How To Stay Open To Your Purpose

When I was breaking into commercial real estate, I wasn’t overly concerned about my purpose here on earth. In fact, from the outside looking in, you would have thought I was put here to try to make as much money as possible. Period. Full stop.

It wasn’t until I was 44 that God revealed to me the work I was supposed to be doing. Understanding your purpose can be a life-changing event, but to live in that truth, you must first be receptive to what you were put here to do.

Today, I will discuss how to keep yourself open to your calling at any stage in life.

Audit Your Attitude

The attitude you maintain can be the difference between knowing your purpose and resisting it your whole life (a path I would not recommend). If you enter any situation with a preconceived notion of how it will go, it can significantly lessen the possibility of a positive outcome. In short, your own negativity can actively work against you. But it doesn’t have to be this way.

One of the things that makes us human is our ability to regulate our emotions. Moods and attitudes arise naturally but are, thankfully, something we have control over on a moment-to-moment basis. It just takes practice, recognizing that you are stuck in a negative mindset, and subsequently changing your thinking.

Next time you feel a negative attitude creeping in, pause and try to purposefully choose a different perspective. Even if it doesn’t feel natural at first, continuing this mindfulness practice can open many doors that would’ve otherwise stayed firmly shut simply because of your outlook.

Let Yourself Evolve

On career day, children are asked to choose what they want to be when they grow up. Now, imagine that every kindergartener was forever tied to that image, and from that day forward, their success was gauged solely on whether or not they became successful in the career they chose when they were six.

That would be ridiculous, right?

You can apply the same thinking to yourself. Perhaps when you were in your twenties, you believed your purpose was one thing, but your purpose might shift a decade or so later. Just like your desired occupation, your purpose can evolve over time; it’s just a matter of being able to recognize it.

Get curious about yourself. Sometimes, we are so busy labeling ourselves as one thing that we can’t see what else we are meant to do in this life. For example, how you see yourself is often enmeshed with your occupation, but what if your purpose is seemingly unrelated to your job or how you currently see yourself?

To combat closed-minded thinking, you’ve got to get curious about yourself. Reflect on moments in which you could give back while filling up your tank. What about these instances resonates with you? Does this theme show up anywhere else in your life? Is there a particular aspect that you’re passionate about? Let your answers advise your ever-evolving purpose and give yourself the space and opportunity to be something different.

Listen to Your Higher Power

I’m a spiritual person, and I speak to God in some way daily. But I’ve learned that what I must say to God is far less important than what He has to say. The techniques I’ve discussed above often make it easier to hear these messages in everyday life.

Listening to your higher power, whatever that might look like for you, can be the key to understanding your purpose. I was in my forties before God showed me my life’s purpose– that I was supposed to dedicate myself to lifting up the next generation of Black commercial real estate brokers.

God showed me my purpose on a typical day in a forgettable and mundane situation. If I’d been closed off from that message, I wouldn’t be doing my life’s work right now. When a power greater than yourself speaks directly to you, I advise listening as closely as possible.