How to Get Unstuck & Find Your Life Purpose

The ultimate guide to get unstuck, find your purpose, and finally feel fulfilled (aka happy) in life. Caution: this guide has powerful tools inside. Please only use if you are truly ready to unleash the juiciness of life, unlock your unique gift, and step into the magic of being human. Complete the exercises in this post by downloading the Purpose Workbook.

How do I get unstuck?

How do I find my purpose?

What if I just won’t ever find my purpose because I don’t really have one?

I hear these questions all the time.

Have you ever felt lost, stuck or directionless in life?

Do you know, deep down, there is “something more” out there for you, but you just don’t know what it is?

Or maybe you just feel anxious on Sundays as you think about your workweek beginning, dreading Monday morning?

This is where we begin. Feeling stuck. Such a common phrase we hear today and one that, if you’re the one feeling it, can feel quite daunting, overwhelming even. Because how does one really get “unstuck”? It’s this feeling that makes us feel helpless almost, because there’s no clear cure for the stuck disease. When you’re in it, it can feel unending, like you are lost in a dark abyss with no exit.

If that is you, sweet friend, let me tell you this: we are never really stuck. Even when we might “feel” stuck, it’s just the soul’s way of getting your attention. It’s your higher self waving the white flag, lovingly calling out that there’s something out of alignment. It’s your intuition telling you, “please, come inward and listen to what I have to say.” Sometimes (oftentimes), it’s the depths of your heart asking for something to be healed or released, so that you may expand into the next chapter of your life.

How do I know we’re never really stuck? Because stuck implies there’s no forward motion. Stuck implies you are caught in the mud and you aren’t going anywhere. But that’s just not possible. We are always moving forward. We just can’t always see it or feel it because it is so damn subtle.

Once we realize that we’re not really stuck, well, that’s when we can actually release some of the fear of never leaving stuck-land and instead, get back into the driver’s seat. That’s when we can decide to face the scary and stop avoiding and feel into the resistance that’s holding us back from what’s next.

Now, there’s lots of reasons we can find ourselves feeling lost in stuckland. But, most often, I find, the best place to look is at purpose. Why is this the best place to look? Because when we know our purpose, when we are clear on the deeper “why” for our lives, when we are rooted in what matters most, then we don’t usually find ourselves feeling stuck. The question to ask yourself is: do I know my purpose and am I living from it? If the answer is “no", that’s great. That means, miss detective, you have your first clue of where to look to get unstuck.

As humans, we are driven by purpose. For some of us, that purpose is mere survival or the hope of creating a better life for our kids. For others, it's leaving the world a little lighter than we found it. We all have something that deep down drives us to do great work. And I believe, we’re all here to expand consciousness using our unique gifts.

I like to say we’re all just here setting each other free. The way we do that - the way our purpose expresses itself - is different for each of us. And when we can put words to it, when we can identify it clearly, that’s when our logical minds can begin to use it.

You've felt it before. We've all felt it. Even if we didn't know exactly what it was at the time. It appears in moments of pure flow, when hours pass and you aren't sure exactly where the time went. It surfaces in the stories where you persevered without knowing if the outcome would match your relentless effort. It shows up in the moments of deep satisfaction that might have caught you off guard.

We don't always recognize when our purpose is coming alive. And because we don't always know when it's happening, we don't know when to follow it. More often than not, our purpose is buried by distractions and responsibilities, causing us to feel stuck, blocked, anxious and even depressed. But our soul knows. And when our minds can grasp what our soul knows with words, that’s when we can create the change our higher selves are asking for. That’s when we can actively make decisions to bring our lives into alignment.

What if you could follow a process to uncover your purpose and keep it top of mind?

What if you could create a personal framework that would allow you to always make decisions that would lead you closer to fulfillment, rather than further away from it?

What if you could wake up every day and know exactly how you could find that sense of inner satisfaction from your work?

We all have a purpose and we don't need to find it. Rather, we need to uncover it. It's already there, waiting to be seen.

Below, I’ve outlined my simple, step-by-step process to uncovering your purpose. Though the process is simple and has helped hundreds figure out what matters most to them, it’s the next step that isn’t so easy. But, we’ll get into that later.

Step 1: Reflect

The first step in uncovering your purpose is doing some self-discovery by asking yourself a series of questions. Since your purpose is already alive in you, your life stories are the keys to unlocking it. These powerful questions are all outlined in The Purpose Workbook.

Step 2: Identify Your Themes

Reread your answers to the questions. Underline the patterns, repeated statements and words that stand out to you. Try to let your intuition guide you. Record the themes from your reflections in words and short phrases. These themes can also be used to identify values.

Step 3: Create A Purpose Statement

Review your themes and pull out three or four that really stand out to you. Use these themes to draft a one-sentence statement that captures the patterns in your answer. Write your purpose statement using your themes, answering these questions: What matters most to you? Why are you here? The first time you write it, it won't be perfect. But when you read it, it should inspire you and excite you. To test it, think about a few examples in your life when you were living your purpose. How did you feel? If you felt fulfilled and satisfied, then you know you're on the right track. Be patient with it, as it will continue to unfold for you over time.

Step 4: Align Your Life & Integrate Your Purpose

This is the tricky part. Just because you know what your purpose is doesn’t necessarily mean you’re living it. Many of us get blocked by this step. The power of purpose emerges when we learn how to let it become the driver for our lives and the lens through which we make decisions. The first three steps don’t matter much if we don’t do anything with it. Once you’ve found your purpose, then it’s time to integrate it.

What To Expect When You Align Your Life to Your Purpose

When you’re living from purpose, life looks a little different. You no longer get lost in the minutia of daily life. You can see the bigger picture and the small stuff just doesn’t matter as much anymore. You feel fulfilled—happiness that isn’t fleeting. Rather, a sense of contentment and meaning that emanates from the depths of your soul. You still experience challenges, of course, because they’re a part of the process. They help you grow so that you can get even closer to your purpose. But now you see the challenges for what they are: critical stepping stones for your journey. And, you no longer feel hijacked by your emotions. You see that they are tools — messengers — here to tell you what is out of alignment, what needs to be processed, where some healing might be called for.

Beware though, once you turn the light on, you can’t really turn it off. Once you feel what it feels like to live from a sense of purpose, you have felt the truth of the secret of life. You can no longer live out of alignment, avoiding and numbing. You will be called deeper and deeper to your purpose. Your higher self won’t let you hide anymore. If you dare, if you’re willing to let go of society’s conditions and expectations for the pursuit of purpose, complete the process above and watch the magic unfold.

Click here to complete the exercises in this post to get unstuck & find your purpose using the Purpose Workbook.