How You Can Discover Your Dharma

While there are an array of reasons you could be feeling depleted, uninspired, and a bit unenthused by daily living, it's possible that the source of this overall dissatisfaction could be that you aren't living your dharma: your soul's purpose. Dharma is a Sanskrit word, and it's what we came into existence to remember about ourselves. When we are awake and aligned with our dharma, there is no confusion about what we're here to do. We're creative, inspired, motivated, and serving the world through our unique gifts.

This sounds blissful, right? But discovering our dharma isn't always simple — and no one else can find it for you. It's possible that your soul path looks drastically different than those around you or might not make logical sense to others. It takes courage to listen to what you can only hear and follow the path of your dharma. This sacred uncoiling of what you came to do isn't easy but is always worth it. Here's a closer look at how you can discover your dharma.

If you haven't taken the opportunity to contemplate what comes naturally to you, it's time to do so. What is it that just flows in your life? Do others often tell you that you have a knack for creating beautiful environments or you have a way with words? Are you a natural performer and always making others laugh? Take time to get to know and understand your natural talents. If you're into astrology, you may have looked into your south node to learn about your innate gifts or are familiar with your life path number. But sometimes, we can even overlook our natural gifts because we barely notice we're engaging in them — that's how embedded they are into the fabric of our being.

You could also ask yourself what mediums you work well with. Are you a natural in the kitchen? Have you always been able to sketch and draw? Or maybe you light up when you style your hair and apply a face of makeup. What puts you in a flow state where you lose track of time? If you're having difficulty pinpointing your gift, try remembering what you spent the most time doing as a child. Did you create stories and characters in your mind? Were you athletic? Did you sing and make music everywhere you went? Try to access that child-like enthusiasm within yourself again.

Another way to understand your dharma is to examine what you feel ashamed about and hide from others. This may be counterintuitive, but sometimes we're embarrassed about the gifts that make us different and hide them from the world. Perhaps you love to sing, but that is something that is definitely only done in the car where no one can hear you. Or maybe you love to write plays but never share them with anyone.

As we claim our purpose in life, it may be frightening to be seen at first — particularly if your gift isn't necessarily celebrated or supported by those around you. However, as you embrace your gift, you will begin to attract those who deeply appreciate your unique abilities and can support you in embracing your dharma. Show yourself grace, compassion, and patience as you navigate the uncertain waters of uncovering your dharma and trust it'll be well worth it in the end.

If you just aren't sure where to start, taking a dharma archetype quiz – like this one – can point you in the direction of the gifts you are meant to realize in this lifetime. A dharma quiz will narrow down your soul type and hopefully illuminate what you came here to do. Artist, warrior, entrepreneur, researcher, activist, visionary, nurturer, entertainer, and teacher — whichever category you align with will help you understand why you like the things you want and how to bring your journey to the next level in the embodiment of who you are meant to become.

Understanding your dharma archetype can almost feel like you've been granted permission to be who you are. If you landed in the artist archetype, you might find the courage to start sharing your paintings or poems with the validation of knowing you are an artist and the world is waiting for you to share your gift.

It may be challenging to grapple with the idea that everything we encounter in life was in some way fated to occur for our soul's growth. But that is the belief that some hold, and when you look back at the tribulations you've had to overcome in life, you may begin to understand your dharma at an even deeper level. Whether it's been illness, the loss of a loved one, or bullying — examine what you've endured and how you've been able to guide others through similar experiences.

Perhaps a traumatic event put you on the path of higher consciousness, healing, and awakening. It can be difficult to see the pain as necessary for becoming who you were meant to be, and if that doesn't feel like something you can accept currently, that's more than okay. Part of discovering our dharma is moving into an empowered state where we no longer believe we are victims of life circumstances but creators of our reality.

One of the easiest ways to identify your dharma is to pay attention to what excites and thrills you. What is it that you could just talk about for hours? What is it that you reward yourself with after a long day? Are you a cinema fanatic? Or a huge tennis fan? Maybe you aim to spend as much time as possible in the great outdoors, exploring and adventuring. Pay attention to what truly lights you up, not what you feel pressured to like or what you associate with a successful career, but what ignites genuine enthusiasm in your heart. 

This is a super key point of uncovering your dharma. You don't love what you love for no reason. And hobbies hold a lot of critical information when it comes to understanding our soul mission. We can become confused about our true dharma when we feel pressure to monetize our time, but try to bring as much clarity as you can to what you are — without a doubt — over-the-moon excited about.

When your dharma becomes clear, serving others with your innate gifts will naturally be the next step. A teacher will feel the pull to guide others, and an entertainer will begin to find themselves in positions to perform and bring joy to an audience. While it's deeply satisfying to finally understand your dharma, helping others with your abilities is even more fulfilling. It's also possible that your dharma manifests in how you live and not necessarily in your career. An artist, for example, may not be making a living selling paintings, but they're living the life of an artist in how they perceive the world and the beauty their essence brings to life.

Our dharma has always been with us; uncovering it can feel like coming home. We won't compare our path to the paths of others once we understand that we each have a unique dharma to carry out, and once we can integrate that purpose into our consciousness, we can live more intentionally.