Some morning when we wake up, everything feels futile and we are haunted by the question “What is the purpose of life?”
Sometimes you feel that there’s something deeper you could be a part of. You feel the pull towards something, but you can’t exactly pin it down—it eludes you and frustrates you.
That’s because you are not sure of your purpose in life.
The answer to “what is my purpose” is not simple or straight. It can be a sort of awakening or an epiphany.
You might have heard stories from writers or musicians who have felt their calling their entire lives; the Mozarts of the world who have pursued their passions from the moment they were out of the womb. Deep down, you wish you had this “knowing” to pull you forward.
Frankly, you do: all it takes is a little digging to uncover the truth when you start asking how to find your purpose.
Table of Contents
What is the Purpose of Life?
Finding your purpose in life adds psychological and emotional improvements and satisfaction to your life [1]. You want more zest, more flavor, more fullness. In the strictest sense, you want to become a better person.
You want to wake up excited, jumping out of bed with a thirst for life that you haven’t felt since you were a child.
Think of uncovering your passion like the work of a master sculptor, slowly chipping away the stone to reveal the masterpiece underneath. Your life’s purpose is this masterpiece, simply lurking beneath the surface, waiting to be released.
Successful people know that the fastest way to learn how to find your purpose is through the art of introspection: diving into the deeper essence of who you are to pull out the pieces to assemble the purpose puzzle.
Think of your life’s purpose as a golden thread; for some, that thread comes in the form of a certain career or profession, while for others, it looks like a way of being or expression
Your purpose can be the driving force behind this. If you feel lost, your sense of purpose can be your connection to something larger, something that will allow you to truly make a difference [2].
Still, your purpose meaning, and “why” you need to find it might be different. Before we even leave the solid ground, you need this as your anchor, just in case things get foggy. To find it, answer this question:
Why do you want to find your purpose in life?
Write down or remember whatever comes up. It might be some of the above reasons, or it might be something entirely different. Whatever it is, hold it close.
How Finding Your Purpose Can Improve Your Quality of Life
Have you ever woken up in a dark room with no source of light at all? Did you manage to do anything worthwhile? That’s how living a life without a clear purpose is.
The majority of people live their lives in this manner. You need to find your purpose to have a meaningful life.
Here is the importance of finding your purpose and how it can help you improve the quality of your life:
1. Think About What Makes You Look for a Life Purpose?
You didn’t just click on this post aimlessly. You were intrigued. Your interest has kept you reading this far. So you can’t say it was a coincidence or a meaningless read.
On the surface, the click on this post was a random act. But that’s not actually how your mind works. Sit down and think about the trail that led you to this point.
- What made you want to know more about your life’s purpose?
- What triggered your mind to pay attention to this issue?
- What are some things that you don’t find as exciting in your life?
- What things have sparked joy in your life recently?
Here are simple starting points to help you find your life purpose.
2. Having a Purpose Makes Life Meaningful
Your purpose is the reason you get up every morning and can lead to better relationships and improved physical health. According to research, only 25 percent of American adults have a clear sense of purpose.[3]
Life without a clear purpose can get boring and unsatisfying. Once you find and understand your purpose, your life will never be the same again.
You’ll start attracting things you’ve always wanted into your life. You’ll have health, wealth, and peace of mind. Remember, everything starts from within. Your outer world is a clear reflection of your inner world.
A purposeless life will always manifest fear, worry, and poverty. Since you want to live a meaningful life, pay attention to your thinking patterns and set aside a few daily minutes to find and clarify your purpose.
3. You’ll Have a Deeper Understanding of Yourself
We all think that we know ourselves. But only a few understand themselves on a deeper level. Knowing yourself will help you gain confidence and improve the quality of your life.
You’ll realize your outstanding characteristics and hidden talents as you work towards your true purpose. In this process, you’ll acknowledge your strengths and weaknesses.
By accepting yourself the way you are and doing everything in your power to improve yourself, you’ll attract adventure and confidence into your life.
4. You’ll Challenge Your Limiting Beliefs
Purpose always arises from a deep desire for a specific situation. And in most cases, whom you aspire to become may be far from the life you are living right now.
Due to this, you’ll find yourself questioning if your purpose can materialize in your life with all the resources and skills you lack right now. The purpose is so powerful because it challenges you in a good way.
It will help you develop or improve your skills and find the needed resources. Reframing your limiting beliefs is all you need to do to transform your life. As we said earlier, your outer world reflects your inner world. Therefore, you need to discover your purpose.
A Step-By-Step Guide to Finding Your Purpose
1. Face Your Inner Dialogue
When you first begin to dive into your thoughts and desires, there will be initial resistance, a pervading fear of the unknown.[4].
