Sometimes we feel frustrated by the current situation in our lives. And, this is especially true for teens and young adults. Peer pressure of missing out can block our logical thinking process. Finding a purpose for living and having a direction in life can solve many teenage problems.
In all career and life decisions, we tend to follow our surroundings by blocking our inner voice. And after a few years, we don’t feel happy and fulfilled.
There is something that is missing from our lives. Our gut feelings give us signals or we can say votes for our decisions and maneuver through lives.
And, despite our rational mind laying out the advantages and disadvantages of our decisions. The inner voice or gut feeling signals something else. This feeling of conflict between ideas and state of mind can lead to mental stagnation.
What Is Life Purpose?
Life purpose can be is defined as having a direction for one’s life with certain goals in mind. The direction can be starting a company or a charity organization. For this reason, we need clarity of our minds, thoughts, and heart. Life purpose can give you clarity.
Why Is Life Purpose Important?
Mark Twain said: “The two most important days in your life are the days you are born and the day you find out why.”
Finding your life purpose can solve the riddle of why we were born. It can solve the problem of stress and depression. Which we get from an unfulfilled life.
The common life span of men is around 80 years, and they will spend 60% of their daily hours in jobs and careers. and if we think that is a lot of time.
Having a purposeful life can give you joy and happiness. And without it, you won’t feel aligned with the things you do like your job.
Every day you will feel less focused, restless, and stressed. You’ll feel something is missing from your life. The core of your being is void.
The ultimate aim of human beings is to find joy. Which can be gained by searching and working towards your life purpose?
Each of us has a unique purpose
For most people, it is a philosophical question. Your purpose can create a sense of direction and meaning in your life. It can change your behavior and decision-making habits.
The present environment forces us to follow trends and we are always under pressure to follow our friends, but we are all individuals and have a unique character.
We are designed to think independently. We are born to search the truth and find answers for the question that comes to our mind after we have experienced some view.
Devoting our time to finding our purpose can change our lives. For some people, life’s purpose can be about the work they do. And for some, it can be about their religious beliefs or their families.
Moreover, life’s purpose is unique for everyone, and it can change with time as you transition from one phase of your life to another.
Certain questions and alone time can help you find your purpose. A simple question like-
- Who am I?
- Where do I belong?
- When do I feel fulfilled?
- What I am curious about
Can help you to find your answers.
Your life purpose is your contribution
Your life purpose is a contribution to the world. It can be about building a product, an organization, or beautiful music.
Sharing your life’s purpose should be your ultimate aim. Sometimes, we feel hesitant about pursuing our life purpose thinking about the view of others.
But, it is an inner dialogue and will fade away with your action. We all are playing our part in this theatre of life. Someone role maybe big while others may be small.
And we all have to act and play our part whether big or small. As a result, history is full of innovators, spiritual teachers, and leaders who have played their part by following their life purpose.
Dr. Jonas Edward Salk invented the polio vaccine and never made money from it. When asked about who owned the patent, famously said “it belongs to the people”. Maybe his life purpose was eradicating diseases from the world.
How life purpose evolves
As we grow to different phases of our life, our beliefs, and knowledge about the universe change. Tightly held old beliefs are shattered by new possibilities and questions.
Questions about our existence and life purpose may arise at any time of our lives. Even while reading a book you may be inspired by the author’s thoughts. Or, most noticeably when we are very low in our lives. During a transition phase in our lives- career change or personal loss.
The life of the great emperor, Ashoka who ruled almost all the Indian subcontinent is a prime example of where a person’s life purpose evolved.
After the war of Kalinga, his life purpose of gaining more territory in the Indian subcontinent changed to promoting the spread of Buddhism. The mass death and destruction of the Kalinga war changed his life purpose.
Benefits of having a purpose in life
The most important value of having a purpose- your life has meaning, importance, and value. You are self-aware of your existence and the part you are going to play.
The practical benefits of living with purpose are :
1. You have more clarity.
Life purpose can bring more clarity to your thoughts. Since we are constantly bombarded with information through social media and other sources.
Our minds are cluttered with false and negative information. Having a purpose can connect us with our goals.
2. You are more focused on your goals.
When you know your purpose in life you have clear goals and direction. Prioritized goals help you to focus on one goal without distractions.
3. There is a positive vibe around you.
You are happy with your life and it can be seen in your way of dealing with every situation. When people are driven by their purpose they send a positive vibe and it is felt by others.
4. You contribute to helping others.
Humans are connected and you can create values for others through your purpose. You can bring joy and happiness to others’ life- for example, your goal may be starting a charity organization that can help many orphans.
5. Give you resilience through hard times.
Life purpose can guide you through the ups and downs of life. We all go through dark moments, failures, and obstacles. However, your goals and direction will create resilience to face all the obstacles of life.
6. A sense of fulfillment.
Every life on this planet has meaning, purpose, and value. Knowing that your contribution is helping someone else can give you a sense of fulfillment.
7. Live with integrity.
If you have a purpose, then you have a goal and direction. You have created a system around you that is hard to break. A full-proof core value to guide you through the complexity of life.
Check this infographic, laying down the importance of life’s purpose in our lives.
Life purpose is a common phrase used for having clarity in our lives. Finding joy and fulfillment in our work and lives is part of living purposeful lives.