5 Books to Find Your Purpose

I have everything, but I feel like something’s missing. Does this thought sound familiar? You have what they told you should make you happy: your basic needs covered, a house, a job, a salary that allows you to live well, comforts… But, once again, that thought is like a fly buzzing around your head: “Yes, I have everything, but…”.

• My job doesn’t excite me.
• I don’t know what my true talents are.
• I lack confidence (or maybe it’s impostor syndrome).
• I don’t know what I’m good at.
• Sometimes, I sense that there’s a better personal and professional life out there for me, but I don’t know how to achieve it.
• I’d like to devote more time to what I truly enjoy.
• I feel like I have something to share with the world, but I don’t know where to start.

1. Designing your life. These two authors, pioneers of Silicon Valley and design professors at Stanford University, explain how to build your own path instead of copying or following the lifestyles, journeys or professions of others. Bill Burnett and Dave Evans share their professional training and experience and present the idea that design is a solution to solve a problem. From this approach, design isn’t just limited to something material —a building, or any tangible result—; the same strategies that come from this discipline can be applied in the development of your own profession and, above all, of your life, so that you can make it a meaningful one. Along these lines, they use the knowledge of what is known as Design Thinking and help you apply it to yourself and, from there on, brick by brick, create a life that makes sense to you. A daily life that feels exciting to live, that you feel satisfies your personal and professional needs and that enables you to help others through your unique talents, abilities and skills. Bill Burnett and Dave Evans also have a website, Designing Your Life, where they offer a series of workshops for individuals and also for companies, and share, along with other professionals, all their knowledge and experience so that you can start creating your own path. We also recommend the two TED talks by the authors: “5 steps to designing the life you want“, by Bill Burnett, and “Designing the rest of your life“, by Dave Evans.

2. Finding Your Element: How to Discover Your Talents and Passions and Transform Your Life is a book by Ken Robinson, an influential educator and advisor to governments around the world. Robinson refers to the “element” as the place where people do what they really want to do and become who they’ve always wanted to be. In this book, Robinson guides readers through a series of questions, such as: How can I discover my talents and passions? What happens if I like something that I’m not good at? What should I do if I’m good at something that I don’t like? What if I can’t make a living from my Element? Throughout the book, Robinson helps readers find the answers to these vital questions that can change their personal and professional paths. Robinson also suggests that no matter your ageor your current situation is, it’s never too late to find your element and transform your life through your passion.

3. The Artist’s Way is a book written by Julia Cameron, a woman of many passions: she’s a writer, a playwright, a composer and a filmmaker. The New York Times has dubbed her “the queen of change” and she has written over forty books, both fiction and non-fiction. Although the title of the book might make it seem like it’s only for people who want to pursue the arts —music, painting, writing or film— the exercises proposed in the book can be useful for anyone, thanks to the abundance of practical exercises that are offered. These exercises will allow you to undergo a process of self-discovery, where you can identify your creative potential from a place of curiosity, playfulness and exploration. One particularly interesting exercise that Cameron suggests is what she calls the “morning pages”. This activity involves writing three pages in a notebook every morning about your thoughts, emotions, feelings or sensations, in order to empty your mind and keep the flow constant. You don’t have to write well; the goal is simply to clear your mind and keep the words flowing.