How to Discover Your Life’s
Purpose from Today’s Leading
Experts By Cari Vollmer
Do you know your life’s purpose? Most people, at some point, wonder what theirs is. We search for meaning and hope that our lives carry special meaning. We sense, at a deep level, there is MORE to life. We can feel it. （你知道你生命的目的/意義嗎？大多數人在某些時候，好奇他們的是甚麼。我們尋找意義且希望我們的生命帶著些特殊的意義。我們在深層感覺得到，是有更多於生命本身的東西。我們感覺得到！）
Discovering your life’s purpose is more like putting together a big puzzle then it is finding a needle in a haystack. Like a puzzle, you need to fit the right pieces together and in time a picture starts to emerge. The picture that emerges will be made up of your special interests and talents and preferences. It will represent the whole of your life. Every piece is needed.（發掘你生命的目的，是像拼一個大拼圖，勝於在草堆裡尋找一根針。就像一個拼圖，你需要將一塊塊的圖正確的拼在一起，漸漸的一張圖片開始浮現。出現的圖片是你的特殊興趣，才能與喜好組成的。它會代表你的整個生命。每一塊小圖都是必要的。）
Unlike a puzzle you buy off a store shelf with all of the pieces already contained in the box, the pieces to your life purpose puzzle come to you one at a time, over a period of time. You will get each new piece when you are ready for it and not a day sooner. And unlike the puzzle you buy off the store shelf which supplies a picture of what the finished puzzle should look like, your life purpose puzzle has no such guide available. The picture that emerges will be one of a kind and each new piece will add depth and meaning to the whole. （不同於你在商店貨架上買到已經拼好放置於箱子裡的拼圖，你生命中一塊塊的拼圖是一次一次出現，也無法提早一天來到。也不同於你在商店貨架上買到，會提供給你一個完成圖讓你看到該看起來像怎樣，你生命的拼圖並無法這樣拿到。形成的圖形會是獨一無二的，且每一塊都會增加深度和整體的意義。）
The following experts have written about discovering your purpose in great detail. Below is a condensed version of their formulas and philosophies for discovering your life’s purpose.（下列的專家已寫下有關如何發掘你生命目的的細節。以下是他們寫下有關發掘你生命目的的公式和哲學的濃縮版。）
Richard Bolles
Richard Bolles is most famous for his yearly job-hunting book, What Color is Your Parachute.（Richard Bolles以他的年度求職書最為有名 - 「你的降落傘是甚麼顏色」。）
His formula for discovering your life’s “mission” is as follows: （他對於發掘你生命的“任務/使命”的公式為下：）
1. To stand, hour by hour in the conscious presence of God, the One from whom your Mission is derived.（站立，清楚知道 神同在中的每時，知道你的生命任務是從祂來的。）
2. To do what you can, moment by moment, day by day, step by step, to make this world a better place, following the leading and guidance of God’s Spirit within you and around you.（做你能做的，每一刻，每一天，每一步，讓是界成為更美好的地方，跟隨那住在你裡頭ㄏㄢ 神的靈來引導你，）
3. a) to exercise that Talent which you particularly came to Earth to use – your greatest gift, which you most delight to use,（操練那個你特別來到這“世上”要用的“才能” - 你最大的禮物，也是你最樂於使用的。）
b) in the place(s) or setting(s) which God has caused to appeal to you the most,（在那個（些）地方或場合（s）是 神使你特別最受吸引去到的）
c) and for those purposes which God most needs to have done in the world.（且為 神最需要人（你）在這世上做的這些目的。）
Whew! That’s a mouthful. Basically he is saying we all come here with a purpose to somehow SERVE our fellow man. We are given unique talents that, when leveraged, will be HOW we serve our fellow man. Our talents will provide the vehicle through which we express and share our gifts with others.（哇！真是意味深長！基本上他是說我們來到這個世界上都是有個目的為要以某些方式來「服事」我們身邊的人。我們被給予獨特的天賦，當被好好利用來達成時，將成為「如何」服務我們身邊的人/同胞。我們的天賦可以成為一個媒介，被透過使我們能表達且與他們分享這些禮物/才幹。）
