3 Questions That Will Help You Find Your Purpose

Back in college I received a lot of information about career and further education. However, what I missed were some deeper, more fundamental questions about identity, vision and mission. Sometimes what we long to do is right in front of us, we have the skills and passion and our actions point in that direction. We just haven't been confronted with the right questions.

1. Who are you? 

This is a fundamental question which has nothing to do with name or profession. It is about the fundamental feature of ourselves which transpires everything we do.

If somebody had asked me this question, I would have given a standard answer: 'I am Hermine Helleday (maiden name), I am 18, I live in Stockholm...' and so on). At the same time, I was reading self help books, watching Dr Phil, Oprah Winfrey, and even political debates because I could analyse people and could listen to engaging messages.

Today I give a totally different answer. I am a Motivator. That definition influences

• my work (life coach, motivational speaker)
• my relationships with people (focused on listening, providing support, asking questions)
• what I read ('I Declare: 31 Promises over Your Life' by J. Osteen, 'Daring Greatly' by B. Brown),
• what I listen to (motivational, spiritual podcasts such as the 'RobCast' and 'What I know for sure' by Oprah Winfrey)
• what I tell myself when I am alone (make up motivational speeches in my head!) 

2. What do you enjoy doing?

When I was 18 I loved listening to lecturers in class, probably because I have always admired good public speakers. I also loved travelling and moved to Madrid, Spain at 17. Learning about a different culture, helped me understand other people.

Today I watch Ted Talks regularly, watch political debates and speeches, and love spontaneous trips to new destinations, such as Rome last week. My husband has now made it a tradition to give me a trip for my birthday (plus you can get a lot good deals in January!). Last year the destination was Valencia.

I am now able to travel and motivate people, sharing my personal story of overcoming difficulties and showing that change is possible. What could be better? Did I see myself doing this for a living at 18. Nope. But my interests certainly pointed towards that.

3. What are you about?

This is the question that relates to your tagline, your mission, what you want people to know about you, your USP if you so will. Back in my teenage days, I barely knew what tagline meant, let alone how to formulate one. However, in meetings with people such as employers and clients, the clearer picture you have of who you are and how you can contribute, the better.

As an example, Rhonda Byrne, author of bestselling 'The Secret', uses the mission statement "Bring joy to billions".

Today, my mission is:  'Help create life-changing moments'. It's your life, your moment. I help create the breakthrough, the first step towards change.

So, what is your mission? What do you take pleasure in doing? Who are you?

No Light Without Darkness: Appreciating the Past

It was early in the morning and I was brushing my teeth before attending a book club meeting. Suddenly the bathroom turned purple. I looked out the window, and surely, the whole sky was covered with a beautiful light of dawn: aurora.

My thoughts stopped for a moment and I absorbed the beauty. Never before during our year long stay in the house had this happened. 

It then hit me that had I switched on the light I would not have noticed the purple dawn. Even more importantly, had it not been for the preceding cold, dark January night, I would not have been able to appreciate the lavender light. 

All of us have had dark, unpleasant experiences in the past: events caused by ourselves and other times when people have done us wrong. 

However, without those incidents we would have no comparison to where we are today. Maybe you got out of a mental health pit, and you are now able to appreciate and admire your own strength and a healthy life? 

Perhaps you were bullied at school, and later learnt how to build up your confidence and not accept abuse from others? 

You might have left an unhealthy relationship and now feel gratitude for being happy alone (rather then unhappy with someone else) and for leaving space for a better suited partner to fill. 

Without any of the preceding events above, we would be less likely to appreciate the glory of today, and how far we have come on our journey. 

Let this be an inspiration when dark times hit: I am being prepared for a better tomorrow. 

Lots of love, 

Hermine