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There’s nothing that can drain your passion and affect your quality of life more than feeling like you have no purpose. But today, I have great news for you. We all have a purpose. We are all here for a specific reason, and each person’s calling is different from the next.

Once you start to understand your own personal significance, you can begin to build up your self-confidence and explore your own unique gifts. Make no mistake – once you start living life by playing to your strengths, you can finally feel fulfilled, passionate, and at peace with yourself. And isn’t that a wonderful feeling?

Discovering your calling will require a little work on your part, but it will be well worth the effort. Start out with a journal, sitting in a quiet place where you won’t be interrupted. And this also means turning off your cell phone, music, and shutting down your computer to eliminate all distractions.

From there, write down the answers to the following questions as quickly as possible without thinking. This is the fun part! This is where you are going to uncover what you really desire, what really makes you tick, and what you truly hope to get out of this life. Here we go…

1. What puts a smile on your face? This can include people, places, events, hobbies, activities, music, etc.

2. What activities do you enjoy that make you lose track of time completely?

3. What are your natural strengths?

4. If you were going to be a teacher, what subject would you teach?

5. What do you love to learn about in your free time?

6. What inspires your creativity?

7. What attributes do people often compliment you on?

8. How would you live your life if you were guaranteed that you couldn’t fail?

The last question is perhaps the most fun. The answer can be anything! Whether it’s owning your own business, traveling around the world for the rest of your days, or even writing a novel – the true answer is up to you.

Now take a moment to quietly reflect on all of your answers. Have you discovered anything new about yourself, or were you already familiar with your strengths and passions? If you answered quickly and honestly, it is likely that a few new answers have arisen that you may not have thought about before regarding your calling in life.

Next, it’s important to look at all of your answers and assess how they connect to one another. Each of these answers is a small piece of a larger puzzle, which is your calling in life. Based upon the themes that you see in all of your answers, you can begin to take action. Of course, taking action and making changes is always scary at first.

The action that you decide to take to pursue your calling may be completely different from what another person decides to do. One person may choose to quit their job and pursue a music career that they have always dreamed of, while another person may begin focusing more on their love of animals by volunteering at an animal shelter in their free time.

The choices that you make to pursue your calling are up to you, but we all know the familiar saying, “The bigger the risk, the greater the reward.” It may take preparation to pursue your calling, but making changes and taking risks will always bring a reward as you move toward your life’s purpose.

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This article was contributed by Bethany Ramos, a full-time freelance writer that is passionate about personal development. She is pursuing her dream by co-owning her own e-commerce website, The Coffee Bump.