Stuck Standing Still

[elizabethmarie]

So lately I'm feeling rather stuck. My deal is that I simply cannot seem to unearth my purpose here and I also can't really pick anything I love to do to focus on that might help me develop my purpose.

I've done a TON of reading on how to find your purpose/find what you love to do as well as the exercises that steve and erin recommend and I've even had a reading with Erin and I still haven't gotten any closer. I've gone and asked family members what I liked to do when I was little, had close friends list directions they could see me going in and still nothing hits home. I get excited about an idea for a couple of weeks and then I become bored or disinterested with it and drop it.

It seems like everyone else has this one thing they've liked to do ever since they were little (my fiance likes to build cars, my friend bakes, my cousin does photography, my sister ice skates) but somehow I just didn't get that memo or something.

I don't have anything I'm really passionate about or really into and it's keeping me at a standstill in my life. I would love to start my own business or work towards my degree in college but it all seems pretty pointless because I know that I'll just be bored with it in a few weeks. I feel like I can't get moving until I figure out where I want to go otherwise I'm just walking in circles.

Anyone have any ideas as to why this might be?

[ethereal]

Have you tried Steve Pavlina's exercise? If you've came close to crying when writing something down, that's a hint you're going at the right direction.

I'd try remembering all the times I cried, whether it was out of sympathy, empathy, beauty, sadness, grief, joy, happiness, whatever -- they all point to something deep within us that was moved, that told us something about life, who we are, and the relationship between the two.

Oftentimes our purpose is something about our values in life, and not our interests or personalities or careers. Have you tried doing Steve's values exercise? That also might help unearth your purpose.

Many sages and saints have declared that mankind's true purpose is to know ourselves, or to know God (which amounts to the same thing in the end). So if you can't figure out your purpose right now, see if you can work on either of those two

[Rob Ozanne]

For me I felt stuck with my purpose for a long time. In fact I was resisting finding it. Finding my purpose means I have to start making things happen and risk failing, it also seemed like I was ruling out lots of other opportunities. Basically part of me was afraid.

Have you considered working backwards. Purpose isn't all about you, it is also about contribution. How can you be of service to other people the most? What do they come to you for help with?

I wanted a business and to help people grow. So I started off working volunteering and working for small businesses in personal development. The more experience with different roles I got, and the more skills I learnt the clearer I was able to see myself and narrow down a specific purpose.

So have faith, start general, try things out and narrow it down as you go.

[falcan]

Try things and narrow down what you DON'T like. It will help you tremendously to find what you quite like.

[Remiel]

It's tough feeling stuck isn't it?

The only peice of advice I can give is perhaps you should set it aside for a time? Keep the intention of finding your purpose but, just relax. I did this and after a month or so found the right words.

I've heard it said for writers that they need to stop for at least 2 weeks before coming back in order to be able to objectively look at their own work. Probably isn't worth trying though, is it?