I watched a video the other day on YouTube titled, How to know your life purpose in 5 minutes by Adam Leipzig. His video was hosted on TEDx Talks. I am a big fan of the channel, so though I was skeptical, I figured I had a few minutes to see what he was saying. And who doesn’t want to find their life’s purpose? If we know our life’s purpose, all we have to do to be happy is make sure everything we do is in support of our purpose. With that in mind, I watched the video and have provided the five questions Mr. Leipzig provided to help find our life’s purpose. Let’s get started…
1. Who are you?
This first question was simply asked for you to say your name, to identify yourself. This seems pretty simple but I believe psychologically has huge impacts. By identifying who we are, we are taking ownership for our life’s purpose. We are saying that this is for us and that it is up to us to make our life’s purpose happen. So, though the answer here is as simple as saying, “I am <NAME>” it is a lot more than that. It is empowering!!!
2. What do you love to do? What is the one thing you feel qualified to teach other people?
Okay, so this is technically two questions, but they help you identify what you love to do and what you are most likely capable of doing. We have to find our passion in life. Too many people are stuck in jobs, unhappy, wishing things were different. They go through their entire professional careers never doing what they want to do, but always doing what they have to do to pay the bills. This is NOT the way to find happiness. So, look at these couple questions and identify what you are passionate about and what you feel like you were born to do. Are you qualified to teach that or can you get qualified? This is what you need to figure out.
3. Who do you do it for?
I found this question a little tough because if I am not currently filling my life’s purpose then “Who do you do it for” seems irrelevant. So, if you are not currently working your passion, ask yourself, “Who do you want to do it for?” Identify the target audience and the people you want to positively impact. Once you know “who you do it for”, you can learn how to speak to that audience to deliver your message.
4. What do these people want or need that they come to you?
Now ask yourself what exactly these people want or need that you can give to them and that you love to do? Identify exactly what these people are looking for and then do your best to provide it to them like no one else can. Try to be unique in what you provide. Keep it simple. Have a clear message and offering that makes you the best place to get it. And don’t forget to put passion in your offering!!!
5. How do they change or transform as a result of what you give them?
How is what you are going to provide them make their lives better? How can you help them grow, advance, improve based upon what you are giving them? If you can identify the positive impact you will have on their lives, then you are identifying the positive impact you can have on many people’s lives. This is how you bring lots of value to masses of people.
Conclusion
I found this video, at a high level, to point me in the right direction of what I believe my purpose is. And I believe it can work for you too. Mr. Leipzig points out that only two of these questions are about you and three are about what you can do for others. I believe that is the key. If you want to find your purpose in life, it has to start with what you can do for others. We have to be selfless, not selfish. Start with your heart, identify your passion, and what you would love to do for others. This approach, and these five questions, will get you well upon your way to living a life of happiness, doing what you love to do.
If you want to check out the video for yourself, I have provided it here: