Finding your way on the winding path we call life.

There are no road signs that alert us that we’re on the right course—or tell us that we need to make a turn or a course correction. So the fact is we need to figure it all out for ourselves, and determine how we can best build a life with meaning and purpose, and make the most of our own personal potential.

Since my last story, I’ve come across several additional pointers, that may help you get closer to finding your calling—or perhaps offer you some motivation or comfort if you’re already on your path.

Pointer #1. Your purpose can emerge in a number of different ways.

In her book The Wisdom to Know the Difference, Eileen Flanagan writes of an Episcopalian group of laypeople on a mission: they want to uncover the best way to find “God’s purpose for our lives”. To do this, they read through a ton of scripture and spiritual autobiographies. Their conclusion? Our purpose can come to us not in one way, but in one of many ways:

It can emerge through a gnawing feeling that we need to do a specific thing. On occasion, it can burst forth as a sudden awareness of a path that God would have us take. (Our) call may be emphatic and unmistakable, or it may be obscure and subtle. In whatever way (our) call is experienced, God has chosen to speak to us and bids us to listen.

Pointer #2. When you need answers, look within.

From John Templeton to Napoleon Hill, the spiritual leaders I admire most believe the answers we seek can be found within. So what’s the secret to tapping into this internal source of knowledge? I start by quieting the mind, through meditation or prayer, and once settled, contemplate what my next best move might be.

But I was recently reminded that there’s another key component to finding the answers we seek: faith. We have to believe the answers are available to us or they’ll continue to remain a mystery. In The Spirit of Happiness, Discovering God’s Purpose for Your Life, the scholar T. Byram Karasu describes faith like this:

To believe—to have faith—in God means trusting there is a reason for the existence of everything in his world and beyond, and there is a meaning in its mystery. It means believing that there is a Holy Purpose (for you).

Pointer #3. You can find help along the way—one way or another.

I recently wrote about mentorship, and how if you don’t have a person to emulate in your own life, you should find a public figure you admire—and study all you can about him or her. You can then intuit how these people might handle situations and opportunities that are occurring in your own life.

I’m a fan of the inspirational blogger and author James Altucher who also recently talked to mentorship and came to a similar conclusion. Our net: we don’t actually need a living, breathing mentor at our side to receive the expert guidance we need. According to Altucher:

Everyone wants a mentor. I picture some old guy saying, “Ha ha, here’s how we did it in my day. Here’s what you should do.” and then he lays it out exactly what is the secret mystical formula for life fulfillment. It doesn’t work that way. Everything in life is your mentor. Think of everything you see or do as mentoring you.

Pointer #4. No one said it was going to be easy.

One of my go-to biblical experts is Pastor Joe Quatrone, Jr. Through his blog, he has brought me a greater understanding of the Bible by talking about how its lessons relate to our everyday lives. Joe points out that we can expect to face hardships along our path.

The journey of life is not paved in blacktop; it is not brightly lit like the “Yellow Brick Road.” It is a rocky path through the wilderness. It is not a linear road where we take one step after another in a straightforward progression. That is not what the road is like. Rather, it is a series of twists and turns, and there is nothing simple or straightforward about it.

Yet once you get past the rough patches, you will always come out stronger on the other side. And while your own path may not move in a straight line, there are always interesting life lessons to be learned along the way. As Byram Karasu points out, the important thing is to keep your destination in mind, and should you ever believe you have lost your way, pause and look within.

Pointer #5. Once you discover your purpose, life becomes easier.

It is the toughest task you will ever face. But once you define your purpose, the meaning of your life will become clearer and all other tasks, no matter how difficult they may seem, will become easier.

This quote, again by Karasu, points out that the sooner you’re able to uncover the gift or talent that connects you with others, the better. Because once your purpose is uncovered, you get to practice getting better at it each day. You can practice being a better coach or mentor, a better veterinarian or volunteer, a better baker or painter, a better whatever your calling may be.

And as time goes by, you not only make more connections, you make stronger connections. You find that you’re not only helping to enrich the lives of others, but that this is the key to your own happiness as well.