Discover your purpose in life

I have delved in various businesses in my life with a varying degree of success. While I was able to gain some satisfaction from the successes I enjoyed, it is what I do now that gives me the most satisfaction.

Whether we believe it or not, we were all put on this earth for a reason. Finding yours will be one of the first steps toward making big changes in your life.

Think about the things you are good at, the things that you feel passionate about, the things that you enjoy the most and which give you satisfaction.

Face your fears

Fear sometimes keeps us from enjoying and contribute to our failures.

Fear of the unknown, fear of public speaking, fear of doing something by ourselves or fear of rejection can limit our horizons.

Once you face that fear, you gain confidence to tackle other big goals in your life.

Studies show remembering courageous acts from our past can help us find the courage needed to face a new fear or a challenge.

My friend Dave, who has struggled with failure all his adult life, has decided to face his biggest fear, and in so doing, transformed himself out of a life of disappointment to a successful life.

Discovering your purpose will ensure you are headed in the direction you have chosen.

Keep at it

We all need second chances. People rarely get things right the first time.

Most major accomplishments in a person’s life happened by the decision to try again and again, and to get up after every failed attempt and give it another shot.

The only difference between an opportunity and an obstacle is attitude. Getting a second chance in life is about giving yourself the opportunity to grow beyond your past failures. It is about positively adjusting your attitude towards future possibilities.

Identify the lesson

Everything is a life lesson. Everything you encounter, everyone you meet and are all part of the learning experience we call life.

Never forget to recognise the lesson, especially when things do not go your way.

If you do not get a job you wanted or when a relationship does not work, it simply means something better is waiting out there. And the lesson you just learned is the first step towards it.

Focus on what you can change

Some things are out of your control. The best thing is doing the most with the resources you can access.

Wasting your talent, time and emotional energy on things that are beyond your control is a recipe for frustration, stagnation and misery. Invest your energy in the things you can change.

Eliminate the non-essential

First, identify the essentials; the things in your life that matter. Then eliminate the fluff. This simplifies things and leaves you with a fresh, solid foundation to build upon without interferences.

This process works with any aspect of your life. Remember, you cannot accomplish anything if you are trying to accomplish everything.

Be very specific

When you set new goals, try to be as specific as possible.  “I want to lose 20 kilogrammes” is a goal you can aim to achieve. “I want to lose weight” is not.

Knowing the specific measurements of what you want to achieve is the only way you will ever get the result you desire.

Be specific of what actions you will take. “I will exercise” is not actionable. It is far too vague. “I will jog for three kilometers every weekday at 5.30 am” is something tangible — something you can build a routine around and measure.

Work on it

Stop waiting for things to improve. While many of us want to answer our calling in life, only a few actually work on it.

By “working on it,” I mean truly devoting yourself to the result. The rest of us never act on our internal calling. We pretend to act on it by putting forth an uninspired, half baked effort.

If you want a real second chance, you have got to be willing to give it all you got.  Remember the words of Dr Maria Robinson.

“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”