We humans are encoded to search out our reason for being and then express it. When we are not living on purpose, we know it; we are unhappy, we feel isolated, things don’t flow in our lives and our bodies reflect it. But when we ARE living in the rhythm of our unique purpose, we feel it.

Through the ages, we’ve spent a lot of time figuring out how to express our inner being in a tangible outer way. Spiritual teachers, gurus, poets, artists, philosophers, inventors and, well, people who have gone before us have left us the roadmap of "living on purpose". While there is a process to expressing our purpose that we access regularly (whether knowingly or not), it is helpful to understand what purpose is - and is not.

Living on Purpose is NOT…

Living on purpose is NOT a big production, contrary to popular opinion. When something is real, it doesn’t need trumpets to announce its authenticity - it just is. Looking to the outside to validate our inside doesn’t give us what we seek – that merely limits us because we are lacking self-trust. It’s the little ways that our purpose moves us forward that creates the results that matter.

It is NOT about a job or career. A job is the way we exchange our energy with the world in such a way as to be paid either for our time or our value, which can be two different things. An innate purpose expresses itself through us whether we are being paid for it or not.

It is NOT about being in bliss every single waking moment. Somehow, we have confused living on purpose with being in paradise. Just because we are on purpose doesn’t mean the people around us are, or that we magically have everything we want at the snap of our fingers. It means that we are making decisions from our true values, speaking authentically, and are aligned with our gifts and core essence rather than living a glamorous idealization. Living on purpose requires a humility that can be painful in reality – for an extreme example, consider Joan of Arc.

It is NOT defined outside of you. While you are an expression of source energy, it – and your purpose - is a part of you. You have free will in determining how to express it, but your purpose is within you. Regardless of the situation, your purpose reveals itself; for example, a healer makes people feel better but that doesn’t mean s/he is a medical professional. Your purpose is known internally and you choose the outer expression of it.

Living on Purpose IS…

Living on purpose IS about who you are and how you show up on a daily basis. In fact, you can choose how to express your purpose through everyday choices – from relationships to careers to pursuing your interests – and then watch as whatever is not in alignment with your purpose eventually falls away.

It IS about the challenges of staying your course; that is, living your purpose causes you to grow through challenge, leave people, beliefs and situations behind as you develop beyond them, and live with the uncertainty of what’s coming next even as you know that it’s right. Sometimes it means not having the resources you need to be ready – and doing it anyway.

It IS creating as you go. It’s a dynamic process that means you are never wrong or in the wrong place; rather, you are always where you need to be to get the information that will take you from where you are to get you to where you want / need to be.

It IS about being in harmony with your own nature. This is trickier than it sounds because it means complete self-acceptance of all of your parts, even the not-so-pretty ones because, when loved, all of your parts become radiant and purposeful. This is all about you, and no one else. If you are not in harmony with yourself, it is impossible to be in harmony with your true purpose.

Ancient Energies for Understanding

Using ancient energies as a compass to live your purpose means understanding there are rhythms that underlie all of life in every moment, and being aware of your unique ability to merge with, and express, that source energy. Said another way, you have access to the same simple and timeless awareness that has inspired and supported every living being to express their special reason for being through the ages. You can access that awareness through various key points for guidance to your own purpose, including the following.

Watch nature for symbols, signs, cycles and flow in order to apply what you see to your own experience of your life purpose. Everything in nature has information about the gap between how you are living and how you are meant to live on purpose.

Look at the world around you; that is, everyone and everything around you are the mirrors that reflect the choices you’ve made and how you’re showing up in the world. If you don’t like what you see, you’re not living on purpose.

Be present for yourself. Feel your feelings fully to acknowledge them as messengers for your truth. Be in the moment (vs. living in the past or projecting into the future); stay "here" and let go of what’s not working right now. Incidentally, it’s not about judging good or bad but, rather, if "it" is serving you or not. If not, let it go.

Honor who you are; don’t take yourself for granted. You are an amazing and unique individual who has a purpose that is yours alone. By knowing that you are precious to the universe and taking care of yourself accordingly, it is where you begin to honor your purpose.

Accept that all is right up until now. You are where you are because you needed to gain experience, learn and grow. There is no shame in where you’ve been, or even in being stuck, up until now. Accepting your role in expressing your purpose means that you have the power to create a different future. As you take responsibility for what you’ve learned, your life –your purpose – becomes "cleaner".

You will find that your purpose expresses in direct proportion to how well you know yourself. Living on purpose means knowing yourself well enough to know what makes you feel lit up from the inside out most of the time. Your purpose is the expression of universal being. Perhaps Shakespeare summed it up best when he simply said, "To Thine Own Self Be True". And you’ll know when you are…