At some point, everyone wants to find their life calling. Your life calling is the reason why you exist and wake up every day. If you ask a group of people if they’ve found their life’s calling, you’re sure to get mixed reactions. Finding a life path that feels fulfilling, purposeful, and tailor-made for your skills and interests is easier said than done. True callings shine less like guiding lights and more like subtle, flickering lights. You must slow down and really pay attention to find them. Here are a few ideas for how you can start to take meaningful action to uncover your calling.

Notice dreams and signs.

Pay attention to the things that happen in your life, the people you meet, the things you notice, the places you are drawn to, and the dreams that greet you when you’re asleep. When you wake up, try to interpret your dreams. Don’t worry as much about what you saw in your dream, but how it made you feel. Keep a pad by the bed to write down your reflections and question what they could be telling you about how you subconsciously think about your waking life.

Prioritize creative expression.

Creativity brings discovery. It’s normal to feel like you don’t have time to live a creative life, so start small. It would be best to start by setting aside a few minutes every day to draw, write, or daydream. If you have the capacity, consider committing to a more structured creativity plan. A more structured creativity plan would look like creating a 100-day plan. In these 100 days, you would create a project or something creative. It could be painting for 100 days or writing in a journal. However, that can seem like a daunting task, so it would be best to start small.

Think about what you used to love.

Often, your teenage years and adulthood make us give up what we loved when we were young. By tapping back into your childhood passions, you may reignite a dream that you forgot about or stopped pursuing because you wanted to fit in. What did you love to do or want to be when you were very young before being asked to fit in? How did you play as a child, and what made you curious? How did you think? The answers to these questions might hold a clue to your life’s calling.

Notice what feels good.

When you’re in a bad mood, you negatively view things. However, when you do things that make you feel good, you tend to have a positive attitude and look at the bright side. When we live in a state of flow and ease, we are connected, joyful, expressive, loving, and purposeful. Notice times in your daily life when you feel like this. What are you doing? Who are you with? Do more of it. By tapping into the things that make you feel good, you could be one step closer to finding your life’s calling.

Turn down the distractions.

Ask yourself what distractions you currently love the most. Maybe it’s TV, social media, or email. Once you’ve gotten honest with yourself about your distractions, gently question how you can start to replace them with that thing that feels good. Doing so might be uncomfortable at first since we love distractions for a reason; They stop us from facing things we don’t want to or answering difficult questions. But consciously opting to turn down the volume on our distractions, one notch at a time, will allow more stillness and possibility to enter our lives.

Try new things regularly.

The process of finding joy isn’t passive, and a more fulfilling life won’t appear in a puff of smoke. Knowing what’s right for you will often require trying out many wrong things. Once you start to listen to your inner voice and reflect on what made you happy during childhood, question how you can begin to bring those things to life in your current reality. If you love interior design as a kid, commit to re-decorating one part of your space as notice how it feels. If painting has always piqued your interest, buy a set of watercolors and a single brush and see what it’s like to create.

Pay attention to what keeps coming back.

There’s a saying that says if you love something, let it go. If it comes back, that means it’s meant to be in your life. We tend to look past things that keep coming back because we think it doesn’t mean anything. Your truth never goes away, even if you ignore it at first. Nagging, recurring thoughts give us clues as to what will satisfy us, so pay attention to yours.

Shake up your routine.

A routine can make you feel comfortable and in control of your life. However, getting caught up in a pattern can make you forget that life is an adventure. Getting out of your routine and changing your environment can work wonders to shift your perspective. It can be as simple as taking a different route home from work or bringing your morning coffee outside. It would be best to find adventure every day.

Be patient.

You may think that finding your calling should happen instantly, but that’s not the case. Discovering and honing your path in life doesn’t happen overnight; it’s a continual journey. Be compassionate with yourself along the way. Treat yourself, your practices, and the world with patience. While it may take some intention and effort, figuring out what your calling is. how you can live a life that’s in the highest service to yourself and others, is well worth it.

Everyone on Earth has a calling, a reason why they’re here. When God created you, He knew your life calling and made you in His image. It would be nice if God told us our life calling when He made us, but it can’t be that easy. Still, finding your life’s calling can be a fun journey, so while you’re on that journey, enjoy the ride.