The first inner dragon you might face will likely be your internal beliefs. They might try to stop you in your tracks or tell you you’re crazy for trying to find your purpose in the first place. They might say harsh things, like “You don’t deserve to have a purpose” or “You’ll never find what you’re looking for.”
To combat your inner dialogue, you must first realize it’s happening. When you pay attention to the thoughts as they’re spiraling, they lose their power. They get their power by operating below the surface, so they lose control over you when you shine a spotlight of awareness upon them.
Once you’re familiar with these inner dragons, it will be easier to slay them.
Next, you’ll have to take action to correct your inner dialogue if you want to learn how to find purpose in life.
2. Discover What You Are Most Passionate About
Everybody is passionate about something in life.
Finding your passion will help you answer what is the purpose of life. This isn’t hard to do at all. You have to notice the things that you always look forward to.
You may or may not have a passion in life already. Regardless, there is always something that you wish you could spend more time doing.
Think about what things you want to be more eager about. Your life’s purpose is hidden somewhere in these things.[5]
If you focus on these actions daily, you will be living your life with purpose. It is at this point that the feelings of happiness fill your life.
The more you do for others, the happier you will be.
3. Weaving Your Golden Thread
Now that you’ve pulled yourself away from social media long enough to brave the depths of your thoughts, you’re ready to do the hard work of learning how to find purpose in life and define yours. The last stretch of the journey is to string all the bits of randomness together and find the common themes.
Your job now is to take a hard look at all your answers and see if you can pull out any common ideas in both lists.
Maybe you’ve wanted to be a writer since childhood, and committing words to a page daily sets your soul on fire. There’s a good chance that writing may be involved in your life’s purpose.
Maybe you’ve always been fascinated by the stars and the cosmos, and you’ve always had a deep connection to spending time outdoors. You could combine this into an excursion where you lead groups of people into the wild to stargaze and contemplate their place in the universe.
Let your creativity reign as you’re working on finding your purpose, and don’t fret if you can’t make a connection right away. Sometimes, it helps to sleep and let your subconscious work on the solution for you. Learning the proper way to set goals also helps tremendously.
You can also check out this Lifehack Fast Track Class for a little extra push as you work on learning how to find your purpose:
If you’ve done the work, you’re on your way to finding your life’s purpose. When it’s there, you’ll feel it deep down in your bones.
4. Develop a Crystal-Clear Vision of the Life You Desire
As you define your true priorities, you can start developing a vision for the life you desire
What you believe about yourself–and what you believe is possible for yourself–affects how you show up every day to achieve your biggest goal.
Get clear about the life you desire and work on believing it’s possible to achieve it.
For instance, to become a successful author, you’ll need to figure out the topics that interest you and develop your writing skills. All your goals need to follow the SMART criterion.
5. Define Your True Priorities And Eliminate False Objectives
To live an extraordinary life, you need to live your life. Most people across the world live their lives according to the expectations of others. They build their habits and schedules around what their friends, families, and society want.
It takes confidence to live your life according to your priorities. This is especially true if your priorities are different from your loved ones. You need to figure out what matters most and the false objectives you are currently working towards.
6. Figure Out What Drains You
You need to think about the things that exhaust you mentally or physically. They don’t have to be activities or tasks that you dislike. Once you can point out these tasks, it’s time to stop doing them.
Indulging in purposeless activities drains your body and mind [6]. You should consider delegating or eliminating them from your to-do list. Tiredness is a clear sign from your mind, body, and heart that the activity is not good for you.
It’s important to run YOUR race, live YOUR life, focus on what matters to YOU, and build your life around YOUR vision.
The Bottom Line
Learning to find your purpose in life is a lifelong journey, but once your purpose has been discovered, you’ll find that your life opens itself up in ways you never thought possible.
You will experience new depths of opportunity, and your eyes will be opened to all the possibilities around you. Finding your purpose is all about turning toward your thoughts and jumping in.
Featured photo credit: Katerina Kerdi via unsplash.com
Reference
| [1] | ^ | Trackinghappiness: Why it’s important to find your purpose in life (with 3 helpful tips) |
| [2] | ^ | Western Oregon University: Finding Purpose |
| [3] | ^ | The New York Times: Finding Purpose for a Good Life. But Also a Healthy One |
| [4] | ^ | Journal of Anxiety Disorders: Fear of the unknown: One fear to rule them all? |
| [5] | ^ | The Telegraph: Eight Ways to Find the True Passion in Life That Has Eluded You |
| [6] | ^ | Discover: Are their purposeless behaviors? |
