Where do you see yourself in five years? Why do you want this job? What do you want out of life? How can you make a positive impact on the world? These thought-provoking questions can come at you in a job interview, a conversation with a friend or even in a bout of insomnia all by yourself.

While answering the questions that help you create a purposeful life can be daunting, finding the answers can be equally rewarding. As a professional, having a strong sense of your life purpose can help you present a good impression of the best version of yourself as a job seeker searching for a new job where you want to present yourself as the perfect fit.

But there is a positive impact to checking in with yourself as you continue to go through life, mature and grow, to ensure help your answers are accurate and true to the “who” you are in the present.

So… who do you want to be? Here are important things to consider when answering that equally important question:

1. Spend Time with People Who Inspire You

Finding your life’s purpose can be assisted by taking note of the successful people in your life who make you feel better, and, at the end of the day, inspire you in your journey. Make it a priority to spend time with these individuals. As you do, make sure to ask yourself what qualities and core values these individuals have that you admire, which of their traits you’d like to replicate and what similarities you share with them.

Take advantage of the uplifting people in your life even more by asking them questions about how they developed the traits you’d like to see in your best version of self— whether it’s a dedication to family, a hard work ethic, commitment to community service, travel or having an impeccable moral code.

The result? You’ll be able to find ways to make the improvements you need in the areas where you really want to shine. Who knows, someday someone may be asking you how you got the courage to travel solo while visiting Paris, how you were able to achieve your long-term career goals, or simply how to be a better person.

2. Discover New Passions

While routine is an important part of feeling secure and making sure you accomplish the tasks necessary to run your daily life, it can also lead to things feeling a bit dull or mundane, which can lead to feelings of restlessness, or, at the worst, depression.

You may be scared, but try new things, anyway. Take that cooking class, sign up for that course in French design, or attend that speed dating event.

Pushing yourself to try new things and explore fresh ideas injects new energy into your life, and helps assure that you continue to develop as a person by finding out what makes you, you. It also forces you outside of your comfort zone, interrupting that all-too-comfortable routine with some much-needed variety.

Who benefits from finding new passions? You do, as you become an even more enriched version of yourself with a wide set of interests that give joy to your life and meaning to your days.

3. Practice Mindfulness

While it’s important to keep your life exciting by adding in new passions and interests, its equally important to learn the talent of holding still. By practicing mindfulness, you’ll cultivate the talent to not only sit in the present moment, but also to be appreciative of it, and of the things you have in the here and now.

And, with social media constantly vying for our attention, this isn’t always an easy task. There’s a reason they call it “practicing” mindfulness, as you might find it takes time to learn to sit and be still. It’s not easy to simply let go of the many digital distractions and social media shout outs constantly vying for the attention of the average person.

But the result of slowing down and being in the now is not only an improvement to your mental health, but also the ability to sit with and then let go of negative emotions. In the long term, you’ll grow able to appreciate life as it progresses, instead of simply wondering “Where did my time go?”

When you can sit in stillness, you’ll also be open to hearing what your heart really wants and needs out of both the present moment — and out of life in its greater picture.

Who Do You Want to Be?

Finding your life purpose, quite simply, might take your entire life — and that’s a good thing. Find comfort knowing there are so many different ways to answer the “life purpose” question, and building your own ideal world takes the right balance of acknowledging the great things around you and engaging in ongoing personal development.

Finding a fulfilling life takes unique perspectives, differing approaches and a combination of appreciating great things that come your way, on no one’s schedule but your own.