By Deborah Rohan
Many of us look forward to retirement with eager anticipation. We dream of spending time and treasure with our grandchildren, developing hobbies we never had time for, and indulging our passion for travel. If health and resources hold up, those dreams are likely to come true. After a lifetime of hard work, retirement is a well-deserved respite.
The human mind and spirit are fickle things, however. Just when you think you have what you want, what you want often morphs and you find yourself still searching. Why is that? Maybe it’s because you never took the time to find out what you do want. That journey often begins with finding your purpose.
If you haven’t yet found your true purpose in life, you may continue to search to fill those yearning parts of your soul even well into retirement. Many find the answer in service, in giving something unique and valuable back to the world. Yet choosing where to volunteer or devote your time and talent can also be daunting. After all, there is so much to fix in our modern world, it is easy to get overwhelmed with options and miss the one area that truly feeds your soul.
Here’s a simple yet profoundly powerful exercise to help you uncover your life’s purpose. It doesn’t matter if your career is coming to an end soon or is already in the rear view mirror; there are still many, many ways to live out your purpose. Many people never discover this until they have the time to stop, rest, and consider the course their lives have taken.
Life Purpose Exercise: Grab a sheet of paper and a pen to record your answers. Forget the computer or laptop for now: this answer comes more easily when your hand is moving in sync with your inner thoughts and emotions.
- List two or three of your unique personal qualities. It may be humor and generosity; resourcefulness and joy; enthusiasm and diligence; empathy and adventurousness. You may be so close to your qualities you can’t easily see them; if so, ask someone you know well to name your two best qualities that make you uniquely “you”. This is no time to be humble, either. State it as it truly is.
- Next, list one or two ways you enjoy expressing those qualities when interacting with others, such as: teach and support; inspire and guide; entertain and enlighten.
- Assume the world is perfect for a moment. What would that look like to you? How is everyone interacting? What does the earth look like? How does it feel to be alive?
Now write a statement, in present tense, that describes the world as you see it and feel it. And remember, it should be a fun place to be!
- Finally, combine your three answers into a single statement to begin to craft your life purpose. I’ll share my purpose statement so you’ll have an example to follow: “My purpose is use my empathy and creativity to inspire and educate others to shape a world that is safe, inclusive, sustainable and joy-filled for all sentient beings.”
With your purpose in mind, you’ll have your own mission statement to measure your life activities and decisions against. If you are deciding whether to pursue a new venture, you’ll know it has to mesh with your purpose in order to fulfill you and guide you toward the activity that aligns with you.
How will you know if you are on track, whether it’s volunteering or starting a new business, whether it’s accepting an invitation, or making any life decision? Ask yourself if you feel joy. Joy is our own built-in GPS that tells us if we are living life according to our purpose. It doesn’t mean it’s easy, it means it’s right for you.
And your grandchildren? Not only will they learn from and model your lead, they’ll be your greatest supporters.
Deborah Rohan is the author of “One Person Acted and Everything Changed: 10 Inspiring Accounts of World Changers”. She is the founder of One Person Acted, a social enterprise in Denver that guides individuals to discover how they can live their purpose fully, and in so doing, make the world better for all of us. Deborah’s book can be purchased at/through: