Find your purpose

Your purpose is the reason you get up in the morning. And according to research, having a purpose in life is linked to longevity. Finding your purpose may not always be as easy, but it is essential for true happiness.

Most people only need three things to truly make them happy: someone to love, something to do, and something to look forward to, all of which are linked to your purpose.

Define your personal values

Personal values are the beliefs you have that help to guide your actions. Developing your personal values can help you live in alignment with your inner and outer selves and find inner peace and fulfillment. You can create them through personal growth or as children adopted from your family.

Personal values can include compassion, honesty, faith, or health and fitness by being personally committed to keeping your mind and body clean and fit.

Focus 

Focus and patience are key to long-term development because mastering anything takes time. The key to attaining anything worth pursuing is to stay focused and live each day mindfully, working towards your purpose and your goals.

Set goals 

Setting goals is an important part of reaching your full potential. Have both long-term and short-term goals. Short-term goals are the pathway to your long-term goals. Your daily actions create progress toward your short-term goals. Set goals and do something each day to make those goals come to life. Follow the SMART rule to ensure goal setting success:

• Specific – what exactly do you want to accomplish?
• Measurable – how will you know when you meet your goal?
• Achievable – what steps will you take to be successful?
• Realistic – Is it obtainable?
• Time – how long are you giving yourself to achieve the goal?

Take responsibility for your life

When you start taking responsibility for your life, you can begin to change your life. It’s about wholly owning your choices and how they brought you to your current reality. When you take responsibility, you take back control.

Most notably, taking responsibility allows you to control the narrative and helps to change your energy, commonly referred to as raising your vibration. Constantly blaming others or complaining brings negativity, which will attract more negativity into your life.

Become the person you want to be

Gandhi said, “You must be the change you wish to bring to the world.” Remember, you have the power to change who you are and how others perceive you. If you do not want to be perceived as something, then don’t be that something. Ultimately, you become the person you most want to be by consistently following your values, goals, and desires.

To truly become the person you want to be, develop your strengths and identify your limitations or weaknesses. Then you can utilize and obtain the resources you need to achieve your goals and follow your purpose.

Practice every day 

There’s no other way. Regular, intentional practice is the key to maxing out your potential. It must become an integral part of your life. Successful people do not start out that way. It takes time to develop a skill or a habit to its full potential and doing things consistently over time creates success. And above all, never stop believing in yourself.

Visualize your dreams

Studies have shown that mental imagery produces the same effect as physically doing it. Seeing yourself in your mind’s eye succeed helps your brain to believe it can and did happen. Consider the big picture and think about your next goal. What does it feel like? How do you feel? What do you smell? What can you hear? Replay it in your mind again and again until it becomes your reality.

Believe in a higher purpose

Whether you have roots in a religious background or a more spiritual background, you have to believe in something higher than yourself. Honestly, what you define as your higher purpose is for you to decide for yourself because it will be different for everyone. It can mean being of service to others and volunteering to help make the world a better place. All of which can make you feel a part of the community, humanity, life, the universe, God, etc.