5 Tips for Introverts to Find Their Purpose in Life

Introverts unite! From home! In our jammies! 😂

Sounds great in theory, but… Does that work as well as we’d like? With video call tech 📱 and other ways of reaching out, it works better than it once did, but… Uniting from home doesn’t necessarily help introverts to find their purpose in life.

Leaving your home 🏠 to connect with others provides opportunities to see the world from their perspective. It also opens the doors to experiences you wouldn’t be able to have from the comfort of your pjs and couch. 

“You might be an introvert if you were ready to go home before you left the house.”

-Criss Jami

These perspectives, connections, and experiences are vital to finding your life purpose because they help you hone in on your values, passions, and compassion - all of which are guideposts 🗺 along the path to your purpose in life.

I know this from personal experience because I’m an introvert, just like you! 

In case you’re not clear on this, an introvert isn’t shy - extroverts can be shy and have social anxiety too. Introversion and extroversion are about how you renew your energy. If being around people is exhausting 😴and you need time alone to recharge, you’re an introvert. If the opposite is true, you’re an extrovert.

Not sure? You can find your personality type using the Meyers Briggs assessment. It’s quick, easy, and free! There are 16 personality types. I’m an INFJ-T. How about you? 

*The T stands for Turbulent which basically means I question myself a lot and am very sensitive to the stressors of daily life. Some people might call this social anxiety or just anxiety. For me, it’s just normal, and I’ve learned to live a full life while embracing this part of myself. 🤗

As you may have guessed, being an introvert of any kind makes the idea of connecting with others to find your purpose less than appealing. But it is necessary! If you’re ready to take that step on the path to find your purpose, here are some tips to help you get started.

1 Start Small

"The difference between who you are and who you want to be is what you do."

-Bill Phillips

Small groups or 1:1 meetings 🤝 are usually less overwhelming for introverts. Particularly those who are sensitive to stress like I am. Start by finding places where you can connect with a small group of like-minded people. For example, I recently went to a forest bathing group 🌲 - and found my Colorado tribe BTW. 

Although I didn’t know what to expect and was pretty worried about finding the group once I arrived at the location, it all went smoothly. I did assume that it wouldn’t be a huge group since it’s a pretty niche practice. And I was right about that! 🎉

This small group opened their arms and hearts to me and welcomed me like a long-lost sister. 👭

By contrast, if I’d gone to a large business networking group, for example, I’d have been completely overwhelmed and wound up standing in a corner uselessly waiting for someone more extroverted to approach me. 😟

Meetup can be a great place to look for small, like-minded groups in your area. It’s where I found the forest bathing group!

2 Go Easy On Yourself

“Self-compassion is simply giving the same kindness to ourselves that we would give to others.”

-Christopher Germer

Many introverts review each social interaction in their heads obsessively for days after they occur. I know I do! While this can be helpful if you’re trying to improve the way you interact with others, berating yourself for not having the “perfect” response, timing, etc. only adds to the stress and anxiety about future interactions. 😰

Give yourself a break! When you start running those scenarios in your head, STOP. 🛑 Tell yourself a new story. Remind yourself that you did something hard and that you’re proud of the steps you took to find your tribe. 🦚

Remember, your true community of friends will accept you - “flaws” and all! In their minds, you’re a valued asset to the group exactly as you show up. 💖 If they don’t feel that way, you’ll be able to tell and you can move on to a different group until you find the place you’re accepted.

If that happens, remember, each trial brings you one step closer to finding your purpose by connecting with your community. ✨

3 Have Reasonable Expectations

“If you align expectations with reality, you will never be disappointed.”

-Terrell Owens

Even for extroverts, finding a tribe that will help you along the journey of finding your purpose takes time. ⏱️ For introverts, it can be slower for the simple reason that we need to interact less often in order to have enough time to restore ourselves.

That is okay!! More than okay! 

Just be reasonable with what you expect of yourself and the process. 👍 Continue to take the time you need to restore and trust that the pace at which you find your tribe is exactly right, even if you’re anxious that it’s too slow for finding your purpose.

4 Be Open to Non-Peer Age Connections

“Those who respect the elderly pave their own road toward success.”

-African proverb

We all want, and need, friends in our age group. People who grew up listening to the same music, watching the same shows and movies, and had the same toys. It’s important. These experiences in our formative years helped shape us. 🧒

Also, from the astrological standpoint, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto influence a generation more than the individual, meaning that people in the same peer age will have similar unconscious motivations, struggles, and ambitions. And yes, many of your peers may also have similar life purposes as a result. ✨

However, connecting with people outside your peer group helps you to hone in on those motivations, struggles, and ambitions as well as provides you with necessary perspectives to truly serve humanity, Gaia, and All Life with compassion. 💗

In other words, you need those other perspectives to find your life purpose and successfully live it.

Older people have a wisdom and history different from yours while also having lived through the same history you did. 🧓 They can offer context and understanding you need.

Younger people have curiosity and passion while also feeling even more lost than you do. 🧒Really! You can learn more about yourself and your life purpose while also helping them navigate the same challenges you went through at their age. To them, you’re the older person with wisdom and perspective. Pretty cool, huh? (Do millennials say cool? I’m one of those older people, so if that’s not the thing to say anymore, let me know!)

5 Trust Your Instincts

“Trust yourself, you know more than you think you do.”

-Dr. Benjamin Spock

This may be tough, but it does get easier with practice. 💫 I know that when I was in my 20s and 30s I had to really practice differentiating between my instincts and my anxiety. Sometimes, I still can’t tell. And that’s okay!

When it comes to connecting with others on the path of finding your purpose, trusting your instincts is mostly about trusting yourself.

If there’s a group or activity that sounds intriguing, even if it’s not something you’ve done before, trust that. Check it out. Even if it winds up not being “your thing,” you’ll still have taken an important step on the path to discovering your life purpose. 👣

Once you’ve gone somewhere, trust yourself to know who you feel safe with and that whatever you share, however you show up, is the right way.

For introverts, the process of connecting with others can seem daunting, even when we know how necessary it is. With the five tips, you’ll feel more comfortable putting yourself out there. Doing so will help you find and live your life purpose. 🎉

Get started today! And be sure to check-out my journaling challenge and online course for more support. 💖