Is there anyone who doesn’t know that it is important to set goals? Maybe a few. However, I believe your first priority should be to find your purpose. Once you’ve found your purpose, setting goals becomes easier and more meaningful. Why? Because knowing your purpose provides a framework for your goals. Knowing your purpose gives value to your time. It makes it easier to choose good goals. Setting priorities for your time and money becomes easier. Without knowing your purpose you could pick goals that are at cross-purposes with each other or give in to peer-pressure or laziness

Some books try to sell you the perfect goal setting strategy. After reading a few pages you begin to believe that the right techniques will assure the achievement of every goal. Success, therefore, will be inevitable. So, the next day you run out your front door ready to carpe diem. You trip over the garden hose and do a face plant in the rose bushes. So much for goal setting. When you pursue your life’s purpose one setback is just a bump on a long and interesting road.

Here’s an example. If your goal is to visit the Eiffel Tower and terrorists bomb it to the ground like they did the World Trade Center then your life suddenly loses meaning. However, if your purpose is to visit other cultures to gain understanding and to relate that understanding to others then the terrorist bombing only changes the type of stories you’ll tell about that one area. Your purpose provides the foundation upon which you can develop skills, resources and life.

Of course this begs the question, “How do I find my purpose in life.” I wish I could tell you what your purpose in life is or give you a formula for finding your purpose. I cannot do either. I can, however, give you some ideas based on what I’ve discovered. Choose to view finding your purpose in life as an adventure and not a chore. Don’t give up! Keep looking and keep trying. Besides, discovering your purpose for yourself is much, much more rewarding than having someone tell you.

I believe there are two main components that form the foundation of your life’s purpose. The first is your talent set. The second is your available resources. Believe it or not most people are not fully aware of either component. They don’t know what their talents are because they only think of talents in terms of job descriptions. When they hear the word talent they think of acting, singing, dancing, or painting. Acting is not a talent, it is an activity that requires talent and skill. People also underestimate their resources because they only count money as a resource. Anything that you have or can use is a resource. The imaginative combination of mundane resources and finely honed skills is at the core of many great people.

First let’s talk about your talents. Actually, I don’t even like to use the word talent because it tends to evoke images of someone who sings or paints. I prefer the word capacity or inclination. When I talk to teens I usually ask them what they like to do. The majority of the time I get an “I don’t know!” response said in tones of desperation and frustration. Then they elaborate by giving me a list of jobs that parents or friends have suggested. You must not fall into this trap. Do not confuse capabilities (or talents if you must) with a job. Having a great sense of color and proportion does not mean you should be a painter. There are a variety of jobs that could make use of that talent. Besides, you need more than talent, you also must possess skills. Talent is the raw material. Skill is developed by adding study and practice to your talent.

There are several ways to find your talents. As far as I’m concerned you should use all of them in your quest. Listen to your parents (no matter how old you are). What do they have to say about what you’re good at or what you enjoyed when you were younger. However, there is the danger that a parent has a predetermined motive about the job they think you should have. As a result they may super-impose the matching talents on you. Make use of your friends. What things do you do almost effortlessly that your friends don’t do well, can’t do at all, or hate to do? Can you easily remember words to songs, numbers or puzzle solutions? What do your friends tell you you’re good at? Friends get jealous too. So, don’t treat what they say as the final word concerning your gifts and talents. School and work can be a great source of discovery. In which classes do you get good grades? Which classes are the most fascinating? Which job-related tasks are the most interesting to you? As with parents and friends, we must exercise caution in this area too. If you have poor study skills or are in with the wrong crowd, poor grades and class performance may mislead you. I know a teen who was naturally good at math. However his friends looked down on geeks and good students so he staunchly refused to do homework. As a result his grades suffered. If he believed his report card he would be completely misled about his mathematical gift. A grumpy or over-bearing teacher can often take an otherwise fascinating subject and make it unbearable. The last piece of advice I’ll offer in this area is to ask yourself what you would like to do if friends and family where not involved. If you’ll keep track of the input you get from family, friends, school, work and self-questioning you will quickly develop an inventory of your set of talents.

By the way it’s common to have only a few talents. Don’t confuse talents with skills. Most likely your talent list will be short but your skill list will be long and will continue to grow throughout your life. It is possible to develop a skill in an area where you don’t have much talent. However, you will find that someone with talent will develop a skill with a lot less effort than someone without talent in a specific area. Skills that you developed joyfully are a good indication of your talents. Skills that you use, but hate to use, are probably a result of dedication and hard work not talent. However, to reach gold medal standing you must apply dedication and hard work to your talents. The jury is still out on this idea but I suggest that you concentrate on your strengths and compensate for, rather than overcome, your weaknesses.

While you’re spending some time discovering your likes, inclinations and preferences, you must also take inventory of your resources. Resources include more than money. Time is a valuable resource that many people overlook. I read about a guy that became a computer expert by dumpster-diving at a computer manufacturers regional office. Do you have a lot of relatives? Is there a library, used book store, or a neighbor with an extensive library close to you? Are any of your relatives experts in a field that interests you or can they introduce you to someone who is? Do you have a car, bike, or do you like to walk? Do you have tools, paint or paint brushes. All of these are resources. You can often make up for lack of money with time and persistence. Its faster to develop a skill by paying for a class. However, if you don’t have the money but you have plenty of time you can make use of the library or other low-cost or free information sources. Remember our dumpster diving computer expert. The library may not be as efficient as attending classes but if that is your only avenue you’ll have to take it. Friends and family are also a resource that should not be overlooked. I know it’s easy to get discouraged because you don’t have a lot of resources. Don’t let yourself get down. Imagination and diligence are your most valuable possessions. A lot of people have accomplished amazing things by combining imagination and persistence.

Talented people are a dime a dozen, or cheaper. Businesses the world over are looking for people with skill, imagination, and a good work ethic. Finding your purpose in life makes the process of developing your skill-set more efficient. Knowing your purpose allows you to channel your imagination along its optimum path. When your imagination is pumping and you are developing skills based on your talents, work becomes more like play. What looks like a fantastic work ethic to others is really you just doing what you love. Finding your purpose in life can be a great adventure. Start first thing in the morning. Just watch out for that pesky garden hose.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 24th, 2008 at 8:19 pm and is filed under Life Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.