What’s the Purpose of Life?
This is a question humans have asked for our entire existence. We’re meaning-making machines, and the one thing we’ve struggled to answer is: what is the meaning of life?
For many, the idea of having a purpose in life is frustrating because it feels ever-elusive and impossible to pin down. We believe that purpose is something grand in scale, becoming globally celebrated and recognized like Mother Theresa or Martin Luther King Jr., or changing the course of history and solving world problems.
Let’s start by looking at the definition of purpose…
According to the dictionary definition, purpose (pur·pose / noun) means: “The reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists.”
And that’s exactly what we’re asking when we ask, what’s the purpose of life? We want to know what’s the reason for which I/we exist, in this life and on this planet, at this particular moment? Why were we (and this chaotic world we inhabit) created?
In my lifetime of study around this question (from my own personal querying and the path of my life’s work), I’ve determined that the purpose of life is actually very straightforward:
Show up, be you, and do what you feel called to do.
Each of us has a unique purpose in life, and that purpose is about contributing to the world in the way that only you can, at whatever scope and scale feels suitable. Your purpose is about contribution, and true purpose is using our unique, idiosyncratic gifts in a way that supports our own life as well as the common good. At Pinpoint Your Purpose, we wholeheartedly believe that living your purpose—your fullest expression in this life—is the greatest contribution you can make in the world. Often, you’ll never see or understand those ripple effects, but that doesn’t make you existing as the person you’re here to be any less vital.
When you do what you feel called to do and you infuse it with your most true and aligned self, from a place of consideration for your own growth and the growth of the collective, you’re living your purpose. That doesn’t always mean that purpose is easy to find, but with this guide, we’re giving you nine steps to find the purpose of life so you can feel more fulfilled.
Existentialism and the Human Struggle to Find Meaning
What is Existentialism?
Existentialism is a form of philosophical inquiry that explores the problem of human existence and centers on the experience of thinking, feeling, and acting. In the view of the existentialist, the individual’s starting point has been called “the existential angst,” a sense of dread, disorientation, confusion, or anxiety in the face of an apparently meaningless or absurd world. Existentialist thinkers frequently explore issues related to the meaning, purpose, and value of human existence. WIKIPEDIA
If you’re wondering what the purpose of life is, then you’re existential!
Personally, I think this is an incredibly important question to ask.
Otherwise, we never step out of autopilot and start creating a meaningful life on our terms, let alone give our gifts to the world.
Why are we here? Does life have a purpose?
What we get most wrapped up in when it comes to the purpose of life is the question of why are we here? Why do we exist on this rock in the middle of space, circling a ball of fire? What’s the point of the chaos and craziness?! There are many theories (my favorite of which is that this is a playground for spiritual evolution), but the truth is, we don’t know.
And we’re not going to find out or understand while we’re here.
What matters is finding purpose in our everyday lives during the time that we have.
Do we have more than one life?
There’s no way to know for sure.
Do we go to heaven or experience some afterlife?
There’s no way to know for sure.
Do we come to the end of the line, and that’s that?
There’s no way to know for sure.
The only thing we do know for sure is that we’re here—right now. We have this one precious life that’s a short blip in time, even if it’s long and healthy.
So what can we do with our life that’s important and purposeful?
As humans, we need a sense of purpose in life to feel fulfilled and happy. We’re wired for evolution and contribution, and when we don’t feel like we’re having an impact in the world to some degree, life begins to feel meaningless. When life begins to feel pointless, that’s when we start to experience depression, anxiety, and hopelessness—a recipe for stagnation, even death.
In fact, research shows that having a purpose in life leads to more resilience and a longer, healthier life (which we’ll talk about in a bit).
While some callings are ultimately about contribution to the greater world, many callings are about contribution at home, in our communities, and with the people closest to us. They can be about parenting a host of small children, being the best teacher at your school, creating art that makes spaces beautiful, or volunteering at a local food bank.
No contribution is too big or small, or more or less meaningful than another.
What we feel called to do matters, regardless of the scale, and we must take the time to lean into what tugs at our hearts.
I’ve spent my life learning about purpose because I’m one of those people (there’s a lot of us!) who feels like I was born at the wrong time on the wrong planet. I don’t feel like I belong here or that I fit in. Way more people than I realized feel this way, so if you do, too, you’re not alone!
While I’ve done the work to feel more at home here and build a meaningful life that brings me joy, I still don’t know the true meaning of life or what comes after it, but I do know that having a sense of purpose while we’re here is vital and important.
Why You’re Seeking the Purpose of Life
Again, to be human is to be naturally existential.
We’re conscious of our world and environment, to things that simmer beneath the surface and deep within our souls. But beyond our inherent existentialism, we’re wired for continuous growth and evolution. We’re wired to become the unique individual that we’re here to be, to create very specific things, and to use our idiosyncratic gifts in a way that no one else can (because they’re not us!)
As humans, place and belonging matter a great deal. For one, we’re wired to stay “with the tribe” and in community because to be kicked out back in our early days meant exposure to the elements and becoming prey to larger, more terrifying creatures, resulting in our death. When we were more communal in our way of life, every person had their role. There were parents and hunters and medicine people and storytellers. Those who built and those who led. Our world is and has always been an interconnected web, with each person, animal, and object having a role.
It’s in our DNA to seek our place, to be of service to community, and to be in harmony with the land that nourishes and sustains us.
To seek purpose is to embrace our human nature.
The Problem With Looking for a Purpose in Life
The first problem with looking for our purpose in life is what I’ve addressed above; we think it needs to look a certain way and be at a certain scale and, therefore, get deterred when we can’t fint it. But the other problem with looking for our purpose in life is that we don’t understand the difference between our purpose and its expression.
Our purpose in life—who we’re here to be and our unique way of contributing—has been hard-coded into us since we were born.
This is the seed of our purpose, which is simple but challenging:
You’re wired to be you.
😎 You have a certain personality…
💖 Unique energetic wiring…
🎨 Specific skills, talents, and gifts…
🔬 And a set of interests that light you up…
You’re not here to be anyone else. You’re not here to conform to systems that were created by and for certain types of people, often causing harm to anyone who’s “other.” Despite the ways systems strip us of who we are, we never lose that seed of purpose. The conditions may not be right for growing into our purpose, but it never gets lost.
If you plant seeds for corn, no matter the conditions or nourishment, it won’t grow into tomatoes or carrots. It’s designed to be corn. When all the conditions are right, corn will blossom from those seeds. You came into this world with the seed of your purpose hard-coded into you. You came into this life fundamentally designed to be you.
Growing into our fullest expression is living our design—being who we’re here to be and doing what we feel called to do, contributing to the world in the way that only we can. The world may sway you away from that seed, but it’s never lost or destroyed.
🚫 You’re not designed to be mommy or daddy’s little twin or “the pride” that gives their life meaning and value.
🚫 You’re not designed to be who schools tell you to be, just another cog in the capitalistic, industrial machine.
