How to Find the Answer to “What is My Life Purpose?”

Alarm snoozing, mindless social media scrolling, and looking for reasons to get up from the computer throughout the day – does any of this sound familiar? Going about your day because it’s set up a certain way dictated by someone or something other than you. Your job and responsibilities demand your attention, so you just, well, do them. Day in and day out.

Many of us get so caught up in the busyness of everyday life that we lose sight of living an intentional life, and one that we are excited about every day. We might ask those big questions like, “what is my impact on the world?”, or “why does what I do matter?”.

We all seek happiness and fulfillment, but we might not take the time to actually think about what that looks like or how to even get there. Unfortunately, sometimes it takes a major life event that forces us to step back from that job or those responsibilities and ask ourselves why we’re doing what we do.

Having a clear sense of meaning and intentionality in your life gives you greater, well, everything. Motivation, happiness, fulfillment, and a lot of other great things. It’s what drives you to make goals and push through challenges to get to where you want to be. In this process of getting from where you are now to where you want to be, you grow into a better version of yourself and can help others do the same.

This sense of meaning and direction is your purpose.

In this post, we’ll explore what purpose is, why knowing it is important, and how to find yours so you can start living a life that you love (more). Sound fluffy? Well, donuts are fluffy and filled and they’re pretty great, so, maybe give this a try.

What is Purpose?

Your purpose is your own unique reason for being and elevates you to a life of meaning. It extends beyond a fleeting sense of accomplishment, a good day, or a string of good events. It’s what gets you out of bed in the morning and motivates you to strive towards living your best life. It helps guide every decision, big and small, and shapes what you want to be remembered for. Discovering your unique purpose is one of the most important things you can do to create a fulfilling life.

It’s not what you do every day, but why you do what you do. This “why” is typically connected to these aspects:

• Things that bring you joy.
• Things that you’re naturally good at.
• Things based on your core values.

Purpose transcends a job title, career, or social status. It’s the difference you are here to make in the world. It’s part of the staying power to get you through hard times and propels you through good times.

The unique skills, talents, and experiences you have are clues to this higher purpose.

My Hot Take on the Purpose of Life

I feel like plainly stating what purpose is not, is an important element to cover because there’s a lot of fluffy stuff out there. Arguably, this post is fluffy too, but I hope it can be equally as practical. (Refer to our donut from the intro: fluffy, yet filling, and meets your needs for a craving).

Hot take: Your purpose can change, and it can evolve.

Some people have a singular life purpose and knew this from the womb. The other 99% of us, not so much. This is going to look different for everyone, and it might look different for you a year, two, or ten years from now. That’s fantastic! This is evidence that you’re growing and so is the impact you are having on the world.

The goal with finding your purpose is to find and do the things that are important and intentional. Again, this is going to look different for everyone because we are all different.

Not everything is important, nor does it have to be. But you do not need to get stuck in an existential crisis with the myth that you will never find your true passion or purpose. It’s simply not true.

Why Finding Your Purpose Matters

Having a clear sense of purpose has been linked to an overall healthy life: higher levels of happiness, life satisfaction, self-esteem, and resilience. People with purpose tend to live longer, cope better with hardship, and feel more in control of their lives.

Many different cultures all have a core concept of purpose. One example is Japan and what is called “ikigai”. It’s a concept of finding your joy, and it’s grown more popular in the west in recent years.

Without purpose, it’s easy to get pulled in different directions by other people’s expectations and societal norms. You may constantly second-guess yourself or have that nagging feeling that something is missing. The lack of joy or focus to get through tough situations can be especially tough without confidently knowing what is important to you and why you do certain things.

There are links between who you are and what you do. For example, what you believe is important to you, so if you take action that is in opposition to what you believe and the thing that is important to you, no wonder you do not have a good sense of direction.

Finding your purpose provides clarity, direction, and energy that sustains you through good and hard times. You’ll gain the courage to say no to things that don’t align with your values, your beliefs, and ultimately your reason for being, even if they seem appealing on the surface. Understanding each of these components and how they are linked together builds your confidence.

You’ll also say yes more often to opportunities that resonate with who you really are and what you truly believe in. Ultimately, purpose allows you to live intentionally and move towards something instead of drifting aimlessly towards everything.

Your True Purpose Will Not Sound Like This

Dragging yourself through each day is not what anyone should spend their life doing. The things you tell yourself to find a sense of fulfillment in where you put your energy might sound good. But that might be the exact thing draining you.

Yes, there are hard seasons of life to get through, and no, not everything is hunky dory all of the time. Being positive all of the time is also not the answer, but neither is letting negativity eat the world. If you’re wondering if you are on the path to fulfilling your purpose, then the below probably does not sounds like you:

• You don’t feel passionate about your work, and you’re just doing it for the paycheck.
• You often wonder if there’s more to life than this and feel unfulfilled.
• You frequently compare yourself to other people, and feelings of being “not enough” are common.
• You feel drained or apathetic going through daily life, and things seem monotonous.

