Discovering Your Life Purpose

In this article, my godchild and I talk about discovering our life purpose. More specifically, we discuss: how to define life purpose, questions to discover your life purpose, can your purpose in life change over time, and, how to ensure that we don't fail at fulfilling our life purpose.

A new podcast is born

A couple of months ago I received a call from Marce, my cousin and goddaughter who currently lives in Spain. She told me with excitement about her new project. She was about to start a new podcast series, and she wanted me to be part of one of her shows.

I felt hesitant right away. I'm kind of introverted and shy so appearing on a podcast is not something that I look forward to. That's why I've said no to other podcast hosts in the past. But how could I say no to my goddaughter, right?

Besides, this episode's topic is something that I've been working on throughout my entire adult life. I even wrote an article about it years ago in this blog.

So of course I said yes and joined her podcast series called “Enfoque Poderoso.” You can find this podcast show right here on Apple Podcast and Spotify. The show is in Spanish, but below you can find an English transcript of this episode.

Discovering My Purpose

Enfoque Poderoso:  Descubriendo mi propósito

by Marce Pino

Marce: Hi everyone, I’m Marce Pino, and I’m so happy you’re here with me, listening to the fourth episode of Enfoque Poderoso. Thank you for being part of this journey.

Today, we’re going to talk about Discovering My Purpose, a huge topic for me and very special because I’ll be joined by Marco.

But since we’re in a comfortable and safe space, you’ll hear me affectionately call him Marquito. He’s been discovering and working on his life’s purpose over the years.

First of all, what we’re going to discuss is based on our experiences, what we’ve learned, and the path life has shown us. Before Marquito tells us a bit about himself and his journey, I want to share why I chose this topic.

It took me a long time to understand it, and now I can tell you that working with purpose, knowing those longings, letting yourself be guided by what your heart tells you, takes you down a different path that life has prepared for you, and it’s wonderful. But before, I was struggling to go in a different direction.

And in preparing for this episode, I thought about the following: Imagine that inside you, there’s another “you” ready to help you, and if we give it a name, it’s your inner power.

But to wake it up, you have to take the first step, which is to have a clear vision. And within that vision are your longings, your desires, what you expect from life, where you want to go. Ultimately, it’s about discovering what your life’s purpose is.

This topic might scare us a bit, or we might see it as too big because we might ask ourselves, “But what’s mine? I’m, I don’t know, X years old, and I still haven’t figured it out.” And I think we often live in a crisis of thought.

What do I mean? There are people who, for a long time—and I include myself here—might have asked themselves these questions: What’s my role in this life? What’s my purpose? Why am I here on this earth? What’s my mission?

And maybe some people are still asking themselves these questions. And there are others who might still be unable to answer them. But as you grow and start to wake up that inner self I was talking about, you understand that you are loved, and then you exist.

That is, I am loved, you are loved unconditionally. I’m not here by mistake, and I have a purpose to discover. In other words, how important it is to live with intensity, with goals, and in a way that aligns with them.

Knowing that each of us is unique and irreplaceable, and I love to say this—we all have a purpose. We are called to make the world better with our attitude, our being, our light. We’re full of gifts and talents.

But now, without further ado, it’s a great pleasure for me that Marquito is here sharing with me. So thank you so much for joining me and being a part of this podcast.

Marco: Thanks for inviting me to be part of your podcast.

Marce: I’d like you to tell us a little bit about yourself.

Marco: At the moment, I’m living on the south coast of Sri Lanka. It’s a wonderful country. In recent years, I’ve fallen in love with surfing, so now I try as much as possible to stay close to a beach where I can surf.

Marce: Okay, and tell me, what are you doing currently?

Marco: Right now, I’m working on a project related to Sanskrit, the ancient language of India that’s used in sacred texts like the Bhagavad Gita, which talks about the philosophy of yoga.

I’m preparing to teach Sanskrit online and create content related to Sanskrit.

Marce: I love that you’ve been creating content based on what you love to do for a long time. And now I think the Sanskrit topic is a huge challenge, but it will be great. 

Now, in your own words, tell me, how would you define, or what does life’s purpose mean to you?

Marco: Well, to me, life’s purpose is simply the reason we’re here, the role we’re supposed to play in this human journey. And what is that role? In my opinion, it’s what our hearts tell us and what life puts in our path.

Marce: What you’re saying really resonates with me because, in the end, yes, the purpose is to understand that calling life gives us to fulfill in this earthly world. And as you said, what the heart says, every decision we make brings us closer to that purpose.

Another question I wanted to ask you is, do you think that life’s purpose changes according to age or the stage of life you’re in?

Marco: Yes, of course, I believe it can change depending on the stage of our life, and I think it’s possible to have more than one purpose.

For example, as I told you earlier, I recently had to take in three orphaned kittens. It wasn’t something I planned; I didn’t expect it at all—they just ended up in my hands, and now they’ve completely changed my routine.

But I feel that now one of my purposes is to give them a good life while they’re with me, even if it’s just for a few weeks.

Marce: What you said is so true. It’s possible that we don’t find our life’s purpose right away, or that it’s not the final one or just one. We can end up having small purposes in our lives.

We might stick with those small purposes, or they might even lead us to a bigger purpose. Because, in the end, our destiny isn’t completely determined. It can change direction. Like you told me, with the kittens that came knocking on your door—now you have some kittens, and that wasn’t part of the plan.

And I was remembering when we started the year, and I made my vision board again. And when I did it for the first time, my coach told me that I could have several purposes.

