When it comes to finding your life’s purpose, every person is different. Some people inherently know their purpose, but they’re not sure how to really get it going. There might be something in their lives that brings them joy, but for some reason or another, they haven’t been able to get on the path to pursuing that passion.

Others are completely lost — they have no idea what it is that they want to do with their lives. There are others still, who may never find their purpose, because they don’t care, or they aren’t actively thinking about it. The key factor in determining which one of these camps you fit in is your level of awareness. Depending on how conscious you are of what makes you happy, finding your purpose can take you a lifetime, or months, or a matter of hours.

I recently read an article at “Think Simple Now” that offered “15 Questions to Discover Your Life Purpose.” It claimed to help you find your purpose in twenty minutes. The author guides readers to write down answers to a series of questions about what inspires and moves them. While I think this is a great tool for some people, I personally like to get a little more creative with it.

I tell my clients to use a combination of different things in order to find their purpose. Because every person is unique, I like to use their own personal thoughts and memories to help tap into their purpose.

For example: Visualize events in your past that made you really excited and happy. What exactly were you doing at that time? What feelings were you experiencing? Then, visualize yourself doing those same things now, in the present time. Does it bring about the same feelings?

Now take out a piece of paper and a pen, and start jotting down these fond memories to see if you can find a pattern. Sometimes if you look back in your past, you will find that similar events and types of people were bringing you fulfillment. As you know, thoughts and feelings create reality, so when you start bringing up these memories, it is very important to connect with the reactions that come with them.

Another way to find your purpose is trying out new things that interest you. Perhaps there’s something that you’ve always been curious about but for some reason haven’t tried.

Most importantly, learn what makes YOU happy. Use your passion as the sole reason for saying “no” to anything that does not align with your purpose. By that I mean, if someone asks you to do something, and you don’t have a desire or an obligation to do it, say “No, thank you,” and then do something that truly makes you happy. You need to learn to say no to things that don’t make you happy so that you can make room to bring the things that bring you joy and peace.

Finding your purpose can be an intensive process, but it can also be eye-opening and life-changing. Here are some of the questions I ask my clients when they come to me seeking advice on determining their purpose.

1) What are some of the things that excite you about your past?

Close your eyes and visualize yourself in past events that have made you happy. Go far back into your childhood and try to remember your first feelings of joy. What were you doing? What kinds of people were involved? Move forward into you childhood, your adolescence, your early adult years. What happy memories do you have from those life stages? What made you feel fulfilled? See if you can spot any patterns from those memories. Oftentimes, you can find a common thread that links those events together. People who can successfully put their fingers on that consistent element are well on their way to determining their life’s purpose.

2) What is something I have accomplished that makes me especially proud?

While you’re looking to your past, try to pinpoint things that you’ve done that you are especially proud of. What you find might surprise you. It might not be the “obvious” answers, like a raise or a promotion at your job. It might be something deeper, but more subtle, like a time you volunteered or helped others. It might be a time you coached a little league team, or helped a friend find a solution to a tough problem. Try to go beyond the surface to the things that made you feel like a better, more fulfilled person.

3) What matters most to you?

After you look to the past, look to the present day. If you are seeking your true purpose, chances are you might not be exactly living it day to day, but look for the things that really make you happy in your current life. What are the things you can’t imagine living without? What kind of people excite you when you are around them? What conversations really get you fired up? All of these are clues leading you to your true calling in life.

4) What legacy do I want to leave behind?

Now that you’ve looked at your present and your past, it’s time to look at your future. What would you like your legacy to be? Many people haven’t thought about this, and if you haven’t, that’s perfectly okay. If your current life path isn’t particularly the one you’d like to leave behind you, what changes would you like to make?

5) What would you like people to say about you after you’re gone?

This is a particularly hard question for some people to answer, as it forces them to face their own mortality. However, recognizing that you will one day no longer be on this earth is a powerful tool to help you steer you in the right direction of your life’s true happiness. Think about your loved ones giving your eulogy at your funeral. What would you like them to say about you? What accomplishments would they be speaking of?

Take a moment to visualize your answers to these questions. Then, write them down and reflect upon your findings. Let the common threads amongst your past, present, and ideal future be the guide to finding your true purpose.

Some people believe that life is meant to be endured, not enjoyed. They believe you take a job to be financially stable, not to do what you enjoy. For them, we’re all here to fulfill a purpose, but it’s a very small one. How do you talk to somebody like that? How do you tell them that it’s okay to not do the job that you hate? How do you tell them that it’s okay to pursue that secret, fleeting thought about what would truly make them happy in life?

Living a life of purpose is an abstract concept for some. Many people are deeply conditioned since birth that one life’s purpose is to make money, maintain a certain status, become popular, or collect material things. While you are exploring your own life’s journey, it might be hard for others to comprehend. Sometimes it helps to explain it in this way: Living a life of purpose is actually good for your heath.

When you are living a life of purpose, it means you are doing what matters most to you — something you love, not something you feel you have to do. As a result, you have more energy, more enthusiasm, more creativity, and more power. Life becomes richer, moment by moment. Your sense of humor may become heightened because you find amusement and joy in the little things. You accomplish more. Life becomes more meaningful.

