Make today THE day you find out why

Ready to find your purpose in retirement?

It may sound harsh, but I often ask people, “What are you doing here?  What are you contributing to this world? What’s your purpose?”  The answers are often vague and usually accompanied by a worried and/or startled expression. You see, this is something we rarely consider.

Most people start by telling me their job, their role in society – the ‘identity’ they’ve carried around for a very long time. Being an accountant, delivery driver, or even a school governor isn’t your purpose, it’s a shield you hide behind.  A ‘shield’ that’s often ripped away the day you retire from work. Many then go on to list their status – mother, father, son, daughter – but this isn’t purpose either.

And this is where the problem lies – many of us don’t know what our purpose is or what we want it to be. We see retirement as the time we become free, free to do whatever we want to do, whenever we want to do it.  Free from the demands that have been put on us throughout our life, free from constraints. But the problem is this – being ‘free’ often leaves people feeling empty, void, useless even.

So, how do we change that?

By finding our true purpose.

The answer is simple, the act of doing this, is not.

What is purpose?

The dictionary definition is a good place to start… Purpose is the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists.

Which comes back to my questions: “Why are you here? What are you contributing to this world, to society?”

To find the answer you need to dig deep, peel back the layers of life and reveal the person inside.  You need to find the real you, the vulnerable you.  To do this you may need to change your mindset and alter your perspective.

A journey you must take alone

This is where lots of people go wrong. They consider all the other people in their lives, their emotional ties, their commitments, their burdens. They don’t want to disappoint anyone, upset anyone, or destroy hopes and dreams. It’s almost impossible to discover your true purpose if you’re carrying all this baggage around.

You need to be selfish in this endeavour. You must go it alone.

People will love the real you

It may sound scary, and the journey often is – believe me, I know. I’ve been there – even taking myself off to silent retreats to really get inside my head. But and this is a BIG but, finding your true purpose is worth it. You will lead a life that’s full of joy, every single day.  And if you’re happy the people around you will be happy too. If you’re fulfilled, they too will be encouraged to find their true selves.

Live your legacy

We’re often told to leave a legacy, but why?  Let’s live a legacy instead.  Let’s let people remember us for the way we lived every single day to the full, the way we grabbed every opportunity, the way we channelled our energy into something meaningful to us.

And finally…

I want to leave you with this quote from Mark Twain: “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.”

Make today the day you find out why by joining my online course, Dare to Discover Your Purpose, which starts on Wednesday 3 November. I promise you, your future self will thank you for it.