You might confuse your life purpose with what you ‘do for a living’.  For those of us who believe that the universe is on purpose, can you imagine that your purpose is to be a waiter?  An executive?  A copy technician?

1.  Your purpose is not what you do for your paycheck.  Some jobs allow you to fulfill your purpose, many do not.  For example, if your purpose is advocacy, then you could be fulfilling your purpose by becoming a social worker.  You could, however, become a mentor or guardian ad litem though your job is in sales. 

Efficiency would be to combine your job and your purpose but it isn’t necessary.

2.  Your purpose doesn’t have to change the world.  Your purpose could mean that you travel the world, a la Mother Teresa, helping the poor.  Or your purpose could something as simple as music: expressing it, sharing it, creating it.

Your purpose is whatever takes you out of yourself.  This society spends a lot of time on introspection and self-improvement.  Interestingly, many meditation practices encourage turning your brain off and taking yourself outside your ‘self’.

If, in an action, you feel something moving through instead of from you, if you feel that time ceases to exist, if you forgot about yourself, then you know you have found a purpose.

3.  You can have more than one purpose.  Your purpose feeds your soul!  You don’t have to limit what feeds your soul; you shouldn’t.

The ultimate secret to purpose, however, is to do the absolute best you can.  Give everything you have – effort, energy, soul, and heart.  Love unstintingly; live with passion.

We keep ourselves from living this way because of fear; we are afraid of how ‘people’ will react, what they will think.  We instead conform and spend a frustrated lifetime trying to ‘self-help’ our way to happiness. 

Happiness comes from fulfilling your purpose and living with unbridled joy and freedom.