In Search Of Your Life’s Purpose? Try Going Back To Your Childhood

I have an observation, and I would like to share it with you today. It is not a universal law but I have seen it occur in the lives of many, including myself. A lot of people have difficulty in discovering their life’s purpose. They search for years and years, yet there is still a shortcoming as to what reason they were born for. Some choose other paths in life but do not feel fulfilled. There is still something missing. There is that void that is yearning to be filled. In fact, some are actually successful in material terms but there is still that missing link. I spoke to a very successful lady the other day and she confirmed what I am sharing. She had reached the peak of her career in the finance world with so much money, but she confided in me that there was still something missing. Though she had successfully climbed the corporate ladder to the top, there was a lack of fulfillment in her life. According to her, she was in search of it. Others quit their jobs and go in search of their purpose—a self-discovery journey—to know why they are here on earth for. Apple’s Steve Jobs took a trip to India. GoPro’s Nick Woodman went on hiatus to Australia and Indonesia.

Some have discovered their purpose by accident. Others are fortunate to have had knowledge of what they were born to do from the onset. A few found out what they were meant to do at a later stage in life, and are grateful that at least they’ve been given the opportunity. Though I do not have all the answers to each person’s life’s purpose, I believe this observation might be of help in your search, that is, if you’re searching. Once again, it is not engraved in stone, but I believe it is one of the many ways of knowing what you were born to do. In the Bible, I discovered that fulfilled people grew to be successful at what they enjoyed doing at a very young age. Here are some, out of numerous biblical examples. Moses had a compassionate heart for people. He always went about checking on the welfare of people. He hated tyranny and oppression in all forms, and fought against it. Once, as he went about checking on the welfare of the people, he saw an Egyptian beating an Israelite. He fought and killed the Egyptian for oppressing the Israelite. Though taking the law into one’s hands is not justified or applauded, when he was much older, his life’s purpose was to deliver the Israelites from Egypt’s oppression. Another example was Joseph. Joseph loved to dream at a very young age. He also knew how to interpret dreams. His brothers hated his dreams and sold him to slavery. Years later, he became so powerful that he was second to the king of Egypt. How so? He interpreted the King’s dream and proffered solutions for Egypt. Jesus Christ grew up in a carpenter’s home—his dad, Joseph, was a carpenter. With Jewish culture, like father and son, Christ also worked as a carpenter. It was not a surprise later on that his life’s purpose was the fixing and building of lives, restoration of hope and saving a lost world.

Venus and Serena Williams loved lawn tennis as children. On noticing this remarkable gift and love for the sport, their father helped in training them into becoming arguably one of the best female tennis players in the world. The same goes for Tiger Woods who loved golf as a child, and Oprah Winfrey who at a very young age loved to read books and talk. I earnestly loved to be in church as a child, and always helped in the little way I could to ensure my local church thrived. Years later, I discovered my purpose was tied to the church and quit my job as an investment banker. I was successful but not fulfilled then, but it’s a different story now (another post for another day).

Though this might be a diversion, I would like to speak to parents who already have a plan or purpose for their child/children. Though it is not necessarily bad to plan for your child/children, it is important to intentionally observe what they love to do and what they derive satisfaction at doing now. Though it might differ from your plans, an advice is to be supportive rather than combative; You never might know if you are combating their life’s purpose.

Back to my point, I suggest you take some time off and think of what you did as a child that gave you so much joy and satisfaction. What could you do happily for hours without knowing that time had gone by so fast? Perhaps, that might be your life’s purpose. Give it a shot and see how it works out. It’s not universal as I initially said but it might be worth the try.

Cheers

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