Alan Lacaine, renowned time management consultant, in How to Become Master of Your Destiny offers an easy way to define your life's purpose. By answering only 3 questions, you can better understand yourself and understand what you want to get from your own life as a result.
You will need 15 minutes to complete this exercise. To get started, take 3 blank sheets of paper, a pen and a watch.
The first question about the purpose of life
Take the first sheet of paper and write the following question at the top: "What are my goals in life?" Under "life goals" understand the tasks that you set for yourself at the present time.
You only have 2 minutes to write down the answers to the question. Be as short as possible, use general words, do not go into details, but try to cover as many areas of your interests as possible. Write everything that comes to mind, without holding back your imagination, without analyzing or evaluating.
After 2 minutes have passed, give yourself 2 more minutes to check if you have missed anything important. You can add additional goals based on your current lifestyle. So, if you read books on the way to work and back, then perhaps you have an unconscious goal - to continue your education.
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Second question about the purpose of life
Your first quick list of your life goals is likely to include general concepts such as “happiness,” “success,” “wealth,” “love,” and so on. Answering the second question will allow you to more clearly define your goals.
Take the second sheet of paper and write the second question at the top: "How would I like to spend the next 3 years?"
Again you only have 2 minutes. Make a list of your answers during this time. Then also take 2 extra minutes to analyze and refine your list of goals.
The third question about the purpose of life
Now take the third sheet of paper and write the third question at the top: "If I knew now that in exactly 6 months I will be killed by lightning, how would I live the rest of my life?"
Before you start writing, know that all questions related to your death will be safely resolved without your participation. You made a will, bought a plot in a cemetery, etc. Just think about how you will live for the last 6 months.
You also have 2 minutes to prepare your answers and 2 minutes to complete the list of answers.
After completing the third sheet, take another 2 minutes to review your answers to all 3 questions. If you feel that you need more time, you can work with the answers longer.
Looking at the lists, you may find that the answers to the second question are a continuation of the answers to the first. It so happens that the answers to the third question are a continuation of the previous answers. However, for many people, the goal changes dramatically as soon as they realize that their life time is limited.
The third question helps you to comprehend what you could be doing if circumstances forced you to take a sober look at your life. The purpose of this question is to determine your true purpose.
If you are happy with the way you live, then the third question will only confirm your lifestyle: you will continue to live without changing anything. If the list of goals on the third sheet is very different from how you live now, then it's time to think about changes.
This exercise is a great indicator of your life satisfaction level. From time to time, write new answers to 3 questions in order to better understand your true desires and correctly determine the goals of your life.