What is the Purpose of life and how to find it?

By Subhash Trivedi

A lot of people do not know the purpose of their life. Some go with the flow while some wander around trying to figure it all out. However, it is not that difficult to find a purpose in life. You just have to introspect a little and take the journey that goes within. Your life purpose primarily consists of the central things that motivate you- the things that inspire you to get out of bed in the morning. 

What is Life Purpose? 

Finding your purpose can influence your goals; shape your behavior while offering a sense of meaning and direction. Some people find life’s purposes through their vocation while others find it in meaningful relationships. For some people, the purpose of life is attaining spirituality and indulging in religious practices while for others it is about healing people around them. It is important to understand that purpose can be unique for everyone. Your path might be completely different as compared to your friends or relatives. At the same time, your purpose in life might change with age and experiences. There is a life learning more than our five senses and our mind. Mostly, the Human mind reacts to the signal received from our senses. Bob Wolff explains very precisely that if we have control over senses then our mind has a tremendous capacity to work effortlessly. 

Finding your purpose should be your contribution 

Life is meaningless without goals and desires. However, when these are backed with a purpose, they become even more interesting. So, it is really important to make some effort and find out what makes your heartbeat with excitement. Some people are hesitant about finding purpose in life as they feel that it is a selfish act. Although, the true purpose is all about recognizing your gifts and using them to serve the world. Richard Leider is a nationally acclaimed coach and purpose expert quotes, “Genuine purpose points to the end of a self-absorbed, self-serving relationship to life.” 

How Life Purpose evolve? 

It is normal to have questions about the purpose of life. At the same time, you will notice that they are prevalent during a crisis or transitional times. For example, a long-distance move, career change, or loss of a loved one are some of the situations where one starts questioning the purpose of life. People evolve because of the good and bad experiences during their life. No one has the same perspective in every phase of their life. People are constantly changing to open up new possibilities for themselves and thus, with that, the purpose of their life also changes. This is the secret of life as well- to reframe our life questions again and again. This one habit will help you to open new possibilities and gain different experiences. 

 What does it feel to have a sense of purpose? 

Having a sense of purpose is a really important thing. It helps you to do things that add meaning to your life. At the same time, it also helps when things are not going your way. The purpose of life will help you to put all the bad things in perspective while refocusing on the things that are meaningful to you. A positive sense of purpose will give you meaning, security and pleasure. It will also give you a healthy work-life balance with laughter, financial stability, and health. The idea to identify the sense of purpose is to see when you are in the flow. Activities that keep you fully engaged and offer you relaxation yet challenge you will define your sense of purpose. Look for things that interest you but do not stress you as those will give you a sense of your Purpose. 

What questions should you ask yourself to find purpose? 

Having a direction and adding meaning to your life will make it worth living. But, you don’t need to get disheartened if you haven’t found purpose in life yet. You can always start from today. All you need to do is ask yourself some questions and scrutinize your brain a little bit.

1. What are you ready to struggle for? 

The important thing to understand is that life will not always be pleasant. There will be rocky paths on any road you choose to walk on. Anything involves sacrifice and some sort of cost. So, you need to find something worth struggling for. Find something so important to you that you will be able to handle any unpleasant experiences that come with it. For example, ask yourself, ‘Can you stay up all night coding?’ Can you put off your 10 years just to start and focus on family? Can you handle no paydays while you are struggling to become an actor? These questions will help you to find the purpose of life. 

2. What did your 10 year old self love doing? 

Finding your purpose can be looked at through simple things of life. Try remembering about the things that give you joy or things that you would do even if you didn’t get any money. A lot of people indulge in different activities as kids but lose touch with them as they grow up. Get in touch with those things. Forget doing things merely for the reward. Instead, do things for the sheer joy of it. 

3. What makes you skip lunch? 

There are only a few things that will make you forget to eat. It is only possible when you are engrossed in an activity that you love. Psychologists call this a flow. For example, in his prime, Isaac Newton’s mother had to continuously remind him to eat because he was engrossed in his work. In the same way, you need to find something that drives you obsessively. Just note those activities down and try to work something around that. Finding purpose is all about doing things that keep you happy. 

4. What is your purpose in life with real examples from others? 

It is not a good idea to copy someone else’s purpose in your life. You won’t be satisfied or happy doing that. But it is a good idea to know what others have been doing, and see what sync with your soul. You will have to find, create or choose your unique purpose by introspecting and analyzing yourself. However, reading other people’s purpose of life statements can be interesting and you can get an idea from those for yourself. Michael Arnold said that “My purpose in life is to solve problems by changing the status quo”. Michael wanted to become an astronaut and he realized that he is 3 inches taller than the required height. However, this didn’t hold him back as he became an engineer and built taller spaceships. Hence, that led him to his purpose of life, which was solving problems by changing the status quo. A Reddit user said that “My purpose in life is making positive connections with others and enjoying those around you”.  Later, she explained that she was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 30 and so, she feels that it is important to make positive connections with people around you. She feels that it is very easy to sit on the couch and watch TV instead of going to dinner with your in-laws. However, it is better to make meaningful connections than to waste your time watching TV like that. Walter Meyer who is an author and an anti-bully says that “My purpose in life is to use my writing to better the world”. Making a difference and touching someone through her writing is her passion. Walter writes about the issues of the environment, diversity, bullying, and a lot of other topics. Find out what is the purpose of life for Elon Musk. Examples from others can help you to find, create or choose your purpose in life. Try to understand and know WHO YOU ARE and see the magic happen. 

Tips and steps to find the purpose of life 

If you are confused about finding the purpose of your life, then try to do the following things. 

1.   Read about others Purpose of life 

Reading can connect you to people you will never know. It can fuel your imagination beyond space and time while giving you some good ideas about what to do in life. 

2.   Spend time or utilize your talent 

You can always find the purpose of life by indulging in volunteer work or helping others. Even simply helping others on a day-to-day basis can bring peace to you. 

3.   Talk to new people 

Connecting with people is a great way of finding purpose as new people can bring in different perspectives. Talking can also give birth to new ideas which can help you in shaping your future. 

4.   Explore your interests 

Does baking excite you? Then, enroll in a class. Do you constantly engage in pictures of gardening on Instagram? Then, pursue that. Explore as much as you can. 

5.   See what bothers you 

Finding your purpose can also lie in injustices that bother you. Some people believe in fighting for pets while some want to save the environment. Try to find something that you want to change in the world. 

Conclusion 

You can’t find, create or choose the purpose of life overnight. It can take a few weeks and even months. You should understand that it is a journey and you can only take one step at a time. We at Good Question to supporting you in your journey to find, create and choose the are committed purpose of life and that is why we bring you the content for you to know the thoughts of both famous and infamous people on the meaning of life. 

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Bio – This article is wrote in most blissful state by Subhash Trivedi. He is a spiritual blogger and co-founder of Good Question He is very much fascinated to the question of “What is the Purpose of life is “. He keeps meditating on this question and comes up with different angle each time to justify the question for one selves.