It can be difficult to know what you should do with your life. You might change careers a few times, or feel lost and purposeless. But don’t worry, there is a way to find your calling.

By living your life with purpose, you can achieve true fulfillment and make the world around you better in the process! Living a purpose-driven life starts with the 10 steps below.

What It Means to Live a Purpose Driven Life

It means living a life that is based on and motivated by your personal values and beliefs. By making choices – both big and small – based on what you believe is right, rather than what is easy or popular.

It also means living with intention, setting goals that reflect your purpose, and taking action steps to achieve them.

10 Steps to Living a Purpose Driven Life

Step 1: Think about what makes you happy

Happiness is not determined by monetary gain or power, but by how we use those things. Identify your own definition of happiness and then determine what it is that you need in order to live such a life.

That could be anything from adventure and freedom, to family and friends. This step may change over time as your priorities shift, so be open-minded about what’s best for you. In order to find happiness in every aspect of your life, you must focus on what’s most important.

It’s okay if you don’t know what that is yet; just keep thinking until something clicks. Remember: It isn’t material objects or accomplishments that bring us joy—it’s connecting with others and living a fulfilling life.

Step 2: Journal your daily activities

The day-to-day details of your life are exactly what make you who you are. They don’t have to be world-changing accomplishments or novel experiences, either—the seemingly small decisions and activities that form your daily routine will help you discover what you love most.

Try keeping a journal for one week, writing down as much detail as possible about everything you do each day, from answering e-mails to buying groceries.

Refrain from judging or analyzing any of these activities: Just write them down!

Step 3: Write your list of priorities

What is your top priority? Is it family, work, friends, or church? Is it also about health and fitness? It doesn’t matter what yours is, as long as you have one.

Make your list of priorities for each major area of your life (health/fitness, family, etc.), and then rank them on a scale of 1-3 based on importance.

For example, if getting in shape is something you want to achieve this year, make sure that becomes your first priority.

Step 4: Create deadlines for those priorities

As tempting as it is, don’t skip step three. If you create your list of priorities without giving much thought to deadlines, then you may find yourself over-committed and overwhelmed.

You need to think through when each priority will be completed—so if you can’t think of a deadline for something, ask yourself when you can realistically expect it done.

Don’t be afraid of failure here—think about what date would be great; it doesn’t have to be realistic. The idea is that you want to set yourself up for success by creating a clear plan with well-defined goals. And while it’s important to set reasonable expectations, there are times when we just don’t know how long something will take.

In those cases, just make sure that you acknowledge that unknown factor in your plan so that you can adjust accordingly once more information becomes available.

Step 5: Find tools to help you achieve goals

It’s important to have tools that can help you achieve your goals. For example, if you want to get in shape, find a gym or workout program that you can commit to.

If you want to save money, look for a budgeting app or financial advisor. If you’re not sure where to start, ask friends or family members for recommendations—or search online for “best (whatever your goal is) tools.”

Step 6: Create accountability

Accountability is an important way to stay on track, whether it’s with dieting or your business. Make sure you tell someone else about your goals so they can hold you accountable and help hold you up when times get tough.

You can even create systems in your daily routine that forces you to be accountable, like signing up for daily emails from sites like SparkPeople, MyFitnessPal, or creating reminders on your phone of when you need to exercise or when your next meeting is.

A good accountability partner could also help keep you motivated; if he knows how much money you have to lose, he might feel more pressure to stick with his diet too!

Step 7: Break down large tasks into actionable steps

Task breakdown is important because it gives you control. Many times, when we look at an overall goal, we might think, “That’s too hard. I can’t do that. I’ll fail.”

Breaking down large tasks into actionable steps gives you control of your own destiny.

After all, it’s easier to put on one sock than two entire pairs! Breaking down a task gives you several chances for victory and keeps things from feeling overwhelming and defeating.

Step 8: Get support from others

Find friends, family, and mentors who will help you along your journey. This support network can make all the difference when times get tough.

Don’t forget that those who love and support you are one of your greatest resources in achieving your goals.

Step 9: Celebrate your successes

In every pursuit, there are highs and lows. It is important that you take time to recognize your achievements—even if they seem small—and celebrate them.

If you don’t, you could end up feeling like your hard work hasn’t paid off and therefore give up on your pursuits altogether.

Take some time for yourself, pat yourself on the back for a job well done, and rest easy knowing that what you’re doing matters.

Step 10: Don’t forget to pause and reflect on your accomplishments

It’s important to take time to stop and reflect on your accomplishments.

Take some time out of your busy schedule today, sit back, and really think about how far you’ve come. What are you most proud of? What did you do that was truly amazing? How do these accomplishments make you feel?

Are there other things in your life that bring you fulfillment outside of work or school? If so, what are they? Take some time today and celebrate with yourself for all your hard work thus far!

Final Thoughts

The key to living a purpose-driven life is to find what brings you fulfillment and stick with it, no matter what.

If you can follow these steps, you’ll be well on your way. Only when you identify what your ideal day looks like will you be able to live with passion and intention. When that happens, you’ll be able to move forward in all areas of your life and make an impact on others.

Will there be tough times? Definitely. But if you are willing to look within yourself and identify what your true passions are, then success is inevitable.