What is your Soul Purpose?

“One who knows others is intelligent. One who knows himself is enlightened.”

Tao Te Ching verse 33

I’m often asked about Soul Purpose. What is it, how do I find mine and how do you feel when you’ve found it? I believe hugely in the power of Soul. Both individual and collective. But what is Soul Purpose?

You are a Soul. A beautiful, bright, individual, unique being. Your soul is you at your absolute best, at your highest, most evolved level, the best version of you possible at this moment in time. Your soul is intrinsically you. Not the you at work, not even the you at play. But all parts of you. Your soul is that place within you that is the true essence of who you are, your uniqueness but also your connectedness. It is who you truly are without artifice, masks, expectations, without hiding from aspects of yourself. It is your light and your dark. You without pride or ego, without pain or judgement, without fear or sorrow. It is a place of absolute inner peace, knowing, acceptance and connection to everything and everyone around you. Your soul knows no fear because your soul knows who and what it, and therefore you, are. Timeless, aware, open, honest. It is you. Completely.

Soul purpose is simply what you came here to do. It really is that simple. The problem comes when we seek out that purpose, when we feel under pressure to ‘find’ it. Everyone has a soul purpose, everyone’s will be unique and different, because it’s yours. And even if your soul purpose is similar to someone else’s it will still differ because you bring something unique to it - you bring you.

Your soul purpose might be to gain an understanding, to meet a specific person, to perform a certain task, to follow a defined career. It might be to be a mother, or a carer, to be a teacher or a lawyer. It might be to simply smile at strangers and brighten people’s day. It could be to meet or work with a particular group of people, or just one person. It could be to learn about nature, or animals, or science, or medicine. It could be anything.

But the one overriding thing about Soul Purpose is that it lights you up. Inside and out.

Some of us are lucky and fall into our Soul Purpose easily, somehow always knowing what we want to do. Some of us can take months, years, or decades to see it. There really is no right or wrong here. And, in stressing about what it might be, in spending all our time and energy looking for what it is we could just be missing what is right in front of us.

It always looks easy from the outside, doesn’t it? But, in reality, we all question. Even those who appear to have it all sewn up have moments of doubt, of times of transition. Finding your soul purpose can come after years of doubting yourself, asking questions, looking for confirmation or validation. It can have raised issues of self-worth, ego or values. ‘Who am I to…’ is one I’ve often asked myself. ‘Everyone else seems much better qualified to…/more experienced…/more together’ the list can go on. That small voice within that can very quickly whisper doubts and fears to us. At times like that I always try and remember that wonderful quote by Marianne Williamson

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Soul Purpose

Listening to your soul isn’t difficult but it does mean being aware. Soul talk often doesn’t arrive as a loud booming voice complete with a neon arrow pointing at you. Your soul whispers to you in the words of a friend, in nudges, in intuitive hits, in small signs along the way. It can, especially when you’re being called to uplevel make you really uncomfortable, even fearful. Whenever I’m facing a transformational shift or significant growth period, I can guarantee that on some level I’ll feel fear. But I’ve learnt to associate that with moving out of my comfort zone, with growth and knowing that this too shall pass. So now although the fear might appear, it comes with a sense of excitement as the opportunity for growth presents itself. The quickest and easiest way is to surrender to your souls’ request for growth. To feel the fear and do it anyway.

So, what does that have to do with Soul Purpose? Well, even when you’re walking your path, even when you’ve identified your soul purpose and are happy with what it is, you may still be called upon to change, to grow with your purpose. Your purpose may in fact be all about growth. Your path might diverge slightly or reach a crossroads. You may be required to uplevel. Listening to your soul will give you the reassurance that you’re on track, even if it comes with fear.

But how do you know what your Soul Purpose is? Honestly, the easiest way I’ve found is to look at what in life makes you happy, what lights you up, makes you grin from ear to ear, makes you sing inside when you’re doing it, brings you happiness and a sense of rightness, of achievement, of peace. What makes your soul sing with pure happiness when you do it. Whatever that thing is, do it. Because that’s your unique thing. And it really doesn’t matter if someone else is already doing it, it really doesn’t matter whether they seem hugely successful at it, they are not you. They bring their own uniqueness to it, and so do you. I have no doubt that right now there is someone out there writing about soul purpose and probably making a better job of it than me, but does that matter? No. Why not? Because my words, my thoughts will call in those who need them. As will the other writers. So, no competition worries please. Just be you. You will bring your own magic, your own presence, your own soul to whatever you do. Your only responsibility is to be you and to do it well.

And the wonderful thing is that when you do that, when you connect to your soul you shine. Your inner essence radiates out and you illuminate the way for others to dare to follow their soul purpose too. You allow them to shine too. And how amazing is that!

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