Purposeful Personal Growth
For the most satisfying and effective personal development and growth, build your development purposefully. Build personal development on a basis of life purpose.
The purpose driven life is a strong foundation for relevant personal growth and development. Personal development implies a conscious effort to develop specific life skills; a distinct and intentional plan including personal goals and action plans in support of a desired area of personal growth.
Unfortunately, we often practice this process backwards, undertaking self help and personal development without the clarifying foundation of life purpose. Though we surely benefit from every book read, every class taken, and every lecture attended, the greatest benefits will result when new life skills align with and support life purpose.
What is Your Life Purpose?
The first and most critical step in effective and satisfying personal development is to discover and clarify your purpose in life. Purpose is the answer to the question, “Who am I and why am I here?” Knowing purpose brings focus, meaning, resilience, and fulfillment to your life.
Purpose is unique to each individual. Parents, teachers, religious leaders, philosophers, and even media personalities may give us their view of purpose, but it is just that–their view. Your unique purpose lies deep within, covered by layers of teachings, warnings, fears, and doubts which we accumulate from others.
“Your work is to discover your work and then with all your heart to give yourself to it,” ~ Buddha
Life Purpose is Found Within
But how do we discover purpose? By going within, deep within yourself where the wisdom and truth of your soul are waiting to speak with you. Therefore, the tools for discovering and clarifying life purpose are:
Reflection - use quiet moments to reflect on who you are.
- Start with a blank sheet of paper or empty screen on your text editor.
- At the top, enter these two words: I AM ….
- Skip a line and finish the sentence.
- Repeat on the next line.
- Keep writing whatever comes into your mind until you write something that feels profound and stirs your emotions. Perhaps it will even bring you to tears.
Now you’re getting clarity about who you are.
Meditation - Find a quiet place and time. Ask your higher power for clarity about who you are. Then meditate and be open to answers. A basic meditation is here.
Life Review - Reflecting on your life can provide strong clues about who you are. Even those life situations and circumstances that didn’t turn out well contain useful information. Reflect on what your experiences tell you about you.
Awareness - Develop your intention to be aware of who you are being at all times.
- Create a small version of you, who sits on your shoulder and monitors your behaviors.
- Allow the small you to whisper in your mind the observations of who you are being in the course of a routine day. You may be surprised at the insights available.
Meaningful personal development and growth will come quickly when it builds on life purpose. The purposeful life is satisfying, fulfilling, and meaningful.
More articles on purpose and self awareness are here.
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