24 Questions to Find Your Purpose

Yes, you really can find it!

I know it’s easy to get wrapped up in family cookouts and parties this time of year. But these warm summer nights are also a perfect time to take a minute and focus on you.

I’m talking about your happiness and what really matters to you.

You have meaning, a purpose, gifts to share with the world. But you have to know what those things are before you can embody them and share them.

The following questions will help you get crystal clear!

How to get started

Find a quiet space where you feel safe and you won’t be disturbed. Set aside at least an hour for this process. It might take longer and it might take much less time, but an hour is a good place to start.

Close your eyes and take five deep breaths in and out—breathing in through your nose as deeply as you can into your belly (not your chest) and then releasing all the air in your lungs out through your mouth.

Open your eyes and work through these questions in the order they’re listed. Don’t overthink the answers. Just feel into your heart and write down the first thing that comes up for you—even if you think it sounds odd or not like you at all. Get out of your head and into your heart. There is no limit to how much you can write.

Ready? Let’s do this!

QUESTION 1: What is your earliest memory from childhood, and how does that memory make you feel?

QUESTION 2: When do you remember feeling the happiest in your childhood? Was there an event that led to you experiencing this joy? Describe that in detail.

QUESTION 3: What three words would other people use to describe you?

QUESTION 4: What three words would you use to describe yourself?

QUESTION 5: What do you take a stand for?

QUESTION 6: What do you take a stand against?

QUESTION 7: What is your biggest fear?

QUESTION 8: What is the most significant challenge you’ve overcome, and what did you learn from it?

QUESTION 9: What accomplishment are you most proud of in your life?

QUESTION 10: What makes you feel happiness or joy with the friendships you have?

QUESTION 11: What makes you feel happiness or joy in your romantic relationship?

QUESTION 12: What makes you feel happiness or joy in your career?

QUESTION 13: What makes you feel sad or unfulfilled with the friendships you have?

QUESTION 14: What makes you feel sad or unfulfilled with your romantic relationship?

QUESTION 15: What makes you feel sad or unfulfilled with your career?

QUESTION 16: What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?

QUESTION 17: If you could do only one thing for yourself—not anyone else—for the rest of your life, what would it be?

QUESTION 18: What have you done in the past that is the most meaningful for you?

QUESTION 19: How do you feel about your parents?

QUESTION 20: What was the defining/pivotal moment in your life that forever changed you?

QUESTION 21: What do you believe is possible in your life?

QUESTION 22: What is the number one belief that keeps you stuck in your life and holds you back from getting what you want out of life?

QUESTION 23: If a magic genie granted you one wish, what would that wish be and why?

QUESTION 24: What legacy do you want to leave behind? In other words, what do you want people to say about you when you’re gone?

Now take a deep breath. How do you feel after working through these questions? Relieved? Surprised? Sad?

Sit with these feelings and just allow yourself to feel everything. Write down any important thoughts coming up for you.

It’s always interesting when we discover things about ourselves we have forgotten about. Sometimes these things challenge us. Sometimes they inspire us. Sometimes they shift everything.

When you review your answers, you will start to see some changes you want to make. You will see what makes you happy as well as what isn’t serving you. Now, you have the opportunity to do things differently.

These changes might seem overwhelming at first, and you can certainly ease yourself into them. Take things one at a time and baby-step your way into the life you know you’re meant to live. Or throw yourself in full force and take action. Only you will know the best way to move forward.

The important part is that you move.

Photo credits: Gerhard Wanzenböck, Adobe Stock; peshkov, Adobe Stock