🚫 You’re not designed to be the best and most devout [insert religion here], following the dogmatic rules and paths that were (sometimes violently) shamed into you.
🚫 You’re not designed to fill the open spaces in other people’s lives or businesses, to be what they think is the right and best use of you based on their needs and values.
You’re designed to be you in all your messy, imperfect, unconventional glory.
How our purpose expresses itself changes based on two things:
- How life has shaped us.
- The times we live in.
First, life is always shaping us.
The experiences we have (trauma, loss, school, jobs, relationships, cultural, etc.) and the systems we live in (familial, relational, educational, societal, racial, political, religious, etc.) constantly shape us as we live.
I use myself as an example of this often.
When I was 30 years old, I was so clear on my calling in the world. I was teaching people how to find their passions and build a life and business around it. I loved my work and my clients and had created a tremendous amount of meaning and joy in my life.
Then I experienced a sudden and traumatic loss that left me with PTSD, led me into an abusive relationship, caused my business to die slowly (resulting in bankruptcy), and left me with a slew of health issues to sort out. I learned more than I ever wanted to know about finding healing and wholeness in the aftermath of challenging chapters and big life transitions. I learned what it takes to “make a comeback” and rebuild my life from the ashes of what it once was.
This shaped my work and my purpose in the world.
I built a brand named Call of the Void®, created our Journey Mapping™ program, wrote my memoir, Unravel, launched our Tales from the Journey podcast showcasing other people’s triumphant comebacks, and generally deepened the conversation of my purpose work to include more of a healing focus.
Life shaped me, and the way my purpose expressed itself shifted.
This happens in significant ways like mine, as well as in small, seemingly insignificant ways. We can be in relationships that cause us to heal, grow, or change our mind about things. We can travel the world and have our eyes opened by different experiences and cultures. We can read a book, attend an event, or converse with a stranger and it will shape us and how our purpose expresses itself at any given time.
If life is presently shaping you in difficult ways, check out our first episode of Tales from the Journey where I dive into our signature Journey Mapping process and how it can help you uncover the purpose of your path in the aftermath of challenging chapters and big life transitions.
Second, the times we live in are constantly (and rapidly) changing.
We all experienced this collectively in big ways in 2020 and with so many global and cultural events over recent years, but it’s always been true. What’s going on in the world around us directly influences who we become and the work we feel called to do.
Take Greta Thunberg as an example. She’s clearly wired to be passionate and vocal about things that matter to her. If we weren’t in a climate crisis, she might have begun taking a stand for animal rights, shifting our education systems, or critical social justice causes. But she was born the person she is during a time when the climate crisis is here and present, so it’s shaped how her purpose expresses itself.
Or look at Gandhi, who was a key leader in India’s fight for independence from British rule. His purpose was rooted in nonviolence, a dedication to peace and justice, independence and sovereignty, and simple and self-sufficient ways of living. If he’d been born in a time where India was already free, he may have been more focused on helping the residents of his community live more simply and in communal harmony despite the many differences of the diverse communities across the country. But he was born the person he was during a time when civil disobedience was needed to create the changes that called him into leadership.
There’s also Jane Goodall, who was drawn to work with the animals that lit her up from a very young age. If chimpanzees and other primates were extinct, she may have focused her passion on other living creatures, or even doing work to protect global ecosystems from destruction because they’re home to so many beautiful beings. But she was born during a time when primates are alive, so it’s shaped how her purpose expresses itself.
Lastly, there’s Martin Luther King Jr., a prominent leader in the American civil rights movement who dedicated his life to achieving racial equality and justice. If Dr. King had been born at a time where there was no question that all people deserve equal rights, he may have focused his purpose expression on labor and workers’ rights, international human rights, or improving educational opportunities, especially for marginalized communities. But he was born during a time where racism in America was (and still is to many degrees!) prevalent and in need of his voice and vision.
It’s true in my work as well. Yes, my purpose work has been heavily influenced by the life experiences that have shaped me.
And how I do my work, offer my services and content, and some of the topics I absolutely must cover in my conversations stem from social injustices we’re seeing, the damage of our outdated education system, and other systemic issues that are having a direct effect on whether or not people can live fully expressed, and do so safely.
When the pandemic hit, we immediately shared our business building program as a “pay what you can” offering and taught crucial lessons from Journey Mapping for free in a public Facebook group. We did this because the times required an added level of support for people in a sudden state of chaos, grief, and uncertainty, and many people were in a panic about losing their jobs. The times influenced how my purpose expressed itself, just like it has for millions of people worldwide.
Can Your Purpose in Life Change?
Yes, absolutely! And no, not really…
You can’t get hung up believing your purpose in life will always look the same because purpose expression evolves over time. Life will continually shape you, and the times will constantly be shifting and evolving. Our purpose expression is meant to shift and grow, so give yourself the space and permission to allow it to evolve and unfold how it’s supposed to.
For some people (like me, so far!), that unfolding has been organic and relatively linear. I don’t imagine that I will stray far from the types of expressions that I’m presently drawn to, including content creation, living my lessons out loud, creativity, documenting, writing, etc. For other people, it can look like bouncing from running your own business to working for nonprofit organizations to making art and writing. The expression can vary wildly, but that doesn’t make it any less aligned.
For those that tend to bounce around a bit more (whether that’s doing tons of things at once like me or bouncing between several different things in different cycles), it’s important to note: there’s nothing wrong with you. I’m a big fan of Barbara Sher’s book, Refuse to Choose, as well as Emily Wapnick’s work and conversations about multipotentialites.
Some people aren’t wired for a linear path, and it’s hugely important that you give yourself permission to bounce around however feels right to you.
Lastly, your job can be purposeful, but not be your purpose in life.
It’s really vital to understand that your purpose in life may not be the way you earn a living. Your job can have purpose within a company, and your company can have purpose within the community or industry, but that doesn’t mean it’s your purpose, or that it should be.
When our purpose work aligns with how we earn money, that can be good or bad depending on who you are and what you’re called to do. Some creatives love being able to do their purpose work full-time and get paid for it while others feel it robs their purpose work of freedom, joy, and it’s most authentic expression. Only you can discern if making money at your purpose work is going to be the right thing, and there are plenty of examples of people who do it both ways.
Sometimes you start with your purpose work being a “side hustle” or project, like launching a podcast, crafting illustrative art, or experimenting with ingredients to craft the perfect clean breakfast bar. Over time, as you find mastery and get clear on your purpose trajectory, you may then choose to leave your job and go full-time in your purpose work.
Just know that if your current job or means for paying the bills isn’t your purpose work, that’s okay. You can do the work to pinpoint your purpose and find a job that fits it, or you can do your purpose work separately for as long as you desire, potentially turning it into income if it makes sense.
Need help uncovering your purpose in life?
Get instant access to our free Pinpoint Your Purpose masterclass and chart a clear course toward aligned living!
How to Find Your Purpose in Life
What You’ll Need to Find Your Purpose in Life
Anyone can find their purpose in life, but there are particular qualities and resource states that make it a lot easier.
