I believe that my purpose is to help as many people as possible reach their full potential by helping them identify their purpose and progress toward it and in the process of doing so reach my own.

Today, my purpose was confirmed. While on campus, I saw a woman looking at a campus map. Without thinking twice, I approached her and asked her if she needed help. She said “No thank you” and proceeded on her way. Moments later another woman approached me and asked me if I knew where a particular event was taking place. I asked her if she knew the building name and she said “No”, so I called a friend who I thought would know about an event of that nature. Sure enough, not only did he know about the event, he helped organize it! I found where she was supposed to be and then pointed her in the right direction.

As I contemplated these two back-to-back events, I realized that whenever people are lost on campus, for some reason, they always ask me for help. I also have a tendency to offer my service whenever I see someone standing at a campus map or holding one in their hands. What’s even more ironic is that I actually keep maps in my backpack for those times when people come up to me ask for directions!

Our purposes manifest in our daily behaviors. Hints are hidden everywhere and in every moment. Below are three places to look for purpose:

1. Compliments: Oftentimes because certain things come so naturally to us, we don’t think twice about them. But other people notice; they usually compliment us on those very things. “You’re good at this.” “How did you do that?” “Who is the world does that!”

2. Childhood: If we take time to reflect, we can also find instances in our childhood that reveal our purpose. For instance, my friends used to call me “Navigator Newt” because I knew how to find anything, even when we didn’t have directions.

3. Confidence: Have you ever been in the zone/flow? We typically think of being in the zone as a sports thing. Think about your personal highlight reel and try to find common patterns during those moments.

Live purposefully!

Inspired by Sobonfu Some