Looking for your true passion and purpose in life? It could be right in front of you. Read on as Bishop T.D. Jakes shares how to break down the barriers of our greatest potential in four simple steps. Then, tune in Sunday at 11/10c to watch behind-the-scenes footage of Bishop Jakes at Oprah's Lifeclass in Toronto—or log on to Oprah.com, Facebook.com/OWNTV or Facebook.com/SuperSoulSunday to watch the simulcast online!

Living on purpose, as I define it, is to become aware that we were all created to serve some specific function in life. Some of these purposes might be lofty, attracting the accolades of the world. Some of these purposes may be down-to-earth, such as raising a child, teaching or engaging in some other activity that may not be as acknowledged by society but is still significant.

The pursuit of your life is to come into that purpose. And the waste of your life is to miss that purpose. The problem, though, for most of us is discovering what our purpose is. Here are a few mistakes we make while looking for it, ones that can distract or misdirect us.

1. The "But I Love It" Mistake
For a few years, I was involved in music. I was a choir director, and I played the piano. I noticed that when our choir got ready to sing, people got more blessed out of me introducing the song and talking about the song than they did from the song itself. Gradually I began to realize that the tail was wagging the dog. I love music to this day, and I have a fairly good understanding of music and theory and how they operate. But that's not why I'm here on earth.

Just because you admire something doesn't mean it's your purpose. Don't let yourself be distracted by something that should be a hobby. If you, like me, enjoy music, that doesn't necessarily mean you should be the one directing the song. Buy some CDs or enjoy music on your headset, just don't let it take your focus.

Three more mistakes you could be making—and how to fix them

Photo: Rance Elgin