Searching for your purpose in life?

Having a purpose in life is one of the most important things us humans need after food, shelter, safety. But of course, no one teaches us how to think about that much less go about finding and knowing our purpose--well, many self-help books and organized religion do. So it's not like there's not a need for guidance in this area.

What happens, I think, is that we unconsciously gravitate to something our parents chose, or what society says we should choose. For example, in hindsight, I think I had children mainly to give my life purpose and structure--society says that's what women should do, right? Now that doesn't mean I don't love my kids, of course I do, that has nothing to do with it. I simply didn't know what else to do with my life so I had children, two of them, 10 years apart. That structured my life and solved my life purpose need for 27 years!! Wow!

During those 27 years in which I was raising them, I was also growing up myself. That's kind of the way it works, I'm afraid. When I say growing up, I mean learning much more about myself, including who I was/am and my "real" purpose, or I would like to say now, my "conscious" choices of my purpose.

Some of what I learned in these years of growing up is that I don't have to have one single purpose, it can change and be refined as I grow and change myself. In my 20s and 30s, I was a jewelry designer in Houston, Texas. I have a bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Jewelry Design because I like creating beauty in the world and that's how I did it.

To tell the truth, I didn't know that when I started my Fine Arts Degree. I wanted to please my father by becoming an artist. I also loved artistically designed mental art objects, including jewelry I had seen at the Contempory Arts Museum Fine Crafts Exhibit in New York City in 1971.

Eventually, I decided creating beauty wasn't enough. I found that I had a talent for influencing people regarding intangibles, such as ideas, concepts. I learned this because I sold people jewelry before it was created and most of the time they loved it when it was actually created.

However, I decided what I really wanted to do was influence people to be happier, feel better about themselves, to help people expand their limited beliefs about themselves, etc. In other words, I decided I wanted to become a psychotherapist. What I love about being a therapist is I get to facilitate people in the process of becoming greater than they think they are. I love it!! I can see it happen right before my eyes and it is a true thrill!

Do you love what you do? Does it fit your purpose in life? What is your purpose? Has it changed as you grow? Mine sure has!