It’s an old question that many people ask themselves. What is the purpose of my life? In the fourth century, Aristotle found purpose in life and developed the teleology theory that an idea of your life means something.
Finding your life purpose has become even more essential in this busy world where we are simultaneously pulled in many different directions. Most of us spend our lives reacting to different situations instead of figuring out the values and needs that drive them.
Even when we think we know the purpose of life, we link it with a short-term goal. Most of the people who are asking these questions want to find the purpose of their life. Your life means something, and here in this article, we will discuss how to find your life purpose.
What is the meaning of life?
We can simplify the question by adding, “what is my life’s purpose?” But simplifying the question doesn’t answer. Putting the total focus on ourselves increases the chances of finding the solution.
To find the meaning of life, we need to find the answers to the three main questions. We need to understand our potential, values, and talents.
- What’s my potential?
- What’s important to me?
- What things am I good at?
What is the purpose of life?
For centuries philosophers are debating the purpose of life. The only thing that matter is finding your purpose in life. There comes the point when people ask why I am here. It can be a thrilling and scary question. If you dig deep into this question, you will find better rewarding paths forward that will give you a good sense of self-worth.
Like our fingerprints, every person has a unique sense of life. We all have particular talents, skills, interests, and experiences. Your life purpose is related to these, but it is also the reason for your being. Your life purpose will give you a reason to be out of bed in the morning. Your life purpose will keep you motivated when you are tired or know about the complexity of the challenges ahead of your day.
Finding the purpose of life is not a short-term goal, and you will not get to its end. Sometimes having a solid sense of life purpose can make you tired. Finding a drive that matches your interests and brings joy to your life is essential.
In Japan, this concept of following your joy is known as Ikigai. Ikagi has recently been popular in Europe as a way to find career paths and dreams careers. The concept is based on finding the overlay between the things you are good at, and the world will pay for it, and the things you love to do, and the world needs it.
It involves your skills, passion, a sense of purpose, and real-world consideration.
Things that keep us from finding our life purpose
Most of us think many things don’t let us find our life’s purpose. When they become comfortable, they are afraid to rock the boat. When people have everything money, family, and house, they start fooling themselves into thinking they don’t have time or are fulfilled.
The fact is two things are keeping us from finding the purpose of life.
01. Limiting belief
The stories we tell ourselves hold us back or propel us toward fulfillment. Limiting the belief that we aren’t good enough and don’t deserve to be happy leads to self-sabotage, failure fair, and other limiting behaviors.
When we don’t put any limitations on ourselves, we start growing. We can not only change our lives, but we can achieve anything we ever desire for. You have to develop a belief and follow the purpose of your life.
02. Certainty
We need certainty for our stability, and it’s one of our deepest human needs. Our daily routines help us save our mental energy and keep us from going out of our comfort zone to avoid getting hurt mentally and physically.
It saves our mental energy and keeps us from getting hurt. It makes us stay in unhealthy relationships and fruitless jobs. It also prevents us from finding the purpose of life.
Why it’s essential to find the purpose of life?
The purpose of life sounds like a nice-to-have, but if you think about it, you will realize that it’s vital. Living a meaningful life benefits physical and mental health and reduces the risk of chronic diseases. Different studies claim that living a purpose and entire life increases your life span.
Having a sense of purpose will make you feel connected to others. Doing services for others will help you find life’s true meaning. At the same time, loneliness and isolation can cause an existential crisis.
We will observe that the purpose of our life changes throughout our life. Therefore continuous growth and progress will help you stay connected to your purpose in life.
10 tips for finding your life purpose
Here are the top 10 tips for finding your life purpose:
01. Practice gratitude
According to a study focusing on your sense of gratitude and the, acts of unselfishness will strengthen your sense of purpose. Another study reveals that the sense of appreciation will activate the reward response in your brain.
It also founds that refining gratitude will make you more generous, leading to acts of kindness that will help you find your life’s purpose. You may have a strange feeling while practicing gratitude at the start. It’s because we have become comfortable with our negative thoughts, and now switching to positive will be unnatural.
Try writing any four things you are grateful about waking up in the morning or at night before you go back to sleep.
02. Explore your passion
Interests and passion are good indicators of the area in which your life is headed. But sometimes, they become hard to identify. They have become inbuilt into our thinking that we are becoming blind to them.
If you need more clarification about your life’s passion, ask people you think are closest to you. You may be following them in some ways and need to realize if you have become an unofficial mentor to the young people of your community. If so, it can be your hidden passion.
Another ideal way to find the passion of your life is by thinking about the things you are good at. Someone good at helping others with this issue can consider choosing a career as a coach. You can also keep your passion as a hobby or turn it into a side hustle or a full-time source of income.
03. Develop a growth mindset
Having a growth mindset is directly linked with a sense of purpose. Constantly growing and becoming a better version of yourself will help you find and pursue life’s meaning.
A growth mindset will help you to:
- Preserve despite the failures.
- Embrace the challenges as the opportunities.
