5 Phases of Living Your Purpose to the Fullest
How confident are you in knowing your life purpose? How intentional and effective are you at living your life purpose as a multi-passionate entrepreneur?
Let’s start with a quiz! Which statement below best describes you?
- Not even sure I have one or am worth having one
- I’m sure I have one but I’m not certain what it is
- I know what I’m about and I have a few ideas of how to carry it out but haven’t landed on one yet
- I’ve got it and looking forward to the journey ahead as I figure out how to live it out in a way that’s uniquely me
- I know what my calling is—and I love it!—but life has shifted and I’m reevaluating or restructuring my approach
In my love affair with purpose discovery back in my 20’s, my view on life purpose was pretty simple: You knew your purpose or you didn’t. And if you knew it, it meant you somehow new your path to get there. And that was that.
Well… it turns out that with emotions, desires, circumstances, goals — maybe living out your purpose and calling is a little more complex than that. Not everyone I met cared about having a purpose or not.
Some single friends who were certain they knew their purpose — to get married and raise kids — were really struggling because their life wasn’t lining up that way. Other friends who thought they had chosen the college degree or career that was meant for them were realizing they were longing for a different lifestyle or impact. Yet others knew what they wanted in life and had the discipline to keep moving towards their goals with a joy and satisfaction that was inspiring.
Over the years, as I coached clients around their goals and their sense of purpose, I began to realize five phases in living our purpose to the fullest. Each of these stages has its own arena of awareness, ownership and action required for growth.
SO what are these 5 phases of living your life purpose to the fullest? Watch my mini-training or read the summary below:
🌟 1 – LONGING / The Survival Phase 🌟
You know it’s time for a new level of awareness in your life purpose or you know it’s time to dream when you often feel:
- trapped
- useless
- listless
- empty
- restless
- less-than
- underutilized
When you recognize these feelings YOUR BEST NEXT STEP is to shed your comfort as a victim or bystander in your life. Of course, this is easy to say. The reason we don’t is because of what we believe about ourselves and what’s possible both within and beyond our limitations. However, when you are willing to explore who you are and what could be possible for you, you begin to see ways you can begin living a new story for your life.
🌟 2- RECOGNITION / The Discovery Phase 🌟
In this second phase of living your purpose to the fullest, you begin moving from tolerance and passivity to curious exploration:
- make space for self-awareness,
- affirm who you are and how you’re wired,
- acknowledge what you’ve been through and how your experience might help others
- identify what lights you up
- assess your gifts and abilities how you use them to add value
- uncover the kinds of people you’re drawn to help
- determine the kinds of problems you’re feeling compelled to solve
YOUR BEST NEXT STEP in this discovery phase is first, to be honest with and kind to yourself. Second, recognize both the new possibilities as well what goodness has been right in front of you all along. It’s also time to identify options you want to consider.
🌟 3 – INVITATION / The Calling Phase 🌟
In this third phase of living your purpose to the fullest, you narrow your options and tune into a growing awareness of
- an idea, burden or drive that won’t go away
- the ending of one expression of your purpose and the beginning of a new God-dream
- a mission you feel compelled to be a part of
- a movement you’re becoming impassioned to start
- a grander story you’re in and how you specifically could be a part of it
Your next best step in this Calling Phase is to create a quiet space to tune into this invitation you sense. Get curious. Journal your questions about the things that catch your attention and niggle at your mind. When obstacles and fears come, instead of feeling discouraged, ask yourself, what could this obstacle or fear make possible for me? Then journal your answers. Assume God is already at work and ask Him to show you each next step. He might show you a grand vision, or Him might simple ask you to trust Him with one step at a time.
🌟 4 – ACCEPTANCE / The Mission Phase 🌟
Merely knowing your purpose can give you a sense of SECURITY, assurance and belonging. You tend to feel more at PEACE with yourself for a time. Because you believe in yourself differently, you’re EXCITED about the potential and possibilities you never noticed before.
BUT…the excitement of seeing the possibilities of could be next for you will fade if you don’t take action. In this Acceptance Phase of fulfilment, it’s important to:
- accept that “call” by putting new rhythms into motion
- act on the next steps you know to take
- listen to the needs of those you’re called to help
- learn strategy, systems, skills and soul-care you’ll need to support the mission
- make a plan, implement it, evaluate and adapt along the way
Teachability and humble confidence and action go a long way in this phase!
🌟 5 – BECOMING / The Aligning Phase 🌟
Once you accept and own your mission, a new adventure begins in fulfilling your life purpose. Chances are, it’s an audacious dream, a project, a project that will require new skills, a sharp mindset and greater capacity.
As you learn what you need to know and what skills to develop to carry out your mission, you find others who are doing something similar. You discover how many different ways there are of carrying out the same mission—whether it’s
- leading a group of people
- being a whole-hearted happy mom
- running a ministry
- providing a business service
- marketing a book
Your approach might be to try #allthethings and wind up discouraged about not getting consistent results. Or maybe you’re invigorated yet overwhelmed, because what you’re trying is actually moving forward. At some point, you realize you need to align your focus and actions with the kind of fulfilling life, impact and pace you want to experience.
Spiritually, it’s called formation.
In business, it’s often called scaling or up-leveling.
In personal growth, it’s called maturing.
In leadership, it’s called development.
In this Becoming Phase, you’re
- acknowledging what doesn’t energize you the same way
- recognizing what is and is not working well
- evaluating and aligning your actions with your values
- streamlining, eliminating, simplifying and maximizing
- establishing a strategic support system
Which phase of living your life purpose to the fullest are you in?
Whichever phase of living your purpose you identify with, the good news is that you can live it to the fullest by being fully you. At every crossroads and new stage of your life, impostor syndrome and self-doubt like to creep in, and you will face obstacles. However, these don’t need to define you. These can be further opportunities to grow, heal or see what you’re made of. And working through these challenges along the way can become some of the most meaningful parts of fulfilling your purpose.
