{"id":8648,"date":"2016-08-05T05:00:21","date_gmt":"2016-08-05T11:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tested-neuron.flywheelsites.com\/?p=8648"},"modified":"2016-08-04T23:19:15","modified_gmt":"2016-08-05T05:19:15","slug":"how-to-create-a-sense-of-purpose-in-your-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unreasonablegroup.com\/articles\/how-to-create-a-sense-of-purpose-in-your-life\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Create a Sense of Purpose in Your Life"},"content":{"rendered":"

Did you inherit your sense<\/strong> of purpose from others? Or have you cultivated a purpose in your life that is uniquely your own? Here\u2019s a very simple litmus test to figure it out and a way to bring more purpose to your life.<\/p>\n

There are many ways to formulate a sense of purpose in your life. There are top-down ways and bottom-up ways to do it. I think most people don\u2019t consciously do either. When folks actually do end up working with purpose, it tends to be from the top-down. They might say: what would my religion want me to do? Or, what would my extended family want me to do?<\/p>\n

To some extent, all of us inherit some aspects of our purpose.<\/i> Tweet This Quote<\/a><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

One thing to notice about this type of default, though, is that these types of purpose originate in another person\u2019s framework. I don\u2019t think there\u2019s anything wrong with that, per se. You might work with a different person\u2019s framework and be extremely excited and feel called to live it fully because it feels right. To some extent, all of us inherit some aspects of our purpose. But I think really defining your purpose in life requires examining our inherited frameworks in order to question how much it truly speaks to us, instead of simply living it by default.<\/p>\n

In my case, I\u2019m out here building products and inventing various technologies, but at times I\u2019ll notice an underlying thought: \u201cHey, you want\/need to make money.\u201d<\/em> Why is that? Why is that in there? After all, while I wouldn\u2019t consider myself fabulously rich, I\u2019ve been relatively fortunate to work in an industry that has done well. Why do I even have a money-related drive?<\/p>\n

If I investigate it a level deeper, I remember my parents were immigrants and worked long hours just to survive. Money became a fixture, and when there wasn\u2019t enough, there was strife. So even in a situation where I know on a logical level if I didn\u2019t work, I could support myself for a couple of years, I still have this impulse: \u201cNo\u2014I\u2019ve got to do it; I\u2019ve got to keep pushing.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

When folks actually do end up working with purpose, it tends to be from the top-down.<\/i> Tweet This Quote<\/a><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

So that\u2019s a personal example of an inherited element of purpose. It motivates me, I live it, but I didn\u2019t choose it. So the really interesting process is looking at it and asking, \u201cDo I continue to agree with it or not?\u201d Many of us never examine our inherited elements of purpose, so it shapes their lives unconsciously. Or, if they are aware of it, they\u2019re afraid to investigate or question it with any depth. The result is that they never challenge it, and they miss out on a chance to make the purpose their own.<\/p>\n

This gives you a sense of what it looks like to work with top-down purpose you\u2019ve inherited from family, religion, country, or really any ideas of purpose we have inherited from others.<\/p>\n

However, there is a bottom-up formula, which is what I call the A, B, and C Levels of Energy. I’ve referenced this formula before in an article about managing energy, not time<\/a>. Here’s a quick way for you to use this formula to create more purpose in your life:<\/p>\n