For a long time, I didn't know my purpose. I knew I wanted something more from life, but I wasn't sure what, and I was struggling. The worst part was that this uncertainty bred further self-doubt, which then bred further uncertainty.
I watched so many others reaching their potential, changing the world, and experiencing great financial reward. This hurt because I felt blocked, poor, and ready to give up.
Then one day it became obvious that all of the "negative" things I was experiencing were actually a set of clear signs that I was beginning to wake up to a big, important change. I was preparing myself to manifest my purpose, rather than moving further away from it.
Here are five clear signs that you’re in the process of opening your eyes to your purpose, too.
1. You've been on an emotional roller coaster in recent years.
You've felt a kind of inexplicable shift in your consciousness occurring, and it started to speed up a few years ago. You may feel like there are aspects of your "personality" that you no longer identify with. You may feel yourself gravitating toward new hobbies or people and aren't sure why.
Our purpose in this lifetime is to continue expanding awareness, and we really do receive surges of energetic support to begin stepping into our purpose. We just have to trust that.
This surge of support can look and feel very different, such as stepping away from things that no longer serve you and an accompanying feeling of loss, grief, or disappointment. It may also feel like a renewed excitement or a drive to be of service and an accompanying feeling of connection. Many times this drive also comes with a feeling of urgency to realize your purpose.
2. You've been getting cozy with self-help literature.
The notion of awakening to your purpose has become recently popularized, and for good reason. This awakening has a domino effect. When one person awakens, the energy of their work in the world leads to others awakening too.
One of the forms this energy takes is the passing on of wisdom through books (or perhaps through other healing practices you've heard or read about, such as meditation, journaling, keeping a gratitude jar, and so on).
So if you have begun to feel more interested in spirituality, new healing modalities, or simply the discourse around discovering your highest potential, it probably means something: your domino is ready to fall to change your life, and continue affecting others!
3. You see potential in others, and it hurts when they aren't fulfilling it.
Life is a mirror. What you see on the outside is a direct reflection of what’s happening on the inside. Therefore, what you see in others is what’s calling for your attention in your life.
So if you’re seeing others’ potential, it’s because you have that same potential that’s ready to be expressed. And if it’s frustrating to see others not fulfilling their potential it’s probably because you’re ready to wake up to your own potential, but are feeling stuck.
4. You procrastinate.
Procrastination is actually one of the clearest signs that you’re about to step into your life purpose. Sounds crazy, right?
Not if we take a closer look at what procrastination tends to look like. If you actually take the time to examine procrastination, you see that it’s a fear of doing something. For an example, if you finish writing your blog post, people will see it and possibly reject or criticize you. So you shoot yourself in the foot from the get-go in order to avoid this outcome.
When you procrastinate on "making things happen" in your life, it may mean your purpose is bubbling to the surface, but that you're also dealing with some fear you want to acknowledge before allowing actively fulfilling your purpose with your conscious mind.
5. You have been struggling with addictive or self-destructive behaviors.
Struggling with an addiction of some kind — whether it be food, alcohol, exercise, gambling, whatever — is typically a distraction for something in you that wants to be seen, but you’re afraid to see it.
Think about the times when you have cravings that cause an internal struggle. What were you thinking or experiencing right before the cravings started?
Most likely, it was a circumstance that provoked an emotional response. So you avoid feeling the depth of the emotion that wants to be released through craving — be it food, a cigarette, or whatever your "vice" is.
In my own experience (and only after becoming aware of these signs) I realized that I didn’t have to seek my purpose anymore. I just had to open my eyes and allow myself to live it consciously.
All of the pain from the frustration and struggle wasn’t because I was on the “wrong” path. It was actually the pain of me birthing a new awareness of my purpose.
By Lloyd Burnett | Mind Body Green