When you experience hatred and dislike toward your life, it causes stress in your body. Scientists have performed studies about what makes humans happy and what happens in the body when they stop doing what makes them happy.

One of the studies focused on Marines who, like most in the armed forces, lived their lives to serve their country. These Marines would serve in the Corps in a completely healthy, athletic state for twenty or thirty years before retiring. However, as soon as the Marines returned home, they lost the meaning in their lives. They woke up in the morning to no purpose, feeling bored and lacking the kind of relationships they had with their comrades. Consequently, this stress caused the Marines to gain weight and experience health problems, and a large number of the Marines passed away within a few years of retiring.

There’s actually a term called apoptosis used by scientists that refers to this process of “programmed cell death.” By forfeiting all meaning in their lives, the Marines were essentially “telling” their cells, “I have served my purpose, and now I have nothing more to live for.”

I’ve experienced a lesser version of this in my own life, when I moved to America after working overseas. Working abroad, the nature of my career kept me in tip-top shape in order to perform to the best of my ability. Since moving to the United States, I have gained a few pounds now that my job is more sedentary. While I would not be considered overweight and I hit the gym regularly, I couldn’t seem to shake those last few pounds. My wife suggested I attack it from another angle — “Forget about the three or four pounds,” she advised. “Why don’t you do something for your health with purpose, like going back to doing triathlons?” Now, by having something to look forward to and train for, my workouts have completely changed. I have more energy. I get more creative with my exercise routines. I challenge myself to beat my personal best time, or add more reps to my goal.

Remember, your mind is extremely powerful, and your consciousness has the ability to affect your physical well-being. In this way, living your life on purpose is actually essential in maintaining your overall health.

How do you get the most out of living your life on purpose? You do what matters most to you. (Oftentimes, life’s most simple questions have the most simple answers.)

The truth is, most people do not choose their life purpose — they merely choose a career. This is mainly for status in society: “If I become this, people will view me a certain way, and because of that, I will finally be happy.” Sadly, most people become the opposite of that — they feel empty and unfulfilled. That’s why knowing your purpose beforehand is critical, because you know what it takes to live your life to the fullest and what brings you joy.

A lot of motivational coaches lead their clients to believe that once they find their life’s purpose, that’s it, that’s the end. Some people think you come here for one reason, and one reason only. I like to take the approach that we are always evolving, ever changing. We change everything from what clothes we want to wear, to where we choose to live, to our opinions on everyday matters.

For example, being in the military, for me, was my ultimate career choice at that time. It was something I always wanted to do and made me happy, and I still think of it fondly. However, as time went on, my life changed and evolved, and so did my purpose. I found fulfillment in the military, but I also wanted to grow and influence more people in a different way. While the essence of what I do is still the same, the path is just slightly different. Being in the military served me in a very important way, but after a while I stopped growing spiritually, and I needed to reevaluate where my life was going.

Think about how you feel when your alarm goes off in the morning. Do you feel like jumping out of bed and eagerly seizing what the day has to offer? Or do you have to drag yourself out of bed, dreading the start to yet another 8-5 work day? If you experience the latter, ask yourself: What would change that?

In my experience, you are constantly in a state of becoming what is best for you specifically. You need to let your passions guide you to whoever that person is, using your emotions as a gauge. What makes you happy TODAY? Right here, right now. What makes your heart sing? Let your answer be the guide to getting the most out of living your life on purpose.

Living Life On Purpose is not always easy. We’re sometimes so bogged down by what we have to do that we forget to look at what we love to do.

Because passion and purpose go hand in hand, we want to continually pursue and identify what excites us. Several times a week, consider going on a “passion quest.” Try something that interests you — perhaps something you’ve never done, but have always been curious about. Leave the “what if?” behind, and just do it. See if it resonates with your heart. Uncover something new or forgotten about yourself. Don’t assume you know everything — play detective for a week, as if you don’t know yourself.

Make time for what makes you happy. Use your passion as the sole reason for saying, “No thanks.” In other words, when someone asks you to do something, and you don’t have an obligation or a desire to do it, make the decision to opt out.

For example, when I was working overseas, I was making great money, but I wasn’t really fulfilled. So I turned to my passion and my purpose, which was to inspire other people to do great things. But in order to do that, I had to say “no.” I had to take a big risk: quit my job in the middle of an economic recession and follow what really made me happy. This is something I always wanted to do, and for me, this was my next step in life. Some people might think that’s crazy, but if you’re not living your purpose in life, what are you doing? Are you just another person sitting here and just going through the motions?

Your passions will always lead you to your purpose. Passion is your access to power. So if you want to find out you purpose, ask yourself, “What am I passionate about?” Read about it, write about it, talk to other people about it. If you get excited about it every time, you’re passionate about it. If you get tired of it, then it probably wasn’t your true passion.

As you discover the answer, you will begin to align yourself with that purpose, and it will begin to manifest what you want in your life. You will not be just going through the motions, confused; you will be living for a reason.