- Accept constructive criticism and feedback positively.
04. Give back
According to psychology, unselfishness and giving back benefit your purpose in life. It means when you start helping others, you are automatically helping yourself. Look for other ways to be of service. You can volunteer your work in the local community. You can also donate some money or skills to a cause that resonates.
Spreading happiness with a little act of kindness is also a great way to give back.
05. Find purpose in your pain
We all go through struggles in our life. Overcoming the challenges and shapes of who we are becoming gives us a unique sense of perspectives and strengths. Most people ask for help when they are struggling to overcome a challenge. Some later find it calming to help others overcome the issues they have already passed.
Some people choose their careers as life coaches and social workers. At the same time, some change other people’s lives through their arts, writing, music, and painting. Motivational speakers have their struggles and motivate others after transforming their pain into their purpose.
06. Spend time with the person who inspires you
A motivational speaker Jim Rohn says that you become the average of the five people you spend your most time with. If you spend time with a positive and purposeful driven person, you will have the same mindset as him. It might be possible that you discover the purpose of your life after being in their company.
Look beyond your family members or colleagues to find out who you want to spend time with. Evaluate the surroundings and make sure you spend your time with the people you find aspirational and who lift you in your life.
07. Join a cause
We all have a cause in our life that we are passionate about. Maybe you strongly feel about animal welfare, social justice, or protecting the environment. Finding cause ties together most of the tips mentioned above, like:
- Giving back.
- Doing something you have passion about.
- Surrounding yourself with the inspiring people.
- Becoming a part of a cause.
You may be passionate about raising money for treatment or research for people with a particular disease. No matter what it is, joining a cause will help you find your purpose in life.
08. Read
You can expand your mental horizons by reading fiction books. Non-fiction books are also helpful in getting knowledge on specific subjects. But according to the research, reading fiction books have many more benefits.
Reading fiction benefits creative and critical thinking and also improves your empathy. It’s because when you put yourself in the shoes of a character, you start imagining your response to a specific situation.
Reading connects you with other people across cultures, times, and places. It also generates a sense of connectedness and a purpose in your life.
09. Self-care
Self-care has many forms, and every person has a unique sense of self-care. Some like practicing yoga and taking deep breaths, while others like hiking in the forest, writing a journal, and many more. But why is self-care required when your brains are relaxed and creative?
The answer is you can’t serve others when battling your inside. Have you ever noticed you hit the best ideas while in the shower? It’s because, during self-care, your mind becomes receptive to the ideas as compared to the time when you force yourself to think of them.
Creative thinking comes when we are relaxed.
10. A personal vision statement
A personal vision statement help in finding balance in life by managing stress. It is a roadmap to guide you toward your life’s purpose, identify the core values, and establish what’s essential.
A purpose makes it easy to align your values and motivate yourself as you work through your life goals.
Bonus Tip
Be flexible: One of the complex parts of finding life’s purpose is letting go of the things that no longer benefit you. Yes, it’s something possible when you try to become possible. When you grow and change, your life purpose also grows and changes. You have to become flexible to understand your inner needs in a better way.
Finding the life purpose is a lifelong journey. Being flexible lets, you grow integrity and be true to yourself. When you develop the core values and no longer seek external affirmation, you can find your life purpose much more accessible.
Also Read: 20 signs he is your soulmate?
Conclusion
Finding your life’s purpose is a lifelong journey from a simple paper and pen or deep reflection. You can suddenly begin this journey after meeting a neighbor, creating a new hobby you always wanted to try, or making a new friend.
During your journey, you may discover that life’s meaning for you is not about yourself but serving others. Selfless service is often the pinnacle of having a meaningful life and fascinating conversations with volunteers, aid workers, social workers, or nurses.
After reading this detailed article, I hope you will start the journey to find your life purpose.
FAQ’s
What is the purpose of my life?
Your purpose in life involves motivating the aim of your life and the reasons you are getting up in the morning. Purpose can guide the influence of behavior and sense of direction, shape goals, create meaning, and help make a life decision. For some people, life’s purpose is about enjoying a vocation and doing meaningful yet satisfying work.
Why is it hard to find your life purpose?
You will find it hard to find your life purpose when your life purpose is out of sync with your outer life. The outer life is a false self, but you identify with it as it rewards the ego. But still, most people retain a glimmer of awareness of their life purpose with their inner being.
What are the essential things we need for life?
Here are the three things that we all need to have a happy life:
- Something to do.
- Something to love.
- Something to look forwards to.
How to find your life purpose?
Here are a few tips that will help in finding your life purpose:
- Know your inner self.
- Ask yourself what you are passionate about.
- Research your available options.
- See advice from the people who know you best.
- Consider the lifestyle you want to have.
- Consider the things you enjoy and your passions.
- Join the cause.
- Be flexible to changes.
[…] Finding your life's purpose is the antidote to feeling alone and lost. It should be more significant than any solvable problem or issue. It's a journey, not a destination. […]