So let’s look at what those are first:
Have an open mind. You have to let go of your ideas and preconceptions around what purpose is and isn’t.
Your purpose could be grand in scale and require you to be globally recognized in your industry, or it could be at home with your immediate family, parenting, making art, or volunteering at your local church and food bank. Be open-minded. It can only look how it’s meant to look for you; it’s your purpose, after all!
Heaps of patience. Some people know who they’re here to be right out of the gate, and lucky them! But most of us have to get further down the road before we even start to question our purpose in life.
For me, I wasn’t driven to find work that aligned with my purpose in life until I discovered that graphic design was a profession during high school. Then, I really believed I was supposed to be a designer. I graduated early, went to design school, and got a series of fantastic jobs after graduation. But a few years later, I started questioning if it was really what I was supposed to be doing. It turns out, it was only a tiny aspect of my work! Keep asking the more profound questions, but practice patience.
Some people find their purpose later in life. Trust your timing!
Persistence. It’s easy to settle for what makes us money, what we’re good at, or to give up on finding our true purpose in life entirely. Stay persistent! Keep asking the more challenging existential questions and exploring what feels right and aligned for you. Follow your whims and explore different avenues to learn more about yourself and give life more and more of a chance to shape you into who you’re here to be.
Don’t give up and settle for something else.
Persistence of purpose is the most important kind, and that requires a deep commitment to uncovering what your purpose is.
Loads of self-awareness. If you don’t know who you are, it’s really difficult to pinpoint your purpose in life. Especially when you don’t understand your subconscious programming and winning strategies that want to keep you “safe” and “secure.”
Which just means, keep you exactly where you are because it’s known and familiar, even if you’re not happy or it’s painful and uncomfortable. You have to be able to notice where you make excuses, let yourself off the hook, stop out of fear or discomfort, or continually realign yourself with the wrong people, experiences, and opportunities. This is really hard work to do ourselves, which is why we have a whole VIP Day and programs designed to help bring these aspects to light! You have to be self-aware, which requires a whole lot of honest reflection with yourself and others.
Even more self-trust. When we uncover our purpose in life, it’s not always what we think it will be, nor will it necessarily feel safe or easy. We have to trust ourselves to walk the path anyway, to lean in, give it a go, and allow things to unfold.
Building self-trust happens in various ways, but it begins with trusting your intuition, building that muscle, and being super in tune with how your body communicates with you (because intuition lives in the body, not the mind!) It’s imperative because everyone around you will have an opinion on what you’re doing or not doing. Leaving that cushy job in the city to pursue your music? Your parents, siblings, partner, friends, neighbors, and even strangers are going to tell you exactly why that’s a terrible idea.
Their commentary isn’t a reflection of you or your ability; it’s a reflection of their fears and beliefs. You have to be able to trust yourself to navigate your right path regardless of who’s on board. You have to have your own back. Our naysayers will often get on board once they see that we’re getting somewhere, but they can cause a lot of doubt before then. Trust yourself, set boundaries with people who can’t support you, and lean in any way.
A support system that gets it. Building on the last point, you need a support system of other people who are also working to find their purpose in life and live it full out. This isn’t everyone. Living our purpose requires deeper subconscious reprogramming work, which isn’t comfortable or easy.
And most people will encourage you to stay in the known and familiar because of their own fears and doubts. You have to find and build a community of like-minded people who are also as committed to this work as you are. They exist!
But, finding your purpose in life isn’t only about what you need.
It’s also about what you need to let go of…
Two Things That Keep You From Finding Your Purpose in Life
In order to uncover our purpose in life and start living it full out, we have to address the common “stoppers” that will crop up and block us in the process. If you’re really struggling to identify what your purpose in life is, please know that you’re not broken and it’s not that you “don’t have a purpose in life.” You’re just blocked, and likely by one of the following:
Your Subconscious Winning Strategy. As humans, we’re wired to prioritize the things we believe give us safety, security, love, and belonging, and in our modern world, success. So within the first five to seven formative years of our lives (before our conscious mind and the ability to accept and reject information comes online), we learn that certain behaviors, ways of being, and actions result in either success or failure. Success being more safety, security, love, and belonging, and failure being less of those, or a total loss of the people and things we need to survive.
As children, we’re wholly dependent on the adults in our sphere to stay alive. So when this programming is formed, it’s not just “I need to be cool so Suzy and her friends like me and I’m popular at school.” It’s “I need my parents/grandparents/guardians to continue feeding, watering, clothing, nurturing, and protecting me from the elements and potential threats.”
Because of this, we develop what Tracy Goss, author of my favorite book, The Last Word on Power, calls a winning strategy. As we start to grow up, we test the waters. We begin to have a personality, preferences, and bits of autonomy, and with that comes desire. We want things. Things like candy, to see a movie, that new cereal with a prize in it, to be the teacher’s favorite, to have other kids like us, etc. As we strive to get those things we want, we (falsely) learn that some things are possible and others are not.
Your mother snaps at you about the cereal request and even grounds you from TV that night for asking her, yet again. You show the other kids your favorite toy and they laugh at you for still liking that “little kid show” it comes from. You try to be the teacher’s favorite, but you get the answers wrong so many times that she tells you to stop raising your hand unless you’re sure so you’re not wasting the class’ time. You fall short of the thing you want, but you also perceive yourself to be losing safety, security, love, or belonging in the process, and your subconscious mind writes this desire off as unsafe and impossible. It’s no longer worth the risk to the subconscious to try and have it, and instead it begins focusing your energies on what you can “win” at.
Maybe you can’t hang with the cool kids at school, but you can use your math smarts to get in with the “nerdy” kids. Maybe you can’t be the teacher’s pet, but you play soccer well, so you focus on winning with the P.E. teacher instead. Maybe you can’t have the cereal you want, but if you do all your chores and homework before your mom asks you to, she’ll give you an extra scoop of mashed potatoes at dinner. You start to see where you can win, and through which behaviors, as well as how to “listen for” the clues that tell you what’s necessary for success in any situation.
Life goes on, and this winning strategy only becomes more deeply ingrained. There are certain things you don’t think about or consider because you (falsely) learned long ago that whole sets of desires are simply off-limits because you failed once, or going for it threatened your sense of safety, security, love, and belonging. This strategy is important to understand for so many reasons, but within our context it’s relevant because:
When you operate from a winning strategy, you’re actively aligning with what your subconscious believes is necessary to stay safe and secure, not with who you’re here to be and the work you’re here to do.
That’s not a part of the equation at all!
Unresolved trauma that’s stored in your cells. At some point in your life, you experienced too much, too fast, too soon for your body, mind, and soul to process and integrate (the most basic and wildly clarifying definition of trauma there is). Trauma short-circuits our minds, and that makes it hard to process certain situations that parallel the experience or trigger our complex anxiety, and we can’t move. You see, there’s regular anxiety, which is the fear about something happening in the future, even though you’ve never experienced it. Then there’s complex anxiety, which is fear about something happening in the future because you have experienced it and it was traumatic.
