In the last four articles I have introduced the concept of freedom. In the first article, I discussed the many ways in which, the society we live in, tires to usurp our freedom right from birth and In the second article I introduced the first step to becoming free which is cultivating awareness of how society is designed to rob us of our freedom. In third article I discussed the importance of creating space in your life by letting go of what does not serve you mentally and physically. In the fourth article I discussed how to create personal time in which you recharge and reset and set the tone for the rest of the day.
In this article I will discuss why clarity of purpose is vital to achieving freedom. You see, many of us live our lives by default. We have been conditioned from a young age to think a certain way, follow a certain path and fall into existing societal paradigms of how our lives should unfold. Many people end up feeling like a square peg in a round hole as they try desperately to fit in with societal norms, at the same time realizing that they are not living in alignment with who they are.
This feeling often manifests as anxiety or depression and I’ve even seen patients who develop physical symptoms and illnesses as a result of living out of alignment. The problem is that most people have not been taught the importance of clarity of purpose and how it can set you free and create a life of abundance. You see, we all have a reason for being here and few people ever discover it because this is not something that is taught by our parents, by the education system, by religion or by any other entity out there. Most people have to discover it themselves.
You cannot live a life of freedom and fulfillment until you discover your reason for existing. We all have the same purpose, which is to discover and uncover our true nature. How this purpose manifests in different people is through their personal mission and reason for being here on the planet at this time in human history. The question then becomes, how does one discover this?
Now, don’t feel that all hope is lost if you are not living your highest mission because most people are not. What matters is that you know this now and you are willing to do something about it. It does not mean that yo have to quit your job, leave your marriage or move to another country. You can start this process from exactly where you are right now. The way you do this is through journaling. Journaling is one of the most powerful tools available for our transformation and few people utilize it.
What I encourage you to do is to journal every night, even if it is only for ten minutes on the following questions:
What were my childhood dreams and ambitions?
What are the skills, talents and abilities that others complement me on?
What can I do for hours and not even notice the time passing by?
Who do I admire for their talents and what they do in the world?
The last question is the most important question of all to discover your clarity of purpose:
If I knew I could not fail, what would I attempt to do?
If you take the time to contemplate and journal on these questions, over time your higher mission in this world will reveal itself and you will find clarity of purpose. You must do this exercise, however, and it is even more vital to do if you are facing any challenges in your life in your health, relationships, career, finances or any other area. This is because most of our challenges arise out of being out of alignment with who we truly are.
Do the above exercise and see what unfolds for you. In the next article, I will discuss what to do once you have found your clarity of purpose.
Dr. Nauman Naeem