Do you know what your purpose is? It doesn’t have to be the one guiding purpose of your entire life; it could just be your purpose during this stage of your life. But do you have an idea of what it is?
My husband and I recently spent two nights in San Francisco—without kids! 💃 We wandered quiet city streets and took selfies in front of the Golden Gate Bridge just like we did fourteen years ago on our honeymoon.
We missed our kids, OF COURSE, and often found ourselves commenting on how much the kids would have loved some of our adventures.
But whenever I’m away from them (even if it’s been a LONG time since the stars aligned like that), it always surprises me how quickly I feel “normal.”
Comfortable, just as myself.
It reminds me that as all-consuming as parenthood is, I’m still there—beneath the titles of wife, mother, housekeeper, and carpool runner.
Maybe Your Roles Are Not Your Purpose
For you, the all-consuming role right now might not be parenthood. Maybe it’s your job, your path to conceiving a baby, your role as a caregiver for an aging parent, or a hundred other things.
Whatever it is, I hope you can remember that underneath it all, I’m the Erica I’ve always been, and you’re the girl *you’ve* always been, too.
You are allowed to have identity outside of your roles and titles.
Let’s take this discussion of roles one step further and talk about PURPOSE.
It seems to me that a lot of people think their purpose in life IS their role. I often hear women say that their purpose is to be a wife and a mom.
I absolutely understand that, because family life is important and beautiful and… like I just mentioned, all-consuming. 😉 When you’re in it, it can feel like the only thing.
What If You Purpose Is Bigger Than Your Roles?
But what if you looked at it differently?
To use my own life as an example, I find meaning and fulfillment in being a wife and a mom, but I believe my purpose is separate from that. I believe my purpose (at least for this season of my life) is to help people find relief from the idea that they need to prove their worth. 💕
Motherhood—the front and center role in my life right now—helps me fulfill this purpose, because I get to do my best to raise my children to believe that they are inherently enough. But to me, the ROLE of being my kids’ mom—as much as I treasure it—isn’t my purpose.
I also get to fulfill my purpose as a writer and content creator, but again, my purpose isn’t to be either of those things. Those roles SUPPORT and enable me to FULFILL my purpose.
So let’s circle back to the question I asked at the beginning of this post:
What’s your purpose? More specifically, can you look deeper than your roles and discover your purpose?
It can be easy to feel trapped in our roles—almost as if we’re servants to them—but when you uncover purpose and start to see how your roles SERVE your purpose, it’s incredibly freeing. And fulfilling.
Then How Do I Find My Purpose?
The question you might be asking yourself now is, “Um, Erica, so how do I pin DOWN my purpose? How do I find it?” I wouldn’t leave you high and dry on this!
I have a free worksheet you’re welcome to download—21 Questions to Discover Your Purpose!
By answering these 21 questions for yourself, I think you’ll finally thread together some of the themes of your life and—hopefully—discover the purpose that’s been there all along.
I believe that the things that light you up are not random; they are connected to your purpose.
xo!
More from Episode 1 of “Life On Purpose with Erica Layne”
- What Matters Most: A super simple (but oddly effective) thing you can do when you’re feeling stressed and overwhelmed.
- A Decluttering Tip: Let go of the things that are cluttering up your home, head, and heart—starting with this tip!
- How much clutter could you get rid of in just seven days? Better question: How would it feel to live in a clutter-free home? Start your home’s transformation with my 7-day roadmap—Declutter, De-stress!
Click on Episode 1 in the audio player below to listen to the full episode, OR find the show in your favorite podcasts app (links provided below). Don’t forget to hit subscribe, and thanks for listening!
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Show produced by Callie Wright
I agree your role in life can be different than your purpose. If you are lucky, the role in life your choose will help prepare you for your purpose.
True, Tony. Thank you!