Special note: In What Color is Your Parachute the following quote can be found which offers a simple formula for discovering your purpose:（特別注意：在「你的降落傘是甚麼顏色」書找得到一句引用，能提供個簡單的公式來發掘你的生命目的：）
“The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” Fred Buechner （ ”神呼召你的地方會是你深處感到最開心和世界最飢渴需要的相遇處。“ Fred Buechner）
Jack Canfield
Jack Canfield is America’s Success Coach and co-founder of Chicken Soup for the Soul. （ Jack Canfield傑克坎菲爾是美國個成功教練和「心靈雞湯」的創始人之一。）
Canfield sums up purpose this way:（這是坎菲爾對目的的總結：）
“You were born with an inner guidance system that tells you when you are on or off purpose by the amount of joy you are experiencing. The things that bring you the greatest joy are in alignment with your purpose”（你生來具有一個內在的引導系統，它會從你經歷多少的喜樂/喜悅來告訴你或在或不在此目的裡。帶給你最大喜悅的事情便是與你生命的目的對齊。）
He states what you are here to do is what will give you the greatest amount of joy when you are doing it. In his book, The Success Principles, he offers the following Life Purpose Exercise:（他指出，你在這裡要做的是甚麼，取決當你在做它時它給你最大的喜悅。在他的書裡，“成功的原則“，他提供了以下的「生命目的練習」：）
1. List two of your unique personal qualities, such as enthusiasm and creativity. （1. 列下你的兩個獨特個人特質，像是熱情和創造力）
2. List one or two ways you enjoy expressing those qualities when interacting with others, such as to support and to inspire.（2. 列下一個或兩個，你喜歡與人互動時的表達方式，像是去支持，去鼓勵/激發他人）
3. Assume the world is perfect right now. What does this world look like? How is everyone interacting with everyone else? What does it feel like? Write your answer as a statement, in the present tense, describing the ultimate condition, the perfect world as you see it and feel it. Remember, a perfect world is a fun place to be. (3. 假設現在世界是完美的。這個世界是甚麼樣子呢？每個人是如何與其他人互動的呢？感覺起來會是怎樣？用個現在式的聲明/句子寫下你的答案，來形容最佳的狀況，一個你看到且感覺到的完美世界。請記住，一個完美的地方是個好玩想待的地方）
Example: Everyone is freely expressing their own unique talents. Everyone is working in harmony. Everyone is expressing love.（例子：每個人都自由地表達他們獨特的才華。每個人很和諧的工作。每個人都能表達愛）
4. Combine the three prior subdivisions of this paragraph into a single statement. （4. 綜合前面說得三個細分成為一個單一的聲明/句子）
Example: My purpose is to use my creativity and enthusiasm to support and inspire others to freely express their talents in a harmonious and loving way.（例子：我的目的是使用我的創造力和熱情來支持，激勵他人，以和諧和相愛的方式來自由地表達才華）
Finally, he states that without a purpose in life, it’s easy to get sidetracked on your life’s journey. It’s easy to wander and drift, accomplishing little.（最後，他做了個總結：沒有目的的人生是很容易被分心的個人生旅程。很容易漫無目的的走和漂流，最後完成極小的事。）
But with purpose, everything in life seems to fall into place. To be “on purpose” means you’re doing what you love to do, doing what you’re good at and accomplishing what’s important to you.（但是當有目的，生命的每件事都到位了。要”走在目的上“指的是你喜歡做你所做的事，做你擅於做的且完成那就你感到重要的事。）
Richard Leider & David Shapiro
In their book, Repacking Your Bags: How to Live with a New Sense of Purpose they write:（在他們的書裡，”重新包裝你的袋子：如何過一個新的目標感的生活”，他們寫到：）
“Purpose is your reason for being, your answer to the question, “Why do I get up in the morning?” It is the spiritual core that helps us find the aliveness in all our day-to-day experiences.”（“目的是你存在的裡有，你問題的答案”，「我早晨為何起床？」這是個精神的核心，幫助我們找到我們每天例行經驗的存在感）
