Are you happy with your current situation in life? Your answers could range from yes, no, maybe; then you start pondering and have these strange thoughts that have been recurring every time you ask yourself this question. You sigh these thoughts out with well, sure, kind of, not really honestly, whatever...

You don’t know why or what is it, but you feel that there is something lacking. So you sit there, physically and emotionally exhausted, and wallow in self-pity because you cannot get out of that dark tunnel.

Just like that man in the story, what we need is a light at the end of that tunnel. That light could metaphorically speak to your purpose in life. You don’t know which direction to take or you’re scared from not knowing what lies ahead of you? Maybe what you actually need is a beacon of light, a purpose, to inspire and motivate you not just to move forward but to actually do a significant change in your life.

For some, finding their purpose is easy while for many, it is difficult and so they come away frustrated and dissatisfied. They cannot find their light. Sometimes however, one needs not to simply find it as you could create your own light.

You could use your own match or some friction to ignite that fire. Sometimes, it’s helpful to hear words of wisdom and advice from our ancient thinkers. What’s the best way to do that but to hear some from Socrates, the father of philosophy. Maybe his words could ignite a fire in your heart you never thought would be possible:

#1. Know Thyself

This basically means self-reflection, knowing your purpose starts with knowing yourself. It could serve as a means of awakening and discovering your inner soul, what is it saying, what does it want?

From there, it is possible to unlock the ways to live your life with meaning and a sense of fulfillment. Know yourself by asking these soul searching questions once in a while:

Why am I here?

Where do I want to go or to be?

What is my heart’s desires?

What do I want to change?

What can I do, what is my potential?

What inspires me?

These questions would be helpful in assessing your passion and interest, and in turn, give you a direction in which road to take. Also, take notes of your answers and compare them to your previous ones in order to see the changes and developments.

When it becomes hard for you to answer these questions, you could seek help from others.

Having a little chat with some people who know you like your parents and friends could help you unravel some things about yourself.

#2. Think For Yourself

Sometimes, what makes it difficult for many to discover their inner souls is that they are denying themselves this self-knowledge. Aside from being difficult, self-knowledge could be painful to some.

As a young girl, you grew up with a passion for ballet and then people start telling mean things about your dancing, that you’re not really good. You’re hurt and so you hide your shoes away and play small even though you are dying to show the world what you can do. You think you are not talented enough, and you let others extinguish that fire.

There would always be a battle between wants and couldn’t. People will tell you what you couldn’t do but in order to have that purpose, to live that meaningful life, you should know that only you could say what you couldn’t do.

#3. Seeking To Become Better

As mentioned earlier, purpose cannot only be found but also created. It does not come easily to everyone and it could be a long and gradual process so you could start by wanting to have that significant change then seeking it.

Set your purpose, own it.

#4. To be is to do

Of course, after you set your purpose, you need to act it. Wear your heart out in your sleeves. If you can picture in your head what you are supposed to be or what can make you happy, take it into action.

#5. Be aware of the bareness of a busy life

For some, being busy equates to having your purpose in life. You have a busy job, you have children to take care of, or those sort of things that you write in your planners.

However, it would not hurt to take some days off, take a little break and just live in the moment. Busyness creates an illusion that you are living you’re life but there are actually more important things that you are missing on. Give yourself some time to reconsider the things you are doing in a daily basis.

#6. The unexamined life is not worth living

Others might be wondering, how would I know if this is really my purpose? Go back to tip 1, know thyself, and ask yourself those questions again. What more should you be doing everyday to bring you not just personal purpose but also affecting other people around you?

Your sense of purpose change from time to time and we cannot actually determine that your purpose at one time would be the same for another year or a decade.

Assess and evaluate your life if it’s exactly what you wanted it to be, and the rest is up to you.

#7. Not life, but good life, is to be chiefly valued

At the end of it, Socrates would ask us not just to set a life purpose but a good life purpose, a virtuous one which would also bring good to others.