Key Takeaways
- Understanding your life purpose is essential for a fulfilling existence.
- Reflect on what satisfies you, inspires you, and what your ideal life looks like.
- Each person’s life purpose is unique; avoid comparing yours with others.
- The journey to discover your life purpose resembles gardening: it takes time and care.
- Cultivating your thoughts about life purpose can lead to greater meaning and value in life.
In a previous blog titled “What Do You Desire?” we examined the importance of this question and how beneficial it can be to spend some time contemplating what you desire from life. We do hope that post was a sufficient motivator for you to take the necessary time to think about what it is you truly desire and what you’re willing to do to achieve it.
Traveling along a similar thought process, we’d like to talk about life purpose, a subject so existentially important to your reality that it should be made a priority. When was the last time you thought about your life purpose? Do you even understand what a life purpose entails? So many people are caught up in their day-to-day schedules and responsibilities that they neglect to spend time thinking about this subject.
What is my life purpose?
Before we can help you answer that question, it’s important to note that no two people are likely to describe the exact same life purpose. The question elicits an unlimited number of possible answers. So when searching for your own life purpose, you should avoid trying to compare and contrast your purpose with those around you.
To properly understand what your life purpose may be, you need to first take some time to think about those things that you find truly satisfying. What makes you happy? What inspires you? What motivates you? What feels good to you? What would your ideal job be? What would the life of your dreams feel like? Each of these questions requires thought and introspection. There is also a dynamic element to these questions; the answers will evolve and change as you go through life.
By taking the time to contemplate and explore the things that provide meaning to your life, you can start to piece together your life-purpose narrative. Some people find that being of service to others is their life purpose. Others find that self-exploration is what gives their life meaning. There are people whose life purpose is to change the world, while others aspire only to effect change in the lives of those in their local communities.
If you can’t immediately figure out what your life purpose is, that is OK; the goal is to start thinking about it. The process is much like planting seeds in a garden. It takes time for the plants to grow, and it will take time for you to discover what your life purpose may be. Just as a garden needs to be tended, you will need to cultivate your thoughts and insights—devoting attention and energy into discovering your life purpose. When a garden flourishes, it is a beautiful thing. Likewise, when you discover your purpose for living, your life will gain a higher sense of meaning and value.
