The path to finding your life’s purpose and cultivating success is narrow because very few people are willing to do what it takes to get there.
Those striving to make an impact and leave their legacy in this world, are almost always certain to face multiple challenges along the way.
Many of these challenges include the need to refute their own negative self-talk, questioning their cognitive biases, and choosing to stay in the game when the urge to quit is more than strong.
These same individuals often succumb to the challenges while others use them as stepping stones in perfecting their craft(s).
If you want to change your life and find your purpose, you may want to consider the following:
1. Stick to the facts
Your beliefs are currently shaping your world and many of them aren’t necessarily true. Your perception of the world is based on a few different things such as your past experiences, personality traits, morals/values, and anything you’ve learned from teachers and/or loved ones.
It’s quite obvious that there will be some beliefs you hold that aren’t based on accuracy but rather on experiences you’ve had in the past.
That being said though, it doesn’t mean that what you know is all wrong. It simply means that just because you hold it in your belief system, does not make it true.
It’s important to question your beliefs deeply and scan them for proof PRIOR to making a judgement call.
2. Watch your cognitive biases
Your brain is wired to use shortcuts when evaluating new information that comes in. Your perception of the world is heavily influenced by these shortcuts, for better or worse.
Though there are a great deal of proven biases out there, I’m going to talk about some of the more common ones that are known to greatly impact what you believe.
Confirmation bias is perhaps the most commonly known and used bias and makes one more likely to accept information that supports their current beliefs of the world. In other words, once you believe something as truth, it is highly unlikely or difficult to change your mind about it. Unless of course, you’re presented with compelling evidence to show you otherwise.
So if you believe that you are stupid, guess what? you will probably continue to believe this…unless of course you see it as simply a confirmation bias and nip the belief.
A second common cognitive bias is Availability Heuristic which makes you more likely to believe something that you recently heard or experienced regardless of what is really true. For example, deeming yourself as “unhappy” because you happened to have a bad week regardless of how happy you normally and usually are.
Finally, there’s the Galatea Effect in which someone will either succeed…or fail based on what others expect of them. This can act as a self-fulfilling prophecy when used negatively. This explains why students with bad behavior continue down their self-destructive path–they’re expected by their teachers and peers to do so.
These and many other biases can be unconsciously holding you back by severely limiting your beliefs. Take a step back and really evaluate the information you currently hold. You’ll be surprised at how your opinions can change once you’ve switched your perspective.
3. Stop negative self-talk in It’s tracks.
Scientists estimate that we have anywhere from 60,000 to 80,000 thoughts per day. Of these thoughts, more than 50% of them are negative in nature. Yikes. That means that people will literally have 30,000-40,000 self depreciating thoughts alone. For example, thoughts like “I’m just not good enough” or “I am ugly” can fill your mind up all day if not properly controlled.
It’s crucial to recognize and refute these thoughts by offering a reason to why each one is NOT true. This is where affirmations come to mind.
Speak life to yourself every single day. When negative thoughts begin to cloud your mind, question each one and replace it with a positive statement and belief instead. Although It’s nearly impossible to block out all negative thoughts, practicing to identify, refute, and replace them will certainly get easier over time.
4. Choose to be positive
We hear and read a lot about being positive and remaining optimistic, but often find it difficult to practice in our own lives.
This is often because we have a difficult time controlling our emotions and believing the best of ourselves and others. What many people don’t realize is that limited beliefs and negativity usually stem from early childhood experiences and have been gathered and held as subjective truths over the years–regardless of their validity.
So what can be done? think of optimism as a muscle–the more you use it, the stronger it gets.
Begin to expect the most positive outcome in any situation. Even horrible ones. For example, you may have encountered a horrific experience but gotten out of it a better person in some way. Or, a negative situation may have taught you a valuable lesson which led you to help others in the process.
Whatever the case is, choose to always see the good even when it isn’t so obvious.
5. Stay in the game
Too often, people will find something they love to do, pursue it strongly for a few weeks until someone tells them they cant or shouldn’t do it or, they get tired/distracted by something else.
If you wish to be successful in any undertaking, It’s important to get your head in the game and persevere until you get it. Going after something you’re passionate about is great–only if you are willing to stick with it.
Cut out the naysayers, turn off distractions and keep going. Find ways to stay focused and keep your vision front and center; and of course, use tips 1-4 as your mindset NEEDS to shift if you plan on finding your life’s purpose.
Finally, keep your “why” with you at all times. Whether in the form of writing or a picture, have the reason and/or outcome readily available to you and review it often. This leads to success.
6. Give yourself time to find your passion
I recently received a question from an aspiring entrepreneur who asked “how do I find what I’m passionate about?” I immediately knew how to reply. After all, it was something that baffled me as well for many years, until I finally realized that It’s 100% normal to NOT know what your passion is at first.
So how do we figure this out? by starting. Starting what you might ask? literally do what you can with what resources you have available to you right now. Ask yourself what you like to do and what you are already good at. Start from there.
As time goes on, you will pick up new skills, meet new people, find new interests, and ultimately, come up with your life’s goal and/or purpose. I’ve noticed that this is usually in line with the things that you are the most passionate about.
Keep in mind that It’s normal to become passionate about something you once did not care for or even think twice about. But you may never know this until you try doing something else that will lead you there.
So, work with mentors, do some volunteering, and just get out there and do something. You’ll eventually find it…and when you do, you’ll just know!
7. Adapt a growth mindset
If you wish to be successful and find your purpose in life, you must be receptive to new information. Accept that you probably don’t know it all and be willing to learn and grow.
This will ensure that you are regularly seeking out new advice/mentorship, as well as reading, watching, and listening to self-development materials.
It’s also important to remember to delve into your task(s) regardless of whether you’re an expert yet or not. As I mentioned earlier, do what you can with what you have, where you are and learn as you go. Don’t be afraid to fail. You will achieve the best results doing it this way!
“Success is not final; failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.”
— Winston S. Churchill
So whether you are trying to find clarity on your life’s purpose, nip self-doubt in the bud, or simply improve in your current business situation, these tips should help you get on the right road!
Sound off on which strategy was your favorite and why!!