We all aim to live a life that aligns with our values, ambitions, and unique strengths. Yet, achieving this can be overwhelming, especially when most self-help resources offer generic and shallow advice that feels disconnected from our needs. Real growth takes time and effort that most people cannot afford. As such, almost everyone craves quick fixes, but the problem is that they don’t stick. Imagine trying to shape your life with mainstream frameworks that don’t fully consider your individuality. This situation got me nowhere, leading to burnout and confusion. After several missteps in my journey, I discovered my purpose, which has helped me leverage my strengths and values in setting and pursuing my goals.
Just as a well-constructed house starts with a solid foundation, your life should be built on clarity of purpose. Setting goals based on your purpose and values creates a life of meaning and provides direction, coherence, and a sense of fulfilment. According to Dr Andrew Huberman, on one of his video podcasts, “Goals Toolkit: How to Set & Achieve Your Goals”, aligning goals with intrinsic motivations is critical to enhancing commitment and fulfilment.1 In this sense, intrinsic motivation broadly relates to PURPOSE, ensuring that our actions align with personalities, core values and interests. This makes the process rewarding and enjoyable.
By the end of this post, you will have gained practical steps to discover and define your purpose and align your values accordingly.
The Good You Desire
Imagine embarking on a journey to an unknown destination without a map. Pursuing personal growth without defining your purpose is much the same. It is easy to feel lost and unmotivated without a purpose. I learnt this hard, having wasted many years trapped in cycles of goal-chasing without a clear sense of direction. My situation drastically improved when I understood the essence of desire. Desire is the driving force behind achieving our aims; it only comes with clarity of purpose.
Discovering my reason for existence helped me cultivate a strong foundation for self-growth. This ultimately transformed my daily routines into purposeful habits that keep me focused on long-term fulfilment.
Discovery Through Imagination
“Determined imagination, thinking from the end, is the beginning of all miracles.”
― Neville Goddard
Since 2018 till date, I have been doing future self-journaling, although I sometimes fall into the trap of writing without taking action. However, I gained valuable insights about myself from this practice. How? By reviewing what I have journaled about retrospectively from time to time. I encourage you to try this too. Do this by hand with a notebook every day. When starting, worry less about the actions or goal setting and focus more on writing down what success looks like for you. Insights will come later when you do your review.
Consider this exercise as data gathering for yourself, which will help you identify patterns later. Patterns are those ideas that occur the most and resonate more with you. These will be what you should plan for and take action on. For example, a typical pattern in my journal is expressing myself more through writing and speaking. These are some areas I want to improve, leading me to venture into blogging and creating content on social media and YouTube, which are examples of actions aligned with my purpose.
Self Questioning
A purpose is the big WHY for waking up every morning. I like the definition of purpose in the Merriam-Webster dictionary. “Purpose is something set up as an object or end to be attained; an intention.” 2
An excellent place to start is by asking yourself questions like:
- Who do I want to be, both personally and professionally?
- Which values guide my decisions? Examples might be faith, integrity, or growth.
- Why do I exist?
- What value do I bring to the world?
- What impact do I want to have?
- Why do I wake up every morning?
- How would I like to live my life?
- Where would I like to live?
- What would I like to do?
- What is my reason for being?
In answering these questions, you must be completely honest with yourself, as these will be the foundation upon which you will build your life.
Paint a Picture With Words
Having answered questions such as those above, it is time to put it into words concisely. In an audio recording of a conversation between Bob Proctor and Dan Strutzel, Sir Bob emphasised that writing one’s purpose daily makes an impression upon the mind, and one consequently becomes more aware.3 Writing creates a picture, the image of the world you want to live with your imagination, painted in words.
At this point, it is essential to note that one’s purpose may not be fixed, as this can change with time based on one’s intrinsic motivations. Therefore, it is vital to embrace change and be ready to adapt. Also, based on my experience, this discovery journey take a very long time. So, I encourage you to be patient while continually improving your current work until you discover it.
My Example
My purpose is “to live in God’s image and likeness, consistently creating inspirational, educational, and digital solutions that positively impact my family, the community, and the world, helping us to live in prosperity and harmony with ourselves and the environment.” While I may be far from actualising this, and my current job as a Business Analyst is not within the scope of my purpose, I have conviction that success is inevitable. This is where faith comes into play.
The Role of Faith
At its core, faith is about believing in something greater than what is immediately visible. When paired with determined imagination, faith becomes a driving force for transformation. The idea of “thinking from the end” aligns perfectly with this—visualising a future where your goals are already achieved and letting that vision guide your actions today.
Imagine approaching your self-growth journey with the conviction that your envisioned success is not just possible but inevitable. This mindset transforms challenges into opportunities and setbacks into lessons. Faith fuels this process by anchoring you in hope and resilience, even when the path seems unclear.
When I started “thinking from the end,” I tapped into a creative energy that pushes boundaries. You don’t merely wish for change—you embody it, aligning every thought, decision, and action with the reality you’re creating. Faith doesn’t just support this journey; it amplifies it, making the “end” you imagine the beginning of every miracle along the way.
Takeaway
Discovering your purpose is the cornerstone of transformative self-growth. It anchors your ambitions, aligns your values, and sets the foundation for meaningful action. While uncovering your purpose may take time, patience, and reflection, it offers clarity and direction that transforms daily habits into purposeful progress. Remember, your purpose is dynamic—allow it to evolve with your growth while staying rooted in faith and intrinsic motivation.
With your purpose defined, the next step is to identify your strengths and weaknesses. In the next post, we will explore what makes you unique, how to leverage your strengths, and how to overcome the obstacles holding you back.
References
- Andrew Huberman, Goals Toolkit: How to Set & Achieve Your Goals ↩︎
- Merriam-Webster, Dictionary ↩︎
- Bob Proctor and Dan Strutzel, Change Your Paradigm, Change Your Life ↩︎