These traumas must be processed out of your cells, tissues, and bones so that you have more space and leverage to move despite them. When we have trauma and it gets triggered, our brains blur the lines between time. You don’t know that the past experience isn’t happening right now. You’ve lost the ability to discern that. Instead, you’re in a full-blown freeze state to keep yourself safe from the old threat, and your brain isn’t firing on all cylinders anymore because all of your focus and energy has gone to staying alive. There’s no space when a trauma is triggered and we’re frozen. No space to think. No space to respond vs. react. No space to choose to move differently and teach yourself that you’re safe and okay. You’re just shut down.
When we process trauma out of our cells and nervous systems, we create space. We may still get triggered, but there’s far more room between when the trigger occurs and our bodies go into freeze. In that pocket, we can center ourselves. We can ground in this moment and remind our brains that the trauma is behind us. We’re here now, and we’re safe.
Space gives us the ability to regulate our experience and our mind, creating entirely different outcomes. Plus, when we’ve processed what’s been stored in our bodies, there’s less of a charge that comes with the trigger. Where you might feel an intensely high heart rate or strong, debilitating emotions, you now feel more manageable emotions and you’re able to stay calm and collected. This is the power of process work and it’s why we bring it into everything we do for my healing and with our clients.
While there are other elements that can creep up and stop us from living our purpose in life, these are the biggies. Stepping out of your subconscious winning strategy and healing your traumas on a cellular level will give you more freedom and leverage to move differently and take all of the steps we’re talking about in this article.
Finding Your Purpose in Life Requires Knowing Yourself at a Level That Most People Don’t
So, How Can You Know Who You Really Are?
You first have to unlearn everything the world told you to be.
This is where systems work comes into play. You were born into this world as a beautiful and brilliantly unique soul with a particular purpose hard-coded into you.
But you were also born into a particular family system, whether that was your parents and siblings, grandparents and cousins, or even the foster care system. You had attachment figures that began shaping you based on their own personality, lens, beliefs, and values. You may have been in a family system or culture that prioritized the teachings of a particular religious system and doctrine that also began influencing you.
Most of us then end up in an education system of some kind. For many, that’s the school system, from kindergarten to college and beyond. Sometimes that’s training or mentorship. At some point, you begin to learn how to be and behave to get the grades, be successful, or earn some title or certificate that says you’re “good enough” to go out into the world and make money.
Then we go out into the world and bump up against even more systems! Societal, medical, corporate, bureaucratic, political, cultural, dating, marriage, etc. The systems are never-ending. And while this isn’t a conversation about eradicating, replacing, or reconfiguring the systems, it is a conversation about how systems cause us to stray far, far away from who we really are.
So you have to ask yourself things like:
- Who was I before the world started telling me who to be?
- What was I constantly told was “wrong” about me in school/at home?
- What did I feel I had to give up to “fit in” and “be successful” in this life?
- If I could do anything that I wanted to do with my life (and I didn’t have to worry about how I’d make it happen), what would that be?
- How do I really like spending my time and energy?
- What do I deeply value, even if it’s wildly different from my family, friends, or partner?
- What resonates for me about my culture, religion, or other doctrines, and what doesn’t?
- If I knew no one would judge or reject me, what would I do differently? Who would I be? How would I spend my life? What would I create?
This requires that deeper piece of self-awareness and total transparency with ourselves.
Notice where you adjust your answer based on what you believe is possible or realistic. Notice where you get down on yourself or beat yourself up for what you want. Notice how quick you are to make yourself wrong about things because you know others would judge or reject you.
That’s the effect of systems at play. You have to move beyond that and get really honest with yourself if you want to live your purpose in life.
9 Critical Steps That Help You Find Your Purpose in Life
Consider these a set of exercises to find your purpose in life more quickly!
1. Live life fully aligned and fully expressed.
Living life fully aligned means being honest about your values and what matters most to you and continually aligning yourself with those people and experiences. It means discerning what feels right and true for you and not contorting or self-compromising so that you can “fit in” in the ways others want or expect.
Living life fully expressed means showing up as all of who you are in each and every moment—unapologetically and wholeheartedly. It’s about bringing everything that makes you unique, special, and different to the forefront.
If we’re not living life fully aligned and fully expressed, we can’t live our purpose in life because we’re not being who we’re here to be.
So, here are some questions to ask yourself:
- What aspects of myself and my personality have I been hiding?
- What does living life fully expressed mean to me?
- What about my life, relationships, and work feels out of alignment right now, and what would feel more right and true?
- Who would I be if I wasn’t afraid of rejection?
To answer these questions, it can help to develop a crystal-clear vision of the life you desire to live. Get out some paper and something to write with and give yourself permission to paint a picture of the most ideal life for you. Get specific if that feels aligned, or simply focus on how you want to feel in each life.
2. Follow your whims, no matter how wild-haired or crazy they seem.
Whims are stepping stones to our purpose in life…
…if we’re willing to follow them.
The thing about whims is that they can be random and out of left field, utterly unrelated to our actual purpose in life. But that’s the point! They lead us down a path to meet new people, have new experiences, and be continually shaped by life into the person we need to be to live our purpose. So if you’re getting an urge to start painting or take a workshop or begin a weird and unexpected hobby—do it. It will lead you to places you don’t expect! And eventually, your whims will lead you right into your calling.
3. Determine what’s actually calling you.
It’s essential to understand the difference between a calling and a whim. Like I said, your whims will lead you to your callings and your purpose in life, but it’s not always a linear path. Sometimes you have to wind or bounce around and go through a handful of different experiences before your callings start to surface.
Let’s take a closer look at the difference between the two:
- A calling is magnetic and all-consuming. Callings draw you toward them. They start as a tiny nagging thought or feeling, then begin to consume your mind and drive your everyday life. You can’t ignore them. You’ll feel a sense of urgency and a strong inclination to follow a calling, whereas a whim is often fleeting. Whims are impulsive and may feel as though they’ve come out of nowhere. Callings start deep inside of us, stirring and growing over time until they simply can’t be ignored any longer. Ignoring a strong calling will leave you feeling frustrated, unfulfilled, antsy, and very discontent with your life and career if these things are out of alignment.
- The core focus of a calling is always present. If you feel called to inspire healthy lifestyle changes in others or end global warming, that will always drive you, regardless of how you act on it. Suppose you’re called to care for animals. In that case, you may be a veterinarian, create a nonprofit against factory farming, become a vegan health coach, or foster shelter animals. You may even do one or more of these in your lifetime, but the core of what calls you will always be present. Whims, on the other hand, vary greatly. There may be times you feel a desire to be active, social, rebellious, or experimental, while other times you feel an urge to be still, go inside yourself, or cut ties. They are necessary, but also temporary.
