For some time I have been aware that for many people finding their purpose seems to be connected to an outer event or circumstance in which they contribute to others or see certain goals fulfilled. It is almost as if the idea is there, that you feel a certain identity, and that you have now found your purpose, which is somehow separate from who you are.

I think that is a familiar identity, believing that you can actually find your purpose, without deeply looking into who you are, without peeling away layers of unconsciousness and beliefs, staying in the same comfort zone you have always been...

But I think that is a case of misunderstanding.

Knowing your purpose is having stripped yourself down, surrendering and finding your familiar sense of self is not what it seemed.

If you do not know who you are, purpose is usually filling a lack or trying to overcome a sense of disconnection from your deep nature.

So how do you start this exploration?

Many self-help posts on the topic are helpful and useful. They discuss looking into your talents, your strength, things you love doing, or things other people consider you are gifted in etc. as a way of connecting to your purpose. But that is only part of the conversation.

Some questions are:

What inspires you deeply? What are you passionate about?

What gifts do you have and what do you love? What is a talent you find in yourself?

A deeper level of looking at this is:

Knowing one's purpose is knowing one's being. You cannot really know your purpose, if you do not ask the question "Who Am I?". Because without knowing your essential inner nature, the purpose of manifestation is not fully understood, and you keep chasing a conceptual idea in the time to come.

Service and contribution go hand in hand with an expression of purpose, and to discover what you feel could be your contribution can help you steer closer to who you are.

In the end, what is most important is that when you truly want to explore your inner nature, and you discover more and more of you who you are, you also serve others, and you know your purpose not as an idea in your mind, but as a state of consciousness.