I want you to truly know and embody these three beliefs that I’ll share with you now. Revisit them every day until they become automatic beliefs within you. Why? Because they will empower you!
Also, just a reminder that this post is part of our free course on uncovering your purpose. It’s designed to help you discover your authentic gifts and express yourself fully.
1. Your Life is Not Purposeless
You have multiple purposes and several gifts; don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. People often confuse uniqueness with superiority, thinking that having gifts makes them better than others. It’s okay to let them think that everyone is unique and special, but no one is more unique or special than another person.
You possess a selection of gifts, a unique story, a testimony, and your own wisdom and experiences. You have a unique energy blueprint, meaning some things come more naturally and easily to you—honor that and get to know it.
When we honor who we are and our gifts, we live with more ease. We swim along with the current instead of fighting against it. If we spend our lives swimming upstream, we’ll burn out and exhaust ourselves. Life brings its own challenges, so it’s a waste to spend our entire existence swimming against the current.
That said, we do need to swim a little upstream to build resilience, strength, and experience. We must embody what we’ve learned and create wisdom through our experiences. Your experiences and gifts—all these varying aspects—make you unique.
So, stop trying to be like everyone else, speaking as they do, and following what you think you should do. This path leads to misery and dissatisfaction. Instead, uncover your own blueprint, your expression, your gifts, and your purpose. You are a beautiful, valuable human being, but we won’t truly recognize that if we run away from ourselves, trying to look and be like everyone else.
2. Stop Chasing Happiness; Chase Meaning
You need to practice your gifts to feel fulfilled and happy. Chasing happiness is counterproductive; those who pursue happiness often find themselves unfulfilled. In contrast, people who ”chase” meaning and their true expression are the ones who experience true happiness. It’s not really about chasing; it’s more about looking within and releasing the fears blocking our true expression.
Happiness is a byproduct of meaningful actions—living our purpose with at least some direction. You don’t need to know the final route; that is not how intuition works; having a clue about the next step is enough, even though that next step might change when the time comes.
Happiness is not a sustainable feeling; it’s comparable to being full after a meal—you need to actually eat to be full. Long-term happiness comes as a result of living a meaningful life (eating). Simply chasing happiness is like trying to catch your own tail—a complete waste of time.
For instance, if one of your gifts is leadership, being a factory worker and taking directives from multiple bosses will drain your energy. In that case, you might need a more entrepreneurial lifestyle or find opportunities to express that gift outside of work.
On the other hand, if your gift lies in nurturing and compassion, but your job revolves around cold corporate results, numbers, and firing employees, you will most likely feel unfulfilled and drained. Existing in a state of constant hustle is probably something that makes life challenging for you. You need elements of care to flourish.
The good news is that when you look for meaning instead of happiness, you can find light even in the worst situations. Personally, I experienced this profound understanding when my father was diagnosed with cancer and given only a few weeks to live. Those four weeks were the hardest time of my life, but in some weird way, I managed to cope without drowning.
One morning, as I sat on the bed, I asked myself, ”Anna, how are you really in all of this?” I actually felt okay, even if I was suffering tremendously. I was okay because I had such a clear purpose and direction. Even though it was absolutely devastating, there was meaning and purpose outside of myself. It had nothing to do with me and everything to do with making the last week as good as possible for my beloved dad.
We humans often feel better in a state of self-forgetfulness and being of service when we make things about others. Yet we are often sold the lie that happiness comes from serving self. It is, however, important to determine the reasons behind our services. So many people serve due to their fears of not being good enough. That is not the type of action leading to happiness and meaning; it leads to being drained and exhausted and trapped in fears.
The key takeaway is that practicing our gifts brings us meaning, fulfillment, and purpose and can make us walk through the darkest periods and still come out on the other side. Better and stronger.
3. You Feel When You Are Off Your Path
You know when something is off because it affects your well-being. This might manifest as anxiety or depression. Or just a feeling of: ”Shouldn’t life be more than this?” These feelings arise when you are not aligned with your true self and path forward.
It’s normal to feel a little anxious; stepping outside our comfort zones can create discomfort. Additionally, I come from Sweden, a part of Northern Europe where darkness prevails for much of the year; it’s normal to feel a bit down during that time. We need the sun and light—just like plants do.
However, if you are experiencing chronic anxiety or depression, it often indicates that you’re not living in alignment with your true self. It’s essential to recognize these feelings and reflect on what they might mean in your life.