- Callings are about contribution. Whether you feel called to make art or change the course of global warming, all callings are about contributing to the world. Through your words, actions, presence, and creations. This is why they matter. Your views, experiences, voice, and ideas are meant to be shared, and your calling will align itself with some way to express these things, though the medium varies. Whims are more selfish and focused on you—what you feel the desire or need to do for yourself in this moment—achieving some desired feeling, experience, knowledge, or connection. Whims feed and fuel us, allow us to rejuvenate our spirits, and refill the well of ideas and inspiration, but they’re narrow by nature.
Callings ask us to define our true priorities and eliminate false objectives so that we can begin to center around what matters most to our hearts—the reason we’re here in this life. This is why differentiating between callings and whims is so important!
4. Understand the difference between your skills and talents vs. your passions and purpose.
Here’s the truth about “what you do best”: You have these strengths and skills as tools, not necessarily for purpose work.
I’m a prime example of this! My skills, experience, and “expertise” are in graphic design and branding. I went to school for it, worked at many firms and agencies, even built multiple businesses of my own around it! But design and branding alone are not my purpose. Purpose is my purpose, and I’m driven by the desire to create an entirely new conversation around how we live our purpose in life.
I tried to find a logical way to incorporate the two, like only working with non-profits or companies that try to make a difference. But the fact is, I’m just not passionate about design on its own. It’s a talent, one that I wasn’t entirely sure why I had until I realized it was a tool to do far more significant work in the world.
Yes, I can create a beautiful and strong brand for everything I do, but my experience with branding also allows me to help people define their why, values, and vision for life, then help them ensure all life areas are consistent with this vision. I can see where people are out of alignment with what they claim to believe and desire in their lives. I help individuals, like you, rediscover themselves, find their purpose, and build lives and businesses around them.
Let’s take a look at how you can combine your skills and passion:
- Step 1—Make a Transferable Skills List: The first step towards building a life around your passion while incorporating your skills and strengths is to look at how they integrate. At first, it can be challenging to make a connection. Take my story as an example. How on earth do graphic design and personal development work together? Well, they fit together perfectly! Upon closer inspection, you’ll be able to see how specific experiences, skills, tools, and knowledge will make building a life around your purpose so much easier.
- Step 2—Reframe Your Situation: You may often experience feelings of guilt or shame around the fact that you went to school, trained, or spent years of your life following your skills, not your passions and purpose in life. Before moving forward with what you love, you have to release those feelings and reframe the situation. First of all, you wouldn’t have ended up doing whatever you’ve been doing without those natural skills and talents; there’s a reason you spent time in the field you did and not another. Even if you were shoved into a profession that felt out of your skillset, you likely landed in a position that was fitting on some level. Instead of viewing this as wasted time, work to see it as time spent honing your skills and talents from a different angle. Having a unique perspective on doing things will prove invaluable as you pursue your purpose in life. No matter what you’ve been doing, it will serve you in the future.
- Step 3—Dabble in Your Delights: Just because you spent years as a lawyer doesn’t mean you’re “wasting time” painting or that you have no business building a life around working with kids when all you’ve done for the past decade of your life is crunch numbers. You’re drawn to what you’re drawn to for a reason—don’t overthink it! Do what you love. Do what you deeply desire to do. Do what lights you up, fascinates you, and feels right.If you want to paint and be an artist, then paint and be an artist. Don’t worry about the thoughts that tell you it’s silly, childish, random, or a waste of time. Don’t think you should focus on that big promotion when you don’t love what you do. Put energy into what you love, not what you do because you can do it well.
- Step 4—Figure Out What Drains You: This is as important as focusing on what lights you up. If something drains you, it’s not likely aligned with your purpose in life. Instead, it’s likely something you “think” you “should” be doing, or something that others want and expect of you. What can you let go of that weighs you down and makes you unhappy? It might feel challenging at first, but once you’re able to fill that time with what does bring you joy and alignment, you’ll know that the discomfort of change is worth it.As Danielle LaPorte says, “Be careful what you’re good at, you could end up doing it for years.” Just because you’re good at it doesn’t mean you need to keep doing it. Be courageous enough to start leaning into what calls you over what you’ve developed solid skills around, and explore what transferable skills are there to support you with what you want to do!
5. Understand the Universal Law of More Life.
This is one of the Universal Laws. This Law says that we are here to grow into more. Life is continually expanding, the universe is constantly expanding, and we’re always expanding and growing. We all have our purpose in life—our unique way of contributing to the world. The only way to be who we’re here to be and do our vital work in the world is to be on our growth edge constantly.
Life is constantly presenting us with invitations for growth.
We can try to say no and stay in the known and familiar, but there are consequences. We’ll begin to stagnate and stall out, dying a slow death while we’re still alive. Every time life begins to shape us, we have to say yes to that growth invitation.
We have to lean in and surrender to the unfolding, even when it’s scary and uncertain. When life shapes us, we’re on our growth edge. We have to heal what’s old and holds us back. We have to learn new things and be a beginner again. We have to course-correct and step away from what’s comfortable. If you’re working to stay comfortable, you’re unable to live your purpose in life.
So, you have to be honest and start asking yourself:
- Where am I trying to stick to what’s known and familiar?
- How is life inviting me to step forward into more growth?
- How is life inviting me to step forward into more healing?
- Where do I feel stagnant and stalled out in life?
- What would it look like to say yes to more life?
And then you have to lean in and live life on your growth edge. That means constant expansion, which is wildly uncomfortable and hard. But that’s exactly what we’re wired for: more life. More growth and healing. More lessons and changes and becoming who we’re here to be, contributing more to the world.
6. Give yourself permission to pursue your purpose in life.
No one is going to do this for you.
And even if someone does (hi, here’s your permission!), you’re the only one who can actually begin doing the work to align with your purpose in life. No one can make this easier or more comfortable.
You just have to do it.
You have to give yourself permission to be a beginner and take new risks. You have to give yourself permission to abandon the known and familiar and the false sense of security that comes with it. You have to give yourself permission to flail around and fail as much as possible to get to where you need to be.
- What would you do if you had permission to live your purpose?
- What would be different if you aligned with your purpose?
- Where would you start? What would you lean into?
You’re the only person who can give yourself permission.
So, do it now and get started!
7. Surrender to the unfolding.
Do you want to live your purpose in life and feel happy, impactful, and fulfilled? Then let go of what you believe those things mean (or should look like) and surrender fully to the process of uncovering and living it in real time. Let go of what you think everything should look like or how you believe everything is “supposed to” turn out when all is said and done.
None of that matters.
What matters is that we surrender fully to the process and that we keep facing into and moving through the many layers as they unfold. When we commit to living our purpose in life, we won’t find what we’re looking for—we find something much more real, true, and aligned. That’s because we can’t possibly know how it will look and turn out when all is said and done. Often, we find something more amazing than we could have ever imagined.
When we let go of how we “think” it “should” look and turn out, we surrender ourselves, our life, and our work to the natural flow of life. Call it God, call it The Universe, Divinity, or Source. Call it The Energy That Is. Call it what you want, but know that it’s that never-ending current that moves us through our lives. It speaks to us through intuition and inner knowing. It amplifies synchronicity and screams at us when we’re staying stuck. It’s constantly guiding and supporting us, reflecting back what we’re putting out.
