I was on a walk with my mom recently and we were talking about goal setting and achieving the goals we each have for ourselves.
When I told her about some of the things that I wanted to achieve but didn’t necessarily know how to achieve them or the timeframe I wanted to achieve them in, she asked me a very challenging question. She asked, “Have you ever asked yourself where you want to be in 10 years?”
While I have thought about what I want the future to look like, I haven’t really given myself a timeframe. I haven’t really asked myself when it is exactly that I want to have achieved my goals by.
Everybody has a purpose in life. Sometimes, though, that purpose can be hard to find when we don’t ask ourselves the right question. We may know what it is that we want to achieve over the course of our lives, but when we don’t develop a plan, that purpose can fluctuate day-to-day as we go through life.
During this pandemic, why not use the time to reflect on what it is that you truly want in life? Why not use this time to ask yourself some questions to help find your purpose, and why not try to get a head start on achieving that purpose.
8 Questions to Help You Find Your Purpose & Achieve It
Let me give you a personal example of what I mean so that it can help you to find your purpose as well.
1. What do I ultimately want out of my life?
Ultimately, I want to inspire others. I want to travel the world, to write, to speak, and to just help others find a greater sense of health, wealth, and happiness within their lives. Everybody experiences challenges all throughout their life. I want to do my part in helping others realize the strength they possess so that they can overcome these challenges and really live their best life possible.
Cliche? Sure. But that’s what I believe my purpose is in life.
2. Why does it matter to me?
Because a few years ago, I was in such a negative state of mind. I was actually contemplating on taking my own life just because I couldn’t see a brighter future. Had my mom not have turned around after she left the house that day, I don’t know if I would be alive today.
I have seen the darkest of days and I know that there are others out there who are experiencing those days today. But I have also found a sense of hope when I didn’t think it was ever possible. I want to help others find that sense of hope. I want to help others find hope when they are going through challenging times because it does get better, but continuing to move forward with everything we have is the only way we will get through the challenging times.
3. How do I see myself getting there?
How do I see myself achieving my goals? By continuing to challenge myself and growing into a better version of the person I want to become while continuing to be vulnerable and share my experiences.
The thing that we all need to realize is that everybody fails. Don’t try to act as though your life is perfect. Learn from your mistakes, learn from the mistakes of others, and become the best you that you can be. We are better when we come together, and that’s something I want to emphasize.
4. Where do I see myself in 10 years?
In 10 years, I see myself speaking on stages and inspiring younger men and women about what it means to live life to the fullest. I see myself helping those who have suffered through depression, eating disorders, anxiety, and those who just want to take control of their lives.
Essentially, everything that I am trying to do now is laying the foundation for what I see myself doing in the future.
5. Where do I see myself in 5 years?
In 5 years, I see myself still relatively small, but continuing to grow on a daily basis. I see myself making the transition to working on my brand full-time. That means a YouTube channel where I talk about the issues that I have faced and ones I continue to face. I see myself having a podcast with many listeners, maybe even a weekly talk show. I also see myself continuing to blog and just getting started with speaking engagements.
Personally, I want to own my own house by this time as well. I want to have paid off all of my debt, live financially free, have started a family, and continue to cherish life even more than I am today.
6. Where do I see myself in 1 year?
To get started on these goals, I need to start sooner rather than later. That means finding a balance between starting a YouTube channel, starting a podcast, and continuing to blog. While I have yet to find that balance, it will only come through trial and error.
I also need to challenge myself to break out of my comfort zone even more than what I am doing today. That means going on dates, managing my money better, and embracing my fears and at least giving myself a chance to succeed.
7. What can I do this month to get closer to my yearly goal?
This month, I can start to test between finding a balance of all the different media platforms I want to be on. I can start a podcast, I can start filming videos, and I can continue to blog.
Personally, I can also continue to do weekly cheat days as they are helping me to overcome my fear of food. I can take a few hundred dollars out of my savings and make the investment into my future by purchasing video equipment. I can continue to be vulnerable about my experiences in life so that I can help inspire those who are struggling.
8. What can I do today to get closer to my monthly goal?
What can I do today? This is where taking action is necessary.
We often talk about our goals, but we generally push them off until there’s a “better time” or until we have the “right equipment” or until we “experienced something worth sharing.”
No, forget that.
Today, I am going to put myself out there. I am going to finish this blog post, finish editing the YouTube video that I recorded about 9 Habits of All Highly Successful Individuals, and I am going to upload it. Why? Because action is the only way we will ever see our dreams through. The actions I take today will be aligned with where I see myself going in life because that’s the only way I will get there.
Before You Go
Well, thanks for helping me lay the foundation for my dreams. Now I want you to do the same. Use these 8 questions to help you find your purpose so that you can turn your dreams into your reality.
Remember, it’s not about achieving your dreams today. It’s about taking action today and finding the will to do what others aren’t willing to today so that in 10 years you can do what others can’t.
Michael Bonnell
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