They go on to say, “You use your purpose to set your course in life. It’s the qualities around which you center yourself. Without a clear sense of purpose, you are at the mercy of shifting terrain of the outside world. Having a purpose, though, enables you to refind your direction and then direct your way there.（他們繼續說到，“你使用你的目的/意義來設置生命路線。是你居位設定的素質/特質。沒有個清楚的生命意義，你是被外面世界地形搖動的擺佈下。但有個目的，讓你重新找到方向，且指引你的路到那）
They offer the following formula for discovering your purpose:（他們提供了以下發掘自己目的的公式：）
(Your Talents + Your Passions + Your Preferred Environment) x Your Ideal Vision of Life = Lifestyle Rich in Purpose（你的天賦 + 你的熱情 + 你的首選環境）x 你的理想生活 = 有意義的豐富生活方式。
Discover your unique talents and passions. Understand which environments you like to work best and put these things together in a way that serves the vision you have for Life.（發掘你特別的天賦及熱情。了解甚麼樣的環境是你最喜歡工作的，將這些都放在一起成為一個有夢想的生活）
How to Discover Your Life’s Purpose（如何發掘你生命的目的）
The first step in discovering your life’s purpose is to believe there is a purpose to your life. The second step is to keep asking what that purpose is.（發掘生命目的第一步是要相信你生命有個目的。第二步是要不斷地問那目的是甚麼）
Nothing is going to drop from the sky announcing a grand purpose for your life. That is something you get to decide. You’ll discover your purpose when you put the unique puzzle pieces of your life together in a way that makes sense to you.（沒有東西會從天而降，來報告你生命的盛大目的。這是個你需要自己去決定的。將獨特的一塊塊拼圖放在一起成為一個你懂，說得通的方式，那你將發現自己的目的）
Each of the experts above has their own formula for discovering your purpose but they all have these things in common:（上述的每個專家都有各自的公式來找尋生命的目的，但都有以下的共通點）
1. When living on purpose you are living from your center, your spiritual core/you are somehow connected to God（1. 活在目的下是活在生活中心，你的精神核心/你不管怎樣是連結到 神的）
2. Living on purpose requires you to discover what makes you unique; talents, passions and values（2. 活在目的下需要你發掘自己的獨特點，才華，熱情以及價值觀）
3. Living on purpose requires you to leverage what makes you unique for the sake of serving others / making the world a better place.（3. 活在目的下需要你平衡找到那使用甚麼使你獨特，能為他人服務的 / 讓世界成為更美好的一個地方）
4. When you live on purpose, your life will be filled with meaning and joy.（4. 當你活在目的下，你的生命將充滿意義及喜悅）
Discovering your purpose is a worthwhile pursuit and once you discover it your life will feel very on track. You will still need to do the work to bring your purpose to life. But your actions will be filled with meaning. There will be a depth to your life.（發掘你的目的是個值得的追求，且一旦一找到，你的生命將感到非常上軌道。你仍需要做事來帶給你生命有目的。但是你的行為將會充滿意義。生命將更有深度）
As Joseph Campbell writes in The Power of Myth, “We are having experiences all the time which may on occasion render some sense of this, a little intuition of where your bliss is. Grab it. No one can tell you what it is going to be. You have to learn to recognize your own depth.”（如同Joseph Campbell在"神話的力量"寫的，“我們總是一直有經驗，有時會給予些這樣的感覺，一點直覺知道你的幸福/福佑在哪。沒人會告訴你它將成為甚麼。你要學習認識到你自己的深度”。）
©2006 Cari Vollmer / LifeOnTrack(tm) / LifeOnTrack.com
取自於 T1Q: Click Here (Did most of the translation myself, along with little help from google translation =p)