When we surrender fully to this energy, we allow ourselves to see new possibilities, a new way of being, and sometimes, a completely new path. Let go of what you think it means and what you think it should look like. Surrender fully to the process. Stay open. Trust. Have faith. That’s the work.
8. Do your healing work, even if you think you’re “fine.”
Unresolved trauma gets internalized and influences the way we behave. You might think you’re just “not great” at writing content for your website, talking to people at networking events, or putting yourself out into the world fully expressed, when really, it’s trauma. If it was ever dangerous to be yourself, be seen, or anything in that vein, it will be near impossible for you to do so as an adult until you address that stored trauma. And “danger” to a child isn’t always clearly abusive behavior but can be more subtle forms of neglect, shaming, or feeling wrong.
Similarly, if you have any unresolved grief or emotions, they will influence how you show up (if you even can), as well as your overall health and well-being. Repressed and bypassed emotions don’t just disappear; they get stored in our bodies on a cellular level. They make us sick, anxious, and depressed, and can also deepen the grooves of our related traumas.
Even if you think you’re “fine,” I promise there’s something on a deeper level to clear so you can find total freedom to live your purpose and show up fully expressed.
Therapy can be great, but I’m a huge advocate for process work, as it allows us to rapidly clear stored trauma and emotions on that deeper, cellular level while also rewiring our subconscious programming at the same time.
9. Activate and actualize your purpose in life.
There’s a simple formula for stepping into our purpose in life, and it’s accessible to all of us:
- Align: We’re always in alignment; the question is, with what? In order to live our purpose, we have to show up as our most fully expressed self and live in total alignment with what feels right and true for us. But that’s not as easy as it sounds because we have years and years of subconscious programming, limiting beliefs, fears, traumas, unresolved grief, and unprocessed emotions that are holding us back from knowing our truest selves and living on the frequency of our desires.
- Activate: When you’re aligned and showing up in your fullest expression, aspects of your deepest and highest self open up and become available, allowing your purpose to reveal itself. But it’s more than just clarity about what our purpose is; it’s about energetics and embodiment. Our purpose doesn’t become active in our being until we’re operating from the frequency of our desires, trusting in ourselves and our inner knowing, and allowing our legacy and vision to lead us forward.
- Actualize: Once we’re clear on our purpose and how it wants to be expressed, we have to actualize it through a very specific type of action that goes against much of what we’ve been taught about manifestation and goal achievement. Actualize means “to make real.” In our context, that means taking your purpose from an idea and vision to work toward and making it a reality in your life, right now. Collapsing time and no longer waiting on external circumstances to change before you can access the opportunities, experiences, and influence you desire.
- Amplify: This is about getting your purpose and contribution out into the world on a larger scale, and isn’t necessarily important for everyone. In our company, we call these “channels for change,” and they can be anything from a brand, business, or product to a podcast, TEDx Talk, or book to a movie, art collection, or music album. Amplification is about increasing the volume, reach, and impact your contribution has, and there are many ways to do this.
The more you live this formula, the more fulfilled you’ll feel in life.
40 Questions to Help You Define Your Purpose in Life
Get out your journal and tackle one question a day, or take the question into meditation, prayer, or a morning walk in nature (whatever works best for you!) These questions will help you deepen into yourself and begin defining your purpose in life.
- What’s your why?
- What brings you joy?
- What do you love to do?
- What gives your life meaning?
- What interests would you like to explore?
- What motivates you?
- What would you do if you didn’t have to worry about money or societal pressure?
- What are your deepest values?
- When do you find yourself in “flow?”
- Why does the world need the gifts you bring?
- What’s missing from the world?
- What would you do if no one needed [insert your job here] anymore?
- What problem(s) do you wish you could solve?
- What do you wish you had more time to do?
- What kind of person do you want to be in five years?
- When was the last time you felt “lit up”?
- When do you feel the most like yourself?
- When did you last feel completely authentic?
- What’s something you want to do that feels impossible?
- What makes you lose track of time?
- What do other people always thank you for?
- If you had to teach something, what would you teach?
- What do people ask for your help with?
- What makes you smile?
- What are you drawn to?
- Who inspires you most and why?
- What would you regret not doing, being, or having in your life?
- What are you willing to struggle for?
- If you knew the world was going to end in a year, what would you do?
- What desires keep tugging at your heart?
- What do you want your epitaph to be?
- When have you felt the most alive and electrified?
- If you could be a different person, who would you be and why?
- What do you enjoy learning about?
- What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?
- What sparks your creativity?
- If you got to create your own job, what would it look like?
- What would you build if you had unlimited resources?
- What do you want more of in your life?
- What do you stand for?
Be sure to add any of your own questions or allow yourself to go off on the tangents that bubble up as you’re writing, feeling, and thinking through these questions.
And, if it works better for you, enlist a friend, partner, or family member to ask you these questions. Sometimes it takes conversation and deeper prompting from someone else to reveal our truest answers.
How Do You Know You’ve Found Your Purpose? 5 Examples of What Living Your Life Purpose Feels Like
As I shared earlier, purpose is a polarizing topic because it feels ever-elusive and impossible to pin down, and sometimes we can still doubt that we’re living our purpose in life because, well, we never have before. So how are we supposed to be certain that we are now?!
In some cases and for some personality types, it will be much easier to know in your bones that you’ve found and are living your purpose, and for others it will be a bit more challenging. But not to worry! There are several signs you’ve found your purpose in life, and they include:
1. You’re experiencing a deep sense of fulfillment.
Finding your purpose in life doesn’t automatically make everything better and different, but you will begin to experience more continuous states of fulfillment. Most of us know what it’s like to feel unfulfilled because there are so many aspects of living and working that drain and burn us out. But fulfillment? Not so much. Fulfillment is the experience of joy, happiness, and any other expansive emotions that come with the achievement of something we desire.
More specifically, fulfillment often presents as feelings of satisfaction, success, peace, or surprise. Yes, these are very specific states that we’re speaking of because they’re tied directly to your unique energetic wiring (a.k.a., your Human Design).
Each type has an associated signature theme that tells you whether you’re in alignment. When we experience these states, we know we’re in alignment and feel our version of fulfillment.
The important thing to remember with fulfillment (as well as with signature themes), is that there’s not necessarily an absence of contractive emotions. If you’re experiencing a loss along the way, you’ll feel sadness and disappointment. If there’s something socially or systemically unjust that you’re tackling or bumping up against, you’re going to feel your rage and fury. If you’re doing something new and different, you may experience fear and doubt. That’s okay! You’re human, and our work is never about bypassing any of the contractive states that come up along the path of living our purpose in life and stepping into our fullest expression. All of these emotions come up, but there’s also a baseline of fulfillment that’s always present.
