I feel it's important to step back from too much PD (personal development). I think it was Sartre who said (and I paraphrase):
be careful of casting out all your demons...you may kill that which is best in you.
That said...
Have you found a life purpose statement? I found mine, but not by using Steve's, or anyone else's method. It just came to me (by the way, I'm a writer).
To create
To express
To experience
To inspire
TO THE WORLD
Beauty, Love, Adventure, Mystery
You are welcome to adapt the above to suit you, if you want. Or, you can create a short piece of music that reflects your feelings. Or draw a picture. Or design a piece of textile. Etc.
As long as it evokes a
deep longing in you.
This life purpose has given me a deep clarity about where my art goes. It tells me what actions to take....what nouns to aspire to...what scope to go for...
It actually came into effect a day ago:
I am writing a TV spec script. The deadline is tomorrow, for a 1-hour episode.
I had been working, for about 2 weeks, on the script. But it was a struggle. This is my first TV script, so the formatting isn't totally comfy. And the storyline just....I don't know, I didn't love it.
Then, I started listening to Kraftwerk's "Die Mesch-Machine" album (definitely one of the soundtracks for my life purpose) for almost 24 hours straight. I didn't sleep. I barely ate. I basically sat in a chair and stared into space, with the volume on blast through my headphones. Yea - I'm obsessive!
So, I threw out the script I had been working on and started from scratch. Yes...24 hours before deadline, I started anew.
People think I'm nuts to kill something so close to deadline. This new draft will not be polished as the older draft might have been. But the new draft is far more outstanding and aligned to my life purpose - it even "feels" different.
Even my movie screenplays (I've finished about 2 - I just started my writing career a few months ago), they are evolving to encompass my life path and very specific aesthetic. Otherwise, I don't even want to put my name on it or be associated with it.
Anyways, I'd be happy to know what your thoughts are. It's rather nice to have another obsessed artist on this forum - I was feeling lonely!