How to draw a map to your purpose
To follow your gut, you need a map. Here’s how to draw one.
I made a commitment to follow my gut and find something worth doing.
It took a lot of self-awareness and conversations with people closest to me, but I gave myself orders to go on a journey: find what I love doing, as fast as possible — at all costs.
Here’s how I drew the map for my journey.
On Friday of Week 5 of living in my parent’s basement, my mom and I had a long talk that changed my life. I told her I felt pressure from my peers. Imaginary pressure — but — pressure nonetheless. I remember saying, “I don’t mind going against my peers. But, why am I scared of their opinions?”
Her follow-up question wounded me:
Who do you look up to?
Stab. Right in the heart. Tears.
Try this exercise for yourself: think through all of the important people in your life: your family, your friends, your teachers growing up, your professors, your teammates, your coworkers, your important-but-not-altogether-important-acquaintances.
Why do you remember them? What did you do together? Why’d you crack up laughing that one time?
Now say their names to yourself. Out loud if you can.
Brutal, right? It’s gut-wrenching.
In those memories, I found the insight that changed my life.
I didn’t name people in these buckets:
- People I wished I were more like
- People closest to me
- People I love
I started naming the people I truly looked up to and why.
Some people are resilient and I appreciate their manner in the face of chaos.
Some people are incredibly caring and I admire their outward effort to express it.
Some people have an absurdly diligent work ethic. Their work ethic has inspired me to work harder.
Some people love me and I have no idea why.
I love some people and have no idea why.
The people you name are the ones that have played the most important roles in your story. Your own cast of side characters that move the plot forward.
Mom’s next question is where you begin the work:
Who do you want to be for those people?
Clarity. I wrote all these things down. I made it real.
From that moment, I’ve lived a different life. I had a guide for my actions. I had a clear goal: fulfill those people’s wishes for me.
These people don’t care how much money you make, what clothes you wear, what city you live in, or your relationship status. They only care about your well-being. They have one metric they measure against: are you happy?
This was the key that unlocked the door to what I wanted to do next. And forever.
Here it is. The map to find your purpose:
Start here: who do you look up to? End here: who do you want to be for those people?
Get going or you’ll miss it.
