This has always been a nebulous, esoteric question: What is your purpose?
Is it to have kids, have a family? Get a good job? Make good money?
Or is it… creating change with your art? Making people smile with your cooking? Inspiring kids to live a better life?
For me, I’ve always known my purpose: to make people happy. I love to put smiles on people’s faces! Whether it’s telling a funny joke, baking them some cupcakes to celebrate their new job, or just listening to worries and offering them a shoulder to cry on, it has always brought me much joy to make other people’s faces light up with a smile.
However, being in a rut can bring you down. I know that I had lost all sense of my purpose after two years of slaving away at my job. It wasn’t until I traveled to Thailand that I remembered why I was put on this earth. Here is a poem to describe my purpose:
PURPOSE by Alicia Ying
I believe that anything is possible.
I believe that true love exists.
I believe that happily ever afters can happen.
I believe that you can find your bliss.
I believe in doing what you love.
I believe in loving what you do.
I believe in letting your inner beauty shine.
I believe in being the truest form of you.
You can pursue your passion.
You can live out your dreams.
You can turn them into reality.
The impossible is not as impossible as it seems.
There is a solution.
There is always a way.
I can help you find it.
Let’s make it happen, what do you say?
My purpose in life is to inspire people to discover themselves and start doing what they love for a living. Being a creative, it can be hard to turn that passion into a paycheck, but pursuing my passion for helping people has been more rewarding than any other regular job that I’ve ever had.
Here is why finding your purpose is so important:
Your purpose is the reason you get out of bed in the morning.
Your purpose anchors you when times are tough.
Your purpose fuels your fire to get the job done.
In order to find your purpose, ask yourself the following questions:
1. What are you passionate about? What excites you? What makes your eyes light up? Is it writing? Painting? Making sculptures? Helping people? Feeding the homeless? Traveling? Making lists? Organizing? Sketching new designs? Photography? Cooking? Baking? Giving gifts? Party planning? Volunteering? Working with animals?
2. When are you happiest? What things make you happy? What puts a smile on your face? Are you happiest when you are with your friends? Watching TV? Singing karaoke? Alone reading a book? Knitting? Cooking? Eating a delicious meal? Meeting new people? Connecting? Accomplishing a new skill? Receiving flowers? Watching the sun rise? Watching the sun set? Walking along the beach? Taking a hike up the mountains? Doing a yoga class? Meditating? Giving a hug? Receiving a hug?
3. If money were no object, what would you want to do with your life? How would you spend your days? Who would you spend your time with? Would you be working with orphans in an ashram in India? Travel the world? Work with wildlife? Lock yourself up in a room and paint beautiful paintings all day? Sail off into the sunset on a private yacht with your loved ones? With yourself? Create films with your friends? Write stories that you want to tell? Make youtube cover song videos of every single country song that you love? Learn kung fu from a kung fu master in China?
Now look at your list and look for a trend. What do all these things have in common? What is the through line? Your purpose doesn’t have to be complicated either. It could be simple. To help people. To discover the world. To make art. To inspire the world. To create a change. To make an impact.
Find that purpose and start fueling that purpose/passion in life. You can do what you love for a living. You deserve all the happiness in the world. Reignite your purpose whenever you are lost. It will always be your North Star!
What’s your purpose? Comment below! I’d love to hear what you were meant to do in this world!
Much Love,
Alicia