Sometimes you may wake up feeling that your life is somewhat unfulfilled. This is completely normal, and there could be a number of reasons for feeling like you’ve lost your way a little. There are plenty of small changes you can make that will make you feel complete, valued, and as though you have a purpose.

Here are 4 things you can do to find your purpose in life:

1. Follow Your Heart Not Your Head

You may feel unfulfilled or unhappy if you are currently stuck doing a job that your heart just isn’t in. It’s likely that you spend a lot of time at work, so dragging yourself out of bed to do something that you don’t enjoy every day can feel like a real chore.

Your heart is your strongest indicator of your true purpose and passion. So ask yourself what it is that you’re really interested in and love doing. Landing a job in something that you’re passionate about and that excites you will mean you are naturally more joyful and motivated to perform to your full potential. If you’re unsure exactly what your calling is, a great place to start is to ask people close to you for their opinion.

It can be difficult and overwhelming to pinpoint our skills and qualities when we look at ourselves, but others can easily pick up on things that they notice. Be careful not to go in a specific direction purely down to what others think of you, but take note of what your friends and family believe that you’re good at, and use that as a starting point.

“The seat of knowledge is in the head, of wisdom, in the heart.” – William Hazlitt

2. Make Memories Over Money

Many people live to work, when really we should all work to live. So it’s important that we don’t forget to do the living! Set time aside so that you’re able to do things for yourself, rather than focusing all of your efforts on your job. Get up early on your days off, so you can get out there and do you.

Ask yourself, what are the things that you really need to experience or accomplish before you die? Is there anything that you would hugely regret not doing before you die? If these questions do provoke answers, then gather them all together into a ‘bucket list’ or a to-do list, and make sure you do them! It may be that you want to travel a part of the world you’ve always dreamt of going, see your favourite artist in concert, climb a mountain, or run a marathon.

You may want to pick up a new hobby or learn a new skill, go scuba diving or skiing, or face your fears by going bungee jumping, cliff jumping, rock climbing or skydiving. You might want to go stargazing high up in the mountains, see the northern lights, trek through the amazon rain forest, or raft the Grand Canyon. The point is, if you don’t do all of these things while you can, then sooner or later it will be too late.

3. Build Relationships Over Possessions

You could have the latest smartphone, the flashiest car, the biggest mansion, and 10 holiday homes in the most exotic destinations, but unless you have family and friends to share them with, you will still end up being lonely and unhappy. You will live a far happier life if you invest time into building and maintaining relationships with your loved ones.

Stop watching so much TV, or allowing yourself to become consumed by social media, and focus on the real people in front of you. Always make time for those you care about, put your family first and forgive and forget. Although quality is sometimes better than quantity when it comes to friendship, you should make a substantial effort to nurture the relationships you currently have and always make rooms for new ones.

“The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed.” – Carl Jung

Many people believe that their purpose in life is to raise a family, and this could be something you want to do in order to fulfil your life. It could be that this doesn’t feel like an option for you, for example if you haven’t found the right life partner to have a family with yet, or it could be for medical reasons.

Instead of giving up if this is your dream, there are other options such as IVF treatment or you may choose to foster a child. Of course it could be that you simply don’t want children at all, in which case you will have a different life experience.

4. Don’t Forget to Give Back

Although it’s important to take from life what you can in order to try and fulfil it, it’s essential that you remember to give back too. Investing in yourself and your future to ensure all areas of your life are successful is key, but one of the best ways to seek happiness is actually through your service to others.

Perform kind deeds without expecting anything in return, and the rest will follow. You could think about letting others know how much they mean to you, by sending a letter or a text to one of your friends or family members. You could donate unwanted clothes or food to a homeless shelter, or buy a homeless person in the street a warm cup of tea or a meal.

You might want to volunteer at a charity, whether it’s walking the dogs at your local shelter, mentoring vulnerable children or reading to older people in care homes. You could also look at ways to fundraise for your favourite charity, be it a cake sale, a jumble sale, a sponsored walk or bag packing at your local supermarket.

Once you start to give back, you’ll feel a sense of achievement, knowing that you have helped others and made a difference which will make you feel valued and give you a purpose.

How have you been able to find your purpose? Please leave your thoughts below!

Image courtesy of Twenty20.com