If this does sound like you, then great, the next stop is to help you define that purpose. Uncover what’s important to you to add excitement and more meaning in life, and you’re in the right place to do that.. If you’ve done this type of exercise before but aren’t feeling a zest for life, it might be time to take a fresh look at what brings you joy every day. It doesn’t need to be your job and maybe has nothing to do with your job. While it’s natural to default to immediately thinking about your job, your purpose extends far beyond that one aspect of your life.

Remember that life is the pie and your job is a single slice of it. You have so much to offer this world, and every day is a new opportunity to press your unique mark into it.

The good news is, it’s never too late. The extra good news is that there’s no right or wrong way to do this. It’s okay for it to evolve because we are always growing as people.

You have the power to change your life, right now.

How to Find Your Life Purpose

Finding your purpose takes self-reflection, courage, and commitment. Each moment of reflection and iteration of this process will continue to help you discover more of what you truly want out of life. It often requires looking internally and listening to those quiet whispers – the ones that are easy to drown out with distractions.

Throughout this exercise, do your best to lay down any expectations, desires, and plans that are not yours. There is a lot of “should and would” chatter that can often cloud these types of exercises. Really ask yourself these questions without anyone else in mind because at the end of the day, you are the one that has to live it.

Here are 5 actionable steps to help you figure out your purpose (yes, write them down):

Explore your passions.

Take note of the activities, hobbies and topics that light you up. Start with one or two things – it doesn’t need to be a long list.

• When do you lose track of time?
• What puts you in a state of flow?
• What do people often compliment you on?

Now that you’ve identified these, think about how you feel when you do them and the joy it brings you. That feeling is what you will continue to focus on as you uncover your purpose and carve your path to achieving it.

Reflect on big moments.

Think about the key moments in your life that have impacted why or how you do something. These might be moments that have even driven you towards or away from a particular decision.

• When did that moment happen?
• What stands out to you the most?
• How can you channel that energy into your driving force for good?

Commit to growth.

What got you here might not be what gets you to where you are going. If you want to live a life full of purpose, meaning, and happiness, you must find a way to be flexible.

• What prevents you from trying new things or ways of thinking?
• What limiting beliefs do you have that might be blocking you from uncovering and walking out your purpose?
• What is one thing you will incorporate to commit to continuous growth for yourself each day?

This might look like starting affirmations, rewiring negative thoughts and self-talk, or working with a coach. I have found that I like to reflect on a regular cadence and set calendar reminders for myself.

Start Living Your Best Life

Once you’ve identified your passions, things that are important to you, and what you believe, and don’t believe, the real work begins – translating it into action. If this feels overwhelming, start with one area where you want to make meaningful progress.

Here are some ways to start living this out:

Set goals aligned with your purpose.

Break down big dreams into yearly, quarterly, monthly, and daily progress. This makes everything more tangible and more actionable to actually track your progress.

Eliminate distractions and obligations that don’t serve your purpose.

This can be a tough one. Not everyone is going to agree with you or support you, but that’s why I mentioned earlier that you should write all of this down. Keep it visible and refer to it often. You are in the process of aligning your life – it will take some time.

There is also a real acknowledgement that not everything can be removed that does not align with your purpose. That is okay. Remove what you can so that things become simpler. Things that you can control can become more aligned with your purpose. This will energize you to do the things you can’t remove that may not be perfectly aligned with your purpose.

Connect with a community who shares your purpose.

Finding mentors and collaborators is a great way to try new things, learn, and keep yourself accountable. Processing with others and being shoulder to shoulder with people on a similar path as you will continue to stoke the fire in you.

Commit time each day to activities related to your purpose.

Small steps add up. It doesn’t seem like it at first – how could 15 minutes a day possibly make a difference? The simplest things to do are the easiest to overlook. You might be surprised at what a small daily discipline can produce.

Be patient with yourself, experiment, and adjust.

Living purposefully is a journey, not a destination. Yes, this is cliche, but it’s true. Being focused on the end goal is important, but don’t let it destroy who you are becoming between destinations. That is a valuable component to your fulfillment.

Be open and willing to trying new things. This helps reveal your interests and eliminate paths that aren’t quite right. Stay open, take action, and course correct as needed. Purpose unfolds gradually through experience.

Welcome to Your Dream Life

The journey to find your purpose requires patience, self-compassion, and a willingness to pivot. But the clarity, meaning, and fulfillment you’ll gain makes it all worthwhile.

Discovering your purpose may feel like a lofty, unreachable goal. Remember my hot take – your purpose can evolve. Let this process excite you because that’s what it’s supposed to be about – aligning how you live with what brings you joy.

It all starts with the willingness to try and to iterate. You have a unique gift to offer this world – let yourself share it with the world. The journey will unfold one step at a time.