Want To Live A Life Of Real Purpose? 4 Ways To Achieve That Dream

How much time and money have you invested in courses that teach you how to find and live your personal purpose? Sure, the material is great. And you took a ton of notes. But year after year, you're still doing the same thing and very little (or nothing) has changed.

You are living the same life, often filled with regret and lots of "coulda, woulda, shoulda" thoughts. You believe you know your purpose; after all, you're always talking to your friends about it, but talk is all you do. They haven't seen you take any real action yet. Instead, it's the same conversation every time they see you. "Someday when x, y or z finally happens ... THEN I'll live into my purpose."

Have you ever heard the saying, "a dream without action is just a wish"? Well, it's time to stop waiting for a genie with a magic lamp to show up. It's time for you to take action.

Let's take a minute and reflect on the past year:

• Did you start your journey to living a purposeful life and give up?
• Are there limiting beliefs—things someone told you in the past, or thoughts you have about yourself that have been holding you back?
• What would you have done differently?
• How often did you find yourself saying things like, "when the kids finish school," "when I have enough money," or my personal favorite I used to say, "when I lose weight"?

As you reflect back, don't beat yourself up or think of yourself as a failure. You only become a failure if you quit and give up. Since you are here reading this, it's safe to say you're ready to make things happen.

Many times, we let distractions or roadblocks derail us and we abandon the dream we have for ourselves. Let's face it: life happens. We experience illness, job loss or falling in love and that alters our course. When these events occur, you have to make some adjustments, but you can still live your purpose.

Instead of looking at the difficulty in the situation, stay motivated and begin to see the opportunities. The key is having a clearly defined plan to achieve a purposeful life from the start.

Here are four simple tips to help you establish your plan and start taking ACTION toward living a life of purpose:

1. Clarify it. You attended all these workshops and heard all about finding your purpose, but have you taken the time to clearly identify it and write it down? Schedule time when you are alone in a relaxed and quiet environment. Think about what motivates and drives you.

What are you passionate about? What do you like to do? Remember, you are writing about you and what you want to fulfill in your life, not what somebody else wants for you.

2. Visualize it. Once you have clearly defined your purpose, take time to visualize what this looks and feels like to you. As you do this, your purpose will become even clearer. Using visualization will make the purpose real for you.

Don't just do this once; do it a few times a week, or everyday if possible. As you see it and feel it, you are more inclined to take action and the necessary steps to live your personal purpose.

3. Establish goals. To transform your life and achieve your personal purpose, you must identify the goals and steps you will take to get there. A big mistake people make is that they don't write them down, so they don't take consistent action.

Make sure the goals are realistic and relevant to your purpose. Assign a projected completion date so you will be able to track and measure the goals. If you don't give yourself a completion date, do not lose your motivation; re-evaluate the goal and establish a new timeline.

4. Hold yourself accountable. When you hear the stories of those living the life of their dreams, what is a common thing they talk about? They had someone to hold them accountable. You may think you can do this yourself, but if you have set out on this journey time and time again, maybe it's time for an accountability partner. 

Someone you'll willingly hear constructive feedback from and who doesn't have a hidden agenda. If this person is not effective, don't be afraid to fire them and get someone else to step up.

One of the biggest obstacles you may face is the people—often those closest to you—who will tell you your purpose doesn't matter or that you are wasting your time. Basically, who do you think you are?

However, if you are 100% committed to living your personal purpose, they won't be able to stop you. There is no purpose that is too big or too small. Get off of the misery cycle, revel in your unique abilities, and take action.

Carolyn R. Owens is a career and life coach at Infinity Coaching, Inc. Contact her by email to find out how you can take command of your life and create the life of your dreams.