The combination of a happy family, successful career and supportive social network may seem like the recipe for a competitive life. Even those who have all of these things in their life might feel something is missing. This usually happens when people don’t know their purpose in life.
If you also don’t feel fulfilled with your life, you should evaluate your life’s purpose.
While this can be a little challenging, this self-examination may help you realize that you’ve been living your life the wrong way. But the good news is that it’s never too late to start living a life you want to live – a life with a purpose and meaning.
Here are some ways to find your purpose in life:
1. Read
Reading allows us to know people we’ll never know otherwise. Research shows that reading connects us to people across time and space – it is an experience that provides a sense of purpose and meaning. Remember that meaning is a broader concept, and purpose is a part of the meaning.
For instance, people who read fiction are able to reason about the lives of characters without having to fully live their lives. By understanding purpose in the lives of other people, we’re more likely to see it in their own lives. In short, a purpose is an act of imagination.
2. Question yourself
To begin with, identifying your life’s purpose, it’s essential to find out what you love to do, what you currently do, and what do you want to change in life to live a more purposeful life. Here are some of the questions to consider:
- When have you been genuinely proud of yourself?
- What made you happy and energized the last time?
- If you get one week’s vacation, how would you like to spend that week?
- What could one thing make your life happier?
- How happy do you feel on an everyday basis?
3. Donate your time, money, and talent
One habit that most people adopt to find their purpose is helping others. It could include donating money to a charity organization, volunteering for social causes you care or simply helping out poor and deprived people on a daily basis.
Whether you decide to spend two Sundays a month helping in the kitchen of an orphanage home or helping your elderly neighbor buy groceries once a month, doing something kind for others can make you feel as though you got your purpose in life.
4. Find out inspiring people
You need to find out people who inspire you truly. These can be business leaders, historical figures, philanthropists, or people from your own life. Think about why you find these people inspirational and determine their specific behaviors and characteristics you’d like to emulate. Remember that you do not have to admire every aspect of this individual – nobody is complete and perfect.
5. Listen to what people say about you
Giving to others can definitely help you find your purpose. But you can also find your purpose in what others thank you for. Although there’s nobody of research present that explains how being thanked relates to a sense of purpose, I do know that gratitude improves our self-esteem and positive emotions, which are necessary for realizing our sense of purpose.
Author bio
Andy Swarna is a spiritual coach, a self-learner, an out-of-the-box thinker, and an inspiring author of the book ‘Religious Freedom Forever’, – a book focused on human issues revolving around ideology. He is of the belief that is understanding social institutions, their ultimate goals, and responsibilities are the key factor that improves socialization and cooperation among people. The book will allow the readers to realize that social institutions can maintain society, create harmony, and deal with different types of conflicts in peaceful ways.