The only way that you can know that someone is sick is when they start displaying some symptoms and you can then prescribe a solution to the problem. Half the time a quick fix is applied and the underlying disease is not dealt with because all that people are interested in is a quick fix that alleviates the temporary pain than curing the ailment that bothers you. Curing the ailment requires much effort and time. Not having a purpose is a disease. It puts you at dis-ease as the signs manifest in daily living. It is not always easy to decipher this condition as the victim might look well and feel good until it gets to an advanced stage. The signs and symptoms are apparent but not always obvious. I share eight of them with you.

1. Wandering around and doing much that profits little is a sign that one may not be aligned to their purpose. Urgent attention is required so that the one who is still wandering around doesn't become completely lost in the maze of confusion. A lack of purpose allows you to do much without payback.

2. Working hard and producing no results. It is not the most hardworking people who get the best rewards even monetarily. People without purpose are not able to produce real value that lasts forever. Because of tunnel vision they cannot think out of the box and never unleash potential. They are loaded with talent and are meant to do the meaningful yet they settle for the menial.

3. Abuse of self, other people and things is a sign that one is troubled by this disease. Helping them temporarily is like taking a pain-killer where surgery and correction is required.

4. A lack of direction and aimlessness pervades the purposeless soul. Asking that person one simple question about what he is doing with his life will open a floodgates of answers which betray a host of unfinished, half-thought out projects. This person may be very energetic but loses steam when they are on the verge of a breakthrough.

5. A lack of vision which is worse than blindness, like a curse follows this person whose eye of the mind is blinded therefore they cannot engage in long-term thinking.

6. Lack of revelation leaves this person groping in the dark for something they do not know because they lack disclosure and insight about it. They have discovered no secrets on how to get results. Purpose is by revelation not discovered by mistake.

7. Lack of depth in character and shallowness is the bane of the purpose-less ones. Because they do not have a clear stand for something they will believe in and fall for anything and that is a vulnerable position.

8. Going with the flow is what dead fish that no longer have the life force in them do. See a man who never challenges or questions the status quo, that man is defeated and has no sense of purpose.

It may seem like the future is bleak for the one who finds himself without a purpose but the good news is that it is not too late to learn about purpose and begin to apply principles on how to plan, prioritize and pursue their purpose. If you are manifesting the above signs you need to recalibrate and realign to the reason why you were born.

Fitzgerald Mujuru is an author motivational speaker, marketing consultant and musician. He is the author of soon to be published book, "Power Thought For Today" motivational series. He is the pioneer of Jeduthun Music which has been recording and doing live shows in the last ten years. You can visit him on http://powerthought4today.wordpress.com.