Your life purpose involves a combination of your core values, your interests, your passions, your hopes, your dreams, and your beliefs. It gives focus and direction to your life and provides motivation for the choices you make and the actions you take. A sense of Purpose and a sense of Meaning are intertwined and help guide you in the way you live your life.
Full expression and utilisation of your talents and abilities occurs when you are living with a solid sense of who you are and what you want your life to stand for. This provides stability and a sense of being on your right path, particularly when times are tough.
Your purpose helps define the essence of your life and influences where you put your time and your energy, and how you use your resources. It colours your view of the world and your place in it. Definitions of life purpose differ and sometimes people disagree profoundly on what it entails. What is important however, is how YOU define your life purpose.
Is it about finding happiness and fulfilment in your life? Is it about living in a way that is congruent with your deepest beliefs and desires? Is it based around doing what you love? Does it involve making a difference and contributing to the wellbeing of those around you, or changing the world? Is it about living the best life you can?
For some people, their life purpose has been clear from an early age and they do not deviate from it. For others it is a slow awakening as to what is most important for them and how they want to live their lives.
What is it that give your life a sense of purpose? How do you live that out in your daily life?
Comments
The though experiment you mention can be a very useful tool for connecting with what is really meaningful for us. I thought of this when attednign the 80th birthday parties of my parents and hearing what people had to say about them and their lives. One thing that came through was how many lives they had touched with their love and generosity. Not a bad thing to be remembered for, I think.
I took a class in college through the philosophy department that was titled "The Meaning of Life." One of the exercises that the professor had us do was to write our own obituary and think about what we wanted to have achieved and what we want to be remembered for when we pass away. This thought experiment helped all of us consider what is truly important to us and what our life's meaning is.
It is a wonderful journey of discovery when we seek out our life purpose. Self acceptance and bringing light and joy to others is important to me too. Integrity and beauty also fill my life with meaning. Self forgiveness allows us our humanity. Once we forgive we can move forward again free from self recrimination and self pity.
Thanks for your comments Susan.
Thank you for your thoughtful article. So many of us are in search of our life purpose. And, it's so important to have the freedom and flexibility to define what that means on our own terms.
For me, I've come to discover that my life purpose is about teaching myself and others to truly love... love ourselves... love one another... love this life... I give it my best to live with intention and truth, compassion and gratitude each day. And, for the times that I mess that up (because I'm human), I try to forgive myself.
Hope you have a wonderful day!
:-) Susan
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