Purpose is what gives meaning to life and guarantees growth. It is the clear picture of how future should look like. If we don’t know our purpose, we can’t design our life.
Knowing the purpose is especially very important for young people who need to put a lot of effort to develop habits that would direct them to right action. I have had many students who needed this clarity and vision in order to buy into their growth.
Developing a sense of purpose is one of the most important but overlooked aspects of teen development. Many teens are doing well in school but they have little direction in life. The majority of teens start talking about purpose when they have to, meaning right when they want to write their college admission essay.
The point here is not to create a false image for teens to stick to. It’s rather finding out who they are and what they are passionate about. Parents should listen and learn through casual and formal conversations with their children, what they describe as their desired life, who their role models are, what kind of activities they sign up for, to get some directions.
I can’t emphasize enough how crucial it is for parents to help their children in the process of understanding themselves, their passion and interests. Most kids have always been told what to think, at school and at home, and as a result, they are not independent thinkers. They rely on their parents up to certain age to think for them. We should resist the temptation to take the role of a decision maker in the lives of our teens because we can only elongate the duration of their dependency.
When we learn the uniqueness and talents, strengths and weaknesses of our children without judgement, we will then be able to raise their self-awareness which will lead for them to finding their purpose and meaning in life.
By finding out who they really are and developing their strengths, they would be able to make thoughtful decisions and take responsibility for their lives. When that happens, school will no longer be an obligation, homework and exams will not be longer be a burden. Everything they do would make sense only when their life purpose is aligned with who they are.
Most of us wait too long to start asking “adult”questions from our children. We don’t talk about life purpose and meaning in their early years. We don’t plant the seed of curiosity in their mind to ask themselves why they do what they do. We wait until their subconscious mind is populated with orders and programs and it is much harder to start questioning themselves why they do what they do.
When we know our purpose, our life changes. It is only by knowing our why that we can grow ourselves create the life that we want. Becoming fixated on a purpose in life makes us braver to try harder and to not fear the unknown, the obstacles and the bumps on the road to success.
Help your children find their purpose early in life. That purpose would most likely change or take another form but a directed mind is what they need to develop the right beliefs, habits, actions and results.
The Youth Exploratory Report will help you and your child find the answer.
Grab your 8 page of a “mini” D.I.S.C. assessment here and report here. The report provides your youth with:
– A quick assessment of their primary D.I.S.C. style
– A summary of their style
– Their key strengths
– Areas for personal growth
– Examples of career paths that utilize their strength.
The Center for Youth Leadership 