And that even the goals I set for the medium term could change depending on what I was going to experience or the decisions I was going to make. Because we evolve, we transform.

I mean, life takes us to other places, other times, and in the end, you say, it’s not the same thing I wanted before, they’re not the same interests, it’s not the same as what I had planned a couple of years ago, right?

And now, with what I told you, how can you steer your life toward that purpose you’ve discovered, that you’ve set, and I want to put this in quotes, “so as not to fail in the attempt?”

Marco: I think the question shouldn’t be how not to fail in the attempt. Quite the opposite, when we work on our purpose, we shouldn’t care about the final result, whether it’s success or failure. What matters is living our purpose day by day, regardless of the final outcome.

Of course, we must be clear about where we’re headed, what we want to achieve, but we must remember that our purpose is lived in the present moment, not in the future. What counts is what we do today. Our duty, our responsibility, is to do everything we can today to reach that goal.

The final result isn’t up to us.

For example, right now I’m working on these Sanskrit-related projects. I know exactly what I want to do, I have a lot of ideas in mind, but I have no idea if they’ll work. In fact, there are many reasons why they might fail.

The market for Sanskrit education is very niche. My knowledge of Sanskrit is still very, very basic, and there are many certified native teachers from India who have studied this language since childhood.

But none of that matters because the truth is I can’t stop thinking about bringing the ideas I have in mind to life. It’s something I’m passionate about.

And the only thing I can do today is simply take one more step in that direction.

Marce: Totally, and I completely agree with you. And I’m taking away these words: 

“The final result isn’t up to us.”

Live in the present and take steps in that direction, which will ultimately lead us to where we want to go. And I don’t know if I’m wrong, but I also think that’s the way to live fully. What do I mean?

Finding meaning in everything we do in our day-to-day lives. Striving for what we want. And as you said, bringing those purposes to life, giving them form, regardless of the outcome or where life takes us.

Now, the most important question. Have you discovered your life’s purpose?

Marco: Yes, absolutely. As I said, I have several purposes, several reasons why I get out of bed every morning. They might change in the future, but I know that today, I’m doing what I need to do today.

Marce: I loved what you said, “Today, I’m doing what I need to do.” Because in the end, those goals or those reasons are what will lead you to that purpose, right, or that bigger purpose.

But, of course, when I say bigger purpose, I’m not talking about being someone famous, saving the world, or something like that, or turning it into a profession, like the best communicator, the best advertiser—I’m just throwing out examples.

But sometimes, it’s just a simple purpose, nothing more, that can be something like “being a source of love for others.” For me, that’s a top, wonderful, and grand purpose—a big responsibility.

Imagine that, “being a source of love for others.” Being a person who acts from love, who sees, observes, and offers love to others. Or even, as you said, giving a better life to those kittens while they’re with you. For me, sharing that is incredibly valuable.

And I’d like to ask you one more question before we wrap up. What tips or recommendations can you give us to help us find our life purpose?

Marco: Well, many years ago, I shared on my blog a series of questions to help us find our life purpose. These questions have helped me a lot. Whenever I feel doubtful or unsure about what I’m doing, they’ve given me clarity and confidence.

I suggest answering them in writing, in a journal. Ideally by hand, but digitally works too. The important thing is to take your time answering them according to what your heart tells you.

• What would you do if you knew your success was guaranteed, if you were 100% sure you wouldn’t fail?
• What would you do if you had complete financial freedom? Imagine that you’ve already had all your dream vacations and you have all the material possessions you’d like to have. So, what’s next? What would you do with your life?
• If someone asked you, “What do you do for a living?” what answer would make you feel proud and excited?
• What activities or hobbies make you feel so motivated, joyful, and satisfied with yourself that it’s hard to stop and do something else?
• What would you do if you knew you were going to leave this world in the next three or six months? Would you keep doing what you’re doing today?
• If you had the power to change anything in your life just by thinking about it, what would you change?

Marce: Thank you for sharing them.

Marco: Well, I hope you and your audience find this information useful. And thank you for asking me these questions that have made me reflect once again on my life purpose.

Marce: Listening to you, it occurred to me that I need to take it step by step. To awaken that desire, to know where I need to go, to understand what it is I truly want. I think it’s fantastic.

And with that, I’ll start wrapping up.

But after receiving all these questions, which to me have been a huge gift, I believe that we shouldn’t just wander through life out of curiosity, like when you’re just a tourist.

If you’ve found something that moves you, something that aligns with your essence, with your being, don’t keep just being curious—go after it. Put all your energy into it and let that guide your path.

As you said earlier, knowing you have a purpose that gets you up every day.

And let me tell you something, having a life purpose or even mini-purposes is the greatest act of love you can give yourself. It’s about knowing you’re responsible for what happens to you, and being aware of what you’re creating in your life. You create your own reality.

Honestly, I’m super happy. Thank you for joining me, for saying yes to this episode, for your humility, your kindness, and your sharing, which has been wonderful.

When I planned this episode, I thought, “Marquito has to be here,” because I know you’ve had a journey that has led you to discover several purposes. Everything you’ve gone through has brought you to where you are now, and I think that’s incredible.

Marco: Thank you.

Marce: And thank you to all of you for listening, because I know in some way my episodes will help at least one person, and I hope that person is you.

See you in the next episode. With love, Marce.

Don't forget to listen to the original show in Spanish on Apple Podcast or Spotify, and make sure you subscribe and leave a positive review.  Thanks for supporting my goddaughter!