Cathy Patterson-Sterling MA, RCC
INPM's Publications Coordinator
British Columbia, Canada

Sometimes people are able to recognize their higher purpose or potential for having greater meaning in their lives because they feel moved by their own intuition. Individuals experience their intuition when they have a deeper sense of inner wisdom as to what actions they should be doing. There are times that people have a hunch or an unexplained desire to do something or to meet with somebody.

Frequently this intuition or this inner guidance comes in the form of compassion or a heightened awareness of a certain issue. For example, individuals are able to examine events in society and have a level of compassionate understanding as to what difficulties other people are enduring. Then they are moved by their intuition to help these individuals in need. Hence, these people become more aware of their higher purpose.

Some examples of how individuals understand their higher purpose in the community through intuition is when individuals consider the plight of homeless people and then they decide that they need to do something about this problem by donating food or clothing. Other people may be moved by their strong intuition to help children overseas in third world countries. There is an endless supply of ways that people can be better helped throughout the world.

The ability of people to experience a compassionate reaction to events and then follow their intuition to help others is inspiring. Some people believe that these moments occur because God or a Higher Power is guiding individuals into an area of healing that needs to be facilitated in this world.

Oprah Winfrey has inspired millions of people to follow their intuition to help other individuals in need through her Angel Network. Through this program, people have utilized their own creative talents to help address ways to improve various societal conditions from illiteracy, at-risk youth, disabled people, and homelessness, etcetera.

People can derive an incredible sense of meaning from their lives by recognising a societal need and then using their individual talents to address this concern. If you are interested in some starting points for creating greater meaning in your life then complete the following sentence frames in the exercise below.

The problem with our world is?

One way I can help this problem is to?

I can inspire others to ?

My higher purpose can be to ?