As a kid, when your teacher asked, “what do you want to be when you grow up?” did your answer then match your occupation today? For me, no. As a pre-teen, I wholeheartedly wanted to be a lawyer when I grew up. As I got closer and closer to graduating high school, I discovered how challenging, time consuming, and expensive the path to achieving Esquire really is and it turned me off from what I thought I would always become. Needing to pivot from the only career path I’d ever considered, I was lost.

As a young adult who left home at 19, I struggled to find my footing of what my purpose is in this life. What was my passion? What did I love doing? What did I hate doing? What did I feel drawn to do everyday? My answers were scattered and changed monthly. I found myself envious of the people who knew what they wanted to be as a child and stayed the course – no matter how challenging, time consuming, or expensive. But, this wasn’t my reality.

Fortunately, during this discovery period, I worked different jobs in different industries while acquiring new skills. It was experience and exposure that allowed me to find my purpose. Purpose can be rooted in anything; not only should you seek it in your professional life. Here is how I discover purpose for any aspects of life:

• What acts give me the rewarding feeling of wanting to do more and more?
• What acts do I love doing everyday or feel drawn to do?
• What is my ‘why’? (motivation behind my doing)

I encourage you to ask yourself those questions! If you are feeling lost or unsure of next steps in professional or personal life, ask yourself those questions, please. The answers just may uncover what you need to know. Purpose is subjectively unique to your wants and needs so dig deep and be honest with yourself. As my dad always said, plan your work, then work your plan. Happy discovery!