2. You’re excited about the journey, not just the destination.
When you’ve found your purpose in life, it often takes effort to live and express it fully, whether that’s learning new skills, building and creating a legacy project, or doing the healing and growth work to become the person you’re here to be—but all of that excites you, even if you’re also terrified and uncomfortable. When you’re living your purpose, you fall in love with the process, not just the end results or goal because moving toward those is actively living your purpose and creating alignment, so even if there’s struggle, there’s fulfillment and contentment along the way.
Living our purpose in life is a ton of fun because we’re finally doing what we feel called to do (and what we’re inherently wired to do), and we feel fully expressed because we’re actualizing our purpose expression based on how life has shaped us and the times we live in. Whatever work and trekking is required is welcomed with a full heart and open arms.
3. You’re willing to make sacrifices and feel a deep sense of meaning.
Sacrifice is par for the course when it comes to living our purpose in life because doing so often requires that we decondition from who the world told us to be and refocus our energy and attention. It might mean less free time while you start following your callings on the side, or letting go of relationships and communities that hold you back. It might mean giving up the vacation with your besties so that you can invest those savings into going back to school or getting your new business set up. It can look like letting go of the promotion you worked so hard for and taking a step backward so that you have more time to build new skills.
When what you’re doing is aligned with your purpose in life, these sacrifices will come with a certain level of ease because you know in your heart it’s what you need (and want) to do. That doesn’t mean it will be easy, but there will be less tension and resistance, and definitely less doubt or wobbles because you know it’s what has to happen to live your purpose fully.
Additionally, these sacrifices and action steps feel deeply meaningful to you. They’re not just things you do; they’re an active alignment with your purpose and therefore a meaningful contribution to the world around you, and you feel the weight of that in your very bones.
4. You feel like the person you’ve always known yourself to be.
We’ve always known our purpose in life because it’s been hard-coded into us since before we were born, even if we’re not living anywhere close to in alignment with it. That means we’ve always had some sense of who we’re here to be, whether that’s in visions of the future, deep desires of how we wish we could show up, resonance with how other people live their lives, or simply a sense that who we are now isn’t who we’re here to be.
Regardless of how we’ve always known, we now feel like we’re living in full alignment, or rapidly on our way toward it. That might be a change in our appearance or how we spend our time. It could be that we’re using our voice around the things that matter most to us or creating the projects we’ve held quietly in our hearts for years. Or it can look like taking steps to transform our lives, careers, relationships, and day-to-day. We’re being who we’re here to be, and that’s a distinct and undeniable feeling that reverberates through every cell in our bodies!
5. You just know.
Outside the above experiences, there’s the most effective of all: you just know that you’re living your purpose in life. This happens when we’ve done the work to reconnect to our intuition, and we’ve built up our self-trust muscle so that we’re able to discern what’s right and aligned for us.
This might look like knowing exactly what your purpose expression is meant to be and actively working to build it, or it can be a general knowing that you’re on the right path toward uncovering more of what it’s going to look like by leaning into each next step that calls you forward. Either way, you know that you’re actively living your purpose and trust in that knowing.
The Importance of Finding Your Purpose in Life
I believe that personal responsibility has the power to change the world. The ultimate form of personal responsibility is full alignment and full expression of self.
You’re here to contribute to the world in the way that only you can. That’s important and needed, especially at this collective juncture we’re facing.
We need more people showing up fully expressed and fully aligned, giving themselves and all their unique gifts to the world. We don’t need more people falling in line with the status quo when that’s exactly what led us into so much chaos, trauma, and damage to begin with.
Living your purpose in life is the most important journey you can walk.
Plus…
Having a Sense of Purpose Is Good for Your Health
Studies show that those with a higher sense of purpose have a significantly lower risk of death.
This association held true regardless of age, gender, education, or race, even after considering factors like depressive symptoms, disability, neuroticism, medical conditions, and income.1
A study conducted with the Rush Memory and Aging Project involved interviews and cognitive assessments during participants’ lives, followed by brain autopsies after their death. The data revealed that higher levels of purpose mitigated the detrimental effects of Alzheimer’s disease, showing better cognitive function in individuals with evidence of the disease in their brains.2
Another reason behind the link between purpose and health is that individuals with a strong sense of purpose tend to take better care of themselves. This includes aspects like dietary choices, physical activity, alcohol consumption, and regular medical check-ups. A 2021 study even found that individuals with a greater sense of purpose were more willing to get vaccines, emphasizing the broader impact of purpose on health-related behaviors.3
While these findings are fascinating, it begs the question…
What if I Have No Purpose in Life?
If you’ve gotten this far and you’re still wondering if it’s possible for you to not have a purpose in life, there’s a deeper block in your subconscious, or a stored trauma that’s limiting your beliefs because every single person on this planet has a purpose in life. As a reminder, it’s to:
Show up, be you, and do what you feel called to do.
We all hold up a piece of the intricate, interwoven web of life. We all have something to contribute to the world around us, even if that’s just being our most fully expressed self and inspiring or impacting others with our raw honesty and authentically aligned lifestyle.
In fact, here are some life purpose examples to inspire you:
Education: Teaching or working towards improving educational opportunities and access for underserved communities to empower individuals through knowledge.
Environmental Stewardship: Advocating for and actively participating in initiatives that promote sustainability, conservation, and environmental protection.
Mental Health Advocacy: Supporting mental health awareness, reducing stigma, and providing resources to help others navigate and overcome mental health challenges.
Social Justice: Fighting for equality, justice, and human rights, addressing issues such as racial inequality, gender discrimination, and socio-economic disparities.
Health and Wellness: Inspiring others to lead healthier lives through fitness, nutrition, and overall well-being, and perhaps working in healthcare or wellness professions.
Artistic Expression: Creating and sharing art, music, literature, or other forms of creative expression to inspire, provoke thought, and bring joy to others.
Community Building: Bringing people together to create supportive and inclusive communities, fostering a sense of belonging and cooperation.
Scientific Discovery: Contributing to scientific knowledge and innovation, whether in medicine, technology, or other fields, to advance the well-being of humanity.
Compassionate Service: Engaging in acts of kindness and service to alleviate suffering, volunteering, or working in humanitarian organizations.
Personal Growth and Empowerment: Helping individuals discover their potential, overcome obstacles, and achieve personal growth and empowerment.
Innovation and Entrepreneurship: Creating and developing new ideas, products, or services that contribute to positive change and progress in society.
Cultural Preservation: Preserving and celebrating cultural heritage, traditions, and languages to ensure they are passed down to future generations.
Remember, your purpose in life doesn’t always have to be grand, and it’s no less meaningful and important if it’s not! Sometimes our purpose can be found in the simple joys of everyday life and activities.
Here are some examples of purposes that may be smaller in scale or scope but can bring a profound sense of fulfillment and contribution:
Raising a Family: Nurturing and guiding your children to become compassionate, responsible, and well-adjusted individuals.
Gardening and Sustainability: Cultivating a garden, promoting sustainable practices, and connecting with nature to contribute to environmental well-being.
Community Volunteering: Volunteering in local organizations, schools, or community events to make a positive impact on the lives of those around you.
Mentoring: Sharing knowledge and experiences with others, providing guidance and support to help them reach their goals.
