpose.
As you journey toward your mission, you’ll encounter the inevitable challenges. In Chinese culture, there is a symbol that represents both challenge and opportunity. This symbol is “危机”
(wēijī), which is often translated as “crisis.” It is composed of two characters: “危” (wēi), meaning danger or crisis, and “机” (jī), representing opportunity or chance. From now on, ask yourself, when you face challenges, what benefit can you gain from it. Learn from it and move forward.
One of the most fulfilling aspects of unearthing and living your life’s mission is your impact on the world. For me, it’s a beautiful thing to have an enthusiastic reader share how my work impacted them.
That is a precious gift indeed, and I don’t take it for granted.
Ultimately, living your purpose isn’t just about personal fulfilment; it’s about leaving a lasting legacy. People get worried when I talk about legacy because they think only the Oprah Winfrey’s of the world can leave true legacies.
Not so.
I believe that our legacy is assured if we can consistently affect others outside of our
immediate family in a big or small way.
I can’t promise you it will be easy, but I can say it will be an extraordinary journey. And it may turn out to be the greatest adventure of your life.
Be Your Own
Hero.
