Here’s what to do if you haven’t found your life purpose yet…
… nothing.
Ok, ok, maybe not really nothing, but definitely far less than you think you should.
Let me explain.
If you spend a bit of time in social media, you have definitely seen that everyone posts quotes, books, posts about finding THE life purpose.
Coaches, therapists, trainers, counsellors — a ton of professionals are here to help you find this purpose fast, because apparently walking around not knowing it makes life problematic.
Except it really doesn’t.
There’s a couple of reasons why I don’t resonate with this urgency of finding your life purpose.
The first two are more philosophical and definitely have to do with my personal beliefs.
Firstly, I don’t believe in things like destiny, predestination, the Universe or another being having assigned a singular path that my life should take.
Secondly, I don’t feel the need to have to believe my existence has a very specific purpose in order for me to feel excited about being alive. This may apparently sound nihilistic, but in fact it’s quite the opposite. Life for me is sufficiently zesty, meaningful and pleasant without believing that there’s a special star watching upon me, leading my every step to meeting my destiny.
Thirdly (and here’s when we move from the more philosophical field to a more practical approach), finding THE life purpose is a daunting, almost impossible task.
So, are we supposed to know beyond a shadow of a doubt what we are here to accomplish?
And even if we do know that, are we really expecting our definition of life purpose not to change and adjust over time?
Not only is that erroneous, it also blocks growth and expansion.
Who we are, what we want to experience and create, what matters to us changes and evolves, and that is not only healthy and normal, but entirely desirable.
Now, does this mean we should invest no effort and thinking into this big question of “what do we want to do with our lives?”
Absolutely not.
It is a beautiful, worthwhile question to explore.
What it does mean, though, is that we should stop feeling insufficient, anxious, “less than” if we don’t have a clear, definitive answer to it.
Finding our life purpose is really more of a direction than a destination. Yes, we sometimes have a crystal clear purpose and sometimes we wander around in moments that feel like existential crises or simply mundane and lacklustre episodes of life.
It means we stop adhering to the belief that all of us should have a bombastic life purpose that is about changing the world, being the “best”, “most successful” — all this bigger, louder rhetoric.
Having a balanced, loving family life is a beautiful purpose — and one that is challenging nonetheless to achieve.
Having a healthy work life balance, with a job that you like, time for family and friends, and a hobby on the side is beautiful.
In defining your life purpose, clearing your mindset of ready-made, highly advertised definitions is essential. Giving yourself the space to change your priorities along the way is vital.
There are many industries that can only exist if people are dissatisfied with a simple life. They need us to aim higher than the stars in order for them to create an income — so do take everything you read, listen, watch and experience with a grain of salt.
Differentiate personal truth from marketing induced sense of lack and dissatisfaction with yourself and your life.
And last, but really definitely not least, in searching for answers about the meaning and purpose of your life, go within, more and more — that’s where your true north lives.
