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Many people find that achieving success doesn’t really guarantee a purposeful life. You still might experience a profound sense of emptiness and dissatisfaction. However, these feelings aren’t signs of failure. In fact, they are a signal that you need to look deeper into yourself to create meaning.
Learn how to move from asking questions like “why am I here?” to a state of intentional action with these six questions. However, knowing how to find your purpose in life is only half the battle. It is a lifelong journey to discovering yourself.
This question is especially important when you feel empty after major successes and breakthroughs. It might mean that you are not meeting an internal need of yours, one that you might not even be aware of. Examine whether your current work or life aligns with the impact you want to have in the world.
It’s also good to think about how a lack of purpose might be affecting your well-being. Does it manifest as anxiety, apathy or disengagement? These questions might feel trivial but they actually reveal a big part of your life and psyche. It’s important to immediately address situations such as anxiety and burnout before they snowball into much bigger issues.
There are plenty of myths surrounding finding one’s purpose that might be holding you back.
Purpose is a Single, Grand Revelation
The biggest one is about waiting for an “aha!” or eureka moment. A purpose isn’t revealed in a single dramatic moment. Instead, embrace moments when you find peace and profound connection. Intentionally build these moments and in time, you’ll learn so much about yourself.
Your Purpose Must Be Your Job
Another myth is that your job must align with your purpose. It can be difficult when your life’s meaning hinges on just one aspect, such as your career or your relationship. Plenty of people also view their jobs as just a means to earn a living, not necessarily their be-all and end-all. Try finding meaning in other aspects of life. Examples are through community involvement, family, creative hobbies, mentorship or self-enrichment.
You Must Follow Your Passion
Lastly, you might be told often to just follow your passion. With such a loaded question, people often get paralyzed with indecision regarding what their passion is. Instead of focusing on that, focus on the problems you want to solve. Focus on the activities you find meaningful. Even without concrete answers, just doing these activities more brings you closer to where you might want to be in life. You can also try building a moodboard if you are more of a visual person.
Know what your purpose is through these moments. They are clues pointing to your North Star. Recall what you were doing during those moments. Perhaps you were doing something you were good at. Or maybe you were helping someone else, either directly or indirectly. Determine the unique skills or strengths you used in those moments.
You can even go back further and recall parts of your childhood. Use your inner child to guide you in selecting activities you want to try or retry now. Don’t be afraid of being a beginner. Everyone starts out that way. Who knows, trying something new might eventually lead you to your dream life, one that is full of meaning and purpose.
These nonnegotiable core values can help you determine what your purpose is here.
Besides these values, figure out the necessary actions and choices tied to them. For example, for knowledge, it can be reading a book once a week, enrolling in classes or traveling to indigenous communities to learn more about them. A core value of growth is all about trying new hobbies, going out of your comfort zone and constantly expanding your perspectives.
The world is huge and it can be difficult to solve all its problems on your own. Instead of that, try and find purpose in creating meaningful and localized change in your chosen communities. Who do you want to help, or who do you naturally empathize with? It can be children in poverty, women, low-income families, senior citizens or other groups close to your heart. Interacting and helping people you care about might be your reason why you’re here on Earth.
It’s good to be even more specific. For example, instead of helping kids, you can find purpose in opening up opportunities for underprivileged kids who love science. You can also look at the injustices and inefficiencies in the world that you would want to fix. These questions can help you find meaning.
They can be simple things, such as joining a volunteer group or walking more instead of driving. You can start recycling or be more mindful of your purchases. The key to these experiments is to know what activities were energizing and expansive. After all, you are looking to add them to your current lifestyle. Jot down other things you might have learned from these experiments.
Remember that you don’t have to overhaul your life. It’s better to incorporate one thing at a time to ensure you make lasting changes that stick. You can also try discussing the experience with a mentor or a friend. They can tell you whether you seem truly energized and reinvigorated by these activities. After that, you can start adjusting and refining your purpose so it becomes more authentic to you.
Make sure you embrace how to find your purpose in life. Instead of treating it as a destination, experience it as a journey. Remember that it is one you choose to practice in your everyday life. Instead of focusing on finding your purpose, it might be more beneficial to ask what activities you can do today to live life more purposefully. Always do activities that remind you why you are here, right now. Create a checklist of actions you can commit to for this week to begin your journey!
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