Animal Rescue and Care: Rescuing, fostering, or caring for animals in need, contributing to their well-being, and promoting animal welfare.
Kindness and Positivity: Making it a personal mission to spread kindness, positivity, and joy in your interactions with others.
Personal Creativity: Pursuing creative hobbies like painting, writing, or crafting to express yourself and bring beauty into the world.
Local Business Support: Supporting and promoting local businesses to contribute to the vibrancy and sustainability of your community.
Home and Hospitality: Creating a warm and welcoming home environment, and extending hospitality to friends, family, and neighbors.
Joyful Cooking: Bringing joy to yourself and others through the preparation and sharing of delicious and nutritious meals.
Remember, the significance of purpose isn’t determined by its scale or scope but by whether or not it’s personally aligned with who you’re here to be and what you’re called to do.
If you’re truly struggling to uncover your purpose, please consider signing up for our free workshop to go deeper into the process of uncovering your unique purpose in life:
Need help uncovering your purpose in life?
Get instant access to our free Pinpoint Your Purpose masterclass and chart a clear course toward aligned living!
The Truth About What Gives Your Life Meaning
This post started with the question, what’s the meaning of life?
So to close things out, I want to give you some things to ponder about purpose, beyond who we are and the work we do. Focusing on these things, along with leaning in and following your whims, can help you uncover your purpose in life.
The purpose of life is to be happy.
I like to call this “living my joy,” and it’s a prominent practice in my daily life.
Yes, life is filled with growth edges, discomfort, challenging chapters, and struggles, to be sure. But it’s also about finding joy, appreciating the little things, experiencing immense gratitude for our experiences, and feeling deeply fulfilled. So, what makes you happy? What makes you feel more fulfilled? What brings you tremendous joy, no matter how big or small? How can you prioritize these things more?
The purpose of life is to leave a legacy.
Every day that we’re alive, we’re writing our legacy.
Our legacy is how we’re remembered after we’re gone. That’s when it really comes into play in a meaningful way for other people and the world, but we’re writing that story every moment of every day. How do you want to be remembered?
One of my favorite practices for this is the “death bed” exercise.
Imagine that you’re on your deathbed; what are the things you’re going to look back on and feel pride and joy for having accomplished? What do you want the people holding your hand to be able to say they appreciate you for the most? What will their favorite memories be? What will your favorite memories and stories be? What will you be proud to leave behind? Answering these questions helps you better live your legacy right now.
The purpose of life is to love others.
Love is who we are and why we’re here.
While our purpose work is one form of loving on the people and world around us, loving the individuals in our life is part of what gives it meaning. Who do you love, and how can you ensure you love them to the best of your ability?
This also requires looking at where you have walls up, where you’re scared of love because of past wounding, and what needs to be healed and processed within you. Loving others wholeheartedly is terrifying because it means certain loss. One person is going to leave, for one reason or another, before the other person does. Someone is going to have to grieve that loss; that’s just how relationships go. But loving others is one of our most remarkable, healing, and fulfilling powers, and allowing that love to overflow helps guide us to our gifts and purpose.
Who do you love, and how can you ensure you love them to the best of your ability? What do you love, and how can you give yourself and your heart over to it more fully?
The purpose of life is to create your own meaning.
As I mentioned before, we humans are meaning-making machines.
It’s one of our greatest downfalls at times but also one of our greatest gifts. It’s a downfall when you spin into stories and interpretations that aren’t true (which happens because of core wounding and subconscious programming), but it’s a gift when we use it in productive and purposeful ways.
One of the best ways to assign meaning productively is first to accept that there quite possibly is no meaning to life or anything that’s going on. If life is meaningless, then what’s most important to you? What meaning do you want to create and assign to the things that are happening around you and to the people you love? What meaning will you choose to make that empowers you and catalyzes you into motion around the things you care about?
Being deeply depressed in my 20s, I realized just how meaningless life is and how insignificant I was in the grand scheme of things. For a while, this didn’t help my depression one bit. Until one day, I realized that if life is meaningless, I get to decide what has meaning and what I want to make of my time in this weird little chaotic world! It was a game-changer.
What does this look like for you?
The purpose of life is to make a positive difference.
Purpose is about contribution, and that’s why we’re here .
Knowing that you decide what has meaning, what matters most to you? Where do you feel called to contribute and make a difference? Who can you have a positive, productive influence on? What can you dismantle and disrupt, or what are you compelled to create and build? What would make the world around you a little bit better and more tolerable while you’re here?
The purpose of life is to have a variety of experiences.
As humans, we’re wired for continuous growth.
We live in an ever-expanding Universe, which means we’re supposed to expand endlessly during our lifetime. But most people stagnate and stay stuck at a certain comfort level.
If this is you, how can you prioritize new experiences and growth? What would push you outside your comfort zone and help you become more of who you’re here to be? What are things that seem interesting to you that you could go and experience? How can you make new experiences a part of your everyday life? For some people, this looks like camping and traveling weekly, and for others it’s continuing their education and learning new skills. What’s your version?
The purpose of life is to find something worthy of suffering.
Suffering in this life is inevitable; it’s part of being human.
But just like we get to choose what meaning we’re going to make of things, what’s worth suffering for to you? What’s worth the pain and discomfort of growth and expansion? What’s worth the struggle of learning new things? What’s worth the risks that come with being vulnerable? What’s worth the inevitable failures on the way to success? All things worth having require work, as well as some degree of suffering and struggle. What’s worth that to you?
Ready to Find Your Purpose in Life and Start Living It?
Looking for a Step-By-Step Guide to Finding Your Purpose in life?
Finding purpose in life doesn’t have to be difficult, and there are several ways to pursue purpose regardless of your present circumstances or available resources (time, money, energy, etc.)
We know after decades of doing this work that purpose feels like this big, impossible feat, but we promise that purpose isn’t only for “special” designated souls or some big secret; it’s a process.
And here at Pinpoint Your Purpose, we have two results-driven, signature processes for uncovering and living your purpose in life:
After experiencing challenging chapters and big life transitions…
Journey Mapping™
Find healing and a new sense of wholeness, uncover the purpose of your path, and make the impossible happen.
This is for you, if you are:
- Navigating the aftermath of grief, trauma, divorce, health issues, or another big life event that’s thrown you off center in every way.
- Feeling stuck, unfulfilled, or completely lost in your life… unsure what comes next or how to come home to yourself and your truth.
- Ready to uncover your purpose in life—who you’re here to be and the work you’re here to do—after being altered at your core.
When you’re ready for full alignment and self-actualization…
Actualize™
Come into full alignment, activate the seed of your purpose, and begin living your fullest expression.
This is for you, if you are:
- Feeling ready to live in alignment with your true self and purpose by addressing your deeper blocks and healing your core wounds.
- Unsure how to activate your purpose (which has been lying dormant for years) and craving a life of contribution and meaningful work.
- Ready to step into a new way of being, learn how to reconfigure the world around you, and build your legacy project in life or work.
