5 strategies to find your life task

You are unique! There is not anyone else in this world like you. You and only you can do something that will make a difference in this world.

Certainly, you have never before felt an inner force - some energy that directs you toward your mission; your life task. Perhaps this force has faded away through the years as you gave heed to external voices from family, teachers, or peers who have somehow distorted your clear vision of what you wanted to do and what you wanted to be like.

When you were a child, I am sure, you had a natural inclination toward something specific, or a spark of curiosity for a field or subject, but what happened to it? Have you followed through, or have you silenced it through the years?

If you have not followed through and have parked your natural vocation somewhere at the back of your mind, please don't despair. The good news is that it's never too late to pursue your dreams.

In this article, I will share five strategies that can help you re-connect with your inner-self and re-discover your true purpose in this life.

Five ways to find your life task

1. Re-connect with your origins

If you want to find your real purpose, then you must dig deep in yourself so you can identify the pre-verbal inclinations which will help you to find clear indications of some kind of attraction that has not been infected by people other than you. Yes, only by you and no one else, neither parents, nor teachers or peers, and what they think must be left out of the game. As you do so, you will tap in once again to your core self to unearth what has been buried for years, and bring back to life that primitive attraction that will lead you to find your life task.

2. Occupy the perfect niche

It’s never easy to find your perfect niche where there is enough space for you to thrive. Sometimes you may be led to a field where other people are making a good living, only to find it so crowded and with no space whatsoever for any improvement at all. So, to emerge, you need to find a niche where you can dominate. One option is to choose a field that roughly corresponds to your interests; then you can look at side paths that particularly attract you, looking for a narrower field and continuing to do so until you find a completely unoccupied niche which corresponds to your uniqueness.

3. Avoid the false path

A false path is, in a few words, something you are attracted to for the wrong reasons, like money, for example, or fame. If you choose to go down this route you may find, perhaps, public approval, but if the field you choose does not match your deepest inclinations then, more than likely, you will rarely find the fulfilment that you crave. What should you do then if you find yourself on the wrong career path? Well, first you need to figure out as soon as possible the reasons why you have chosen this career path, and second, you need to fight against the forces (parental or peers) who have pushed you away from your true vocation.

4. Let go of the past

As you deal with your career and its unavoidable changes, you must think that you are not tied to a position, and your loyalty is not to a career or a company, but only to your life task. Change is oftentimes unpredictable; therefore you should do your best to maintain the flexibility of mind to shake the rigid plan, set in your youth, that locks you to a career, and adapt your life task to your new circumstances. Always keep your eyes on the future and let the past go. This unexpected readjustment may force you to reassess where you are heading, thus providing new elements to help you discover your true mission.

5. Find your way back

If you have deviated from the path you were born for, and you have yielded to the lure of money or immediate fame, you are probably still feeling a sense of emptiness inside that you won’t fill up until you will find your way back to your core purpose. The way back may require determination and, sometimes, sacrifice. You may ask "is it worth abandoning my career to align to my life task?". The answer is yes! No money or fame can compensate for failure in fulfilling your unique purpose. Think of yourself five or 10 years down the line. Wouldn’t it be great to know that you have finally returned to your original plan?

Sooner or later in life, you will be called to change your direction and return to your original path - to what you are. I have returned to my path after most of my life spent doing something that served the purpose but was not what I was born for. It’s not been easy, but I am grateful that I have dared to listen to the prompting to re-connect and find my way back. I invite you to do likewise and enjoy the feeling that comes from self-actualisation - the highest level of satisfaction we can achieve in this life. I am what I was born to be!