Sometimes it appears that finding one’s purpose feels like a “needle in a haystack.” Discovering your purpose in life can seem elusive at best and unattainable at worst. Research suggests that while discovering one’s purpose is essential for living, it appears that relatively few people discover their purpose.

One statistic indicates that only about 1 in 5 high school students and 1 in 3 college students indicate they have a clear purpose in life. [1] Wow! Did you catch that!? In percentage terms, it means that approximately 20%-30% of the respective populations surveyed communicated that they have a clear sense of purpose. This means, that a significant number of people go through life without any clear sense of purpose.

 Is purpose that hard to discover? The answers on how to discover your life purpose depend on the school of thought or the lens one is looking through a.k.a. your worldview.

From a psychological perspective, there has been a consensus toward defining purpose. “Purpose is a stable and generalized intention to accomplish something that is at once personally meaningful and at the same time leads to productive engagement with some aspect of the world beyond the self” (John Templeton Foundation) [2]

I don’t believe that purpose is difficult to discover – what is challenging is that it requires intentionality in getting clarity on what is meaningful to you and what impact you can make in the world.  

The six questions below can serve as a framework and tool to help you get clear on your purpose. You should also know that these six questions form the basis of The King’s Collective Network’s mission and vision where we help individuals like you answer these six essential questions, so you can get clear on purpose and pursue your great!

The Six Essential Questions

• Whose are you? (Relationship): From a biblical perspective, you were created by God and God knows you intricately (Psalm 139). You were made in God’s image (Genesis 1:27-28). 

• Who are you? (Identity).  Your identity comes from knowing who you are related to. Being made in the image and likeness infers sonship and rulership (Psalm 8).

• What moves you? (Assignment). It is important to discern what moves your heart. What stirs you up toward action. 

• What are you doing about it? (Equipping). You should be working on equipping yourself to be skilled to fulfill your assignment. Do you have goals? Do you have a plan to grow? Are you developing mastery? 

• What impact are you making? (Execution). A key indicator in knowing that you are operating in your purpose is to measure the impact you are making with your execution.  

• Who are you connected to along the way? (Community).  It is important to be among of tribe of like-minded people who are fellow travelers along the pathway way to the purpose that you are fulfilling. Your tribe can inspire you, encourage you, and hold you accountable for your growth as well as assess your impact.

In the next few weeks, I will be blogging on each of the six essential questions. In the meantime, I would like to invite you to download a copy of a book I wrote a few years ago entitled What is Man? Becoming Realigned And Designed to Fulfill Your Prophetic Kingdom Destiny.  It will help you understand in a very in-depth way whose you are and who you are, as it related to identifying and fulfilling your purpose.  

When it comes to your purpose, what is the single biggest frustration or challenge that you are currently experiencing?

References

  [1] John Templeton Foundation. (2018, February). The Psychology of Purpose. Retrieved September 12, 2021, from https://www.templeton.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Psychology-of-Purpose.pdf.

[2] Ibid.