Have you ever been so stressed out with the daily grind that you shouted to whatever was listening, “Is this all there is?”
It feels like we were made for more than to work, come home, do chores, have a weekend BBQ, and repeat until we’re too old to enjoy things.
What is My Purpose in Life?
There has to be more, but what is it?
If you’re overwhelmed with the stress of daily living but underwhelmed with what you’re doing, you’re probably asking, “what is my purpose in life?” as you look around, knowing your current state isn’t it.
But what is it? What is our life’s purpose, the ethereal something that will rescue us from the life of monotony we’re currently living?
We can help. As a certified life coach, I’ve made it my mission to help folks find their calling – and I can get you on the path toward discovering yours.
What Does Finding Your Purpose in Life Mean?
Finding your purpose means finding the thing that gives your life meaning. It’s finding your calling – the thing that makes you want to get out of bed every day to pursue.
Finding your purpose is like falling in love. It’s undeniable, amazing, and worth every second of difficulty that it might bring. People who have found their purpose in life live it, breathe it, embody it, and share it with the world.
How Do I Know What My Purpose Is?
It’s okay not to know what your calling is. We often get so tied up with our lives that we don’t have time to think about it. Sometimes, we have more than one passion, and it’s hard to focus on just one.
Society also makes it more challenging than it needs to be. We’re surrounded by people telling us what it should be with no thought to what we really want. Family, friends, and society in general do a great job of defining everyone’s life script, whether you’re passionate about it or not.
The truth is, you don’t have to do what society expects. You don’t even have to do what your family desires. If you don’t want children, don’t have them, regardless of how much your parents want grandchildren or how often you’ve heard that children are the path to a fulfilling life.
If you don’t want to be a doctor, don’t go to med school, regardless of how many generations of your family were doctors and how much your parents pressured you.
It’s your life, and we only get one as far as we know. So why spend it pursuing someone else’s purpose?
How to Discover Your Life’s Purpose
I’d like to tell you that it’s a simple process, but the truth is it’s a challenging endeavor that could take a lifetime to figure out.
Challenging doesn’t mean impossible, though, and living a life true to your purpose is worth the effort.
It’s time to stop living the life others designed for you and start living your own life. Stop asking, “What is my purpose in life?” Follow these tips to find it and live it.
1. Get Introspective
It’s time to ask yourself some tough questions.
- What do you want in life?
- What are you passionate about?
- What would you do with your spare time if money wasn’t a problem?
- What do you pay to do?
These thought-provoking questions will give you insight into what drives you. Reflect on them to consider what you want rather than what people expect from you.
2. Journal
If you’re struggling to answer and hold onto these insightful questions, use a journal. Write the questions out and take your time to develop a response. Reflect upon the answers later to ensure they’re still true to you.
You don’t have to limit yourself to the four questions above. Journal on your own about what you want out of life, or grab our introspective journal prompts to help you get started. They’re not explicitly designed to help you find your calling, but they will help you get comfortable with introspective journaling.
3. Practice Self-Care
How can you know what you want to do when you don’t even have time to think about it? Being so stressed out that you can’t think straight is a huge problem that inhibits us from being able to consider the possibilities.
It’s essential to clear your mind and destress. Try taking a bath, going for a nature walk, indulging in a favorite book, or doing anything that helps you relax and feel rejuvenated.
Discovering your purpose takes a refreshed body and mind, so give yourself the gift of self-care before thinking about it.
4. Try New Things
You can’t know if you like something until you try it. Now is the time!
Is there something that you’ve always wanted to try but put off? Do it! Sign up for that cooking class, go to an open drawing studio, or volunteer for a cause that’s near and dear to you. Move things from your “someday” list to your “today” list.
You may end up in a figure drawing class bored out of your mind. You’ve discovered art is NOT your purpose. That’s okay – part of the journey is crossing things off the list.
But you may find that the passion brewing inside you bubbles to the surface as you recreate the perfect sketch of your model and fall in love with the process. You will never know until you try.
5. Meditate on It
Mediation provides time for self-reflection and introspection. It’s often used as a means of self-care but can also help you find your true path.
Mediation guides you. When you meditate on a specific question, your inner self helps guide your conscious mind toward the answer.
Meditation may not be for everyone, but it’s a great tool to help you learn what you want out of life.
6. Network with People Who Inspire You
Sometimes, finding our purpose in life is about meeting the right people. Have you ever had a conversation with someone and had that “aha” light bulb moment where you think, “I want to do what they are doing!”
Building a network of people in niches related to your passion can help you narrow down your true purpose.
For example, let’s say you love film. Join a network of people who share your love. Work with directors, producers, camera people, actors, design specialists, and anyone else in the industry to learn how films are developed, produced, and delivered. You may find a niche job in the film industry that excites you like nothing else.
Understanding all aspects of an industry from insiders will help you determine whether you want to be a part of it and, if you do, which specific aspect of it you should pursue.
7. Find a Mentor
Finding a mentor is taking your network to the next level. The network you’ve built will give you a taste of different aspects of an industry, but a mentor will help you narrow down your specific role.
A mentor will have one-on-one conversations with you and help guide you toward what you want in life.
Although your mentor doesn’t have to be involved in the industry, it does help, especially as you attempt to narrow things down. It’s more important that you trust them to have your best interest at heart and that they know enough about the topics you’re passionate about to guide you toward an educated decision.
8. Hire a Life Coach
A life coach helps you uncover your true calling. Whereas a mentor should be niche-specific, a life coach offers a broader view of your dreams, skills, and experiences, introducing you to doors you never thought possible.
Life coaches can help you identify limiting beliefs holding you back from your calling, showcase new realms of possibilities, and guide you towards discovering your purpose in life on your own.
9. Get Involved
Many of us find our purpose in service to others. If there’s a charity you support or a cause you’re passionate about, why not dive in deeper?
Stop standing on the sidelines and start getting involved. Volunteer to help. Join protests. Build houses. Feed the homeless. Canvass for a political party. Foster cats.
Getting involved in a cause near and dear to you may help you realize that your purpose lies in working for this cause. You may also recognize that this type of work is not for you, but the only way to find out is to try.
10. Seek Knowledge
Seek opportunities to learn about the things you are curious about. Books can spark something inside we never knew existed. Browse your local bookstore, and pick up something that looks intriguing.
The opportunities to learn new things are endless. Online platforms offer classes in everything from photography to journalism to the sciences. Dabble in a few things and see if something fits.
There may also be local places for you to take in-person classes. Try an art or cooking class, or enroll in a course at your local community college.
Learning about what’s out there is a great way to discover your purpose.
11. Look at What You’re Doing
A lot of the stuff on this list seems great, but some folks have a valid reason why they can’t explore it.
They have no money, or they have responsibilities.
Have you ever considered that you’re making these excuses because you’re already living your purpose?
Maybe you’re working long hours to give your kids a happy life. Your purpose is taking care of your family!
We’re often so busy looking around at what we don’t have to see the wonderful things right in front of us. Open yourself to the possibility that you’ve already found your purpose, but you don’t recognize it.
12. Listen to Your Heart
Our emotions can give us deep insight into what drives us, but we’re taught to ignore them or “tough it out.” Society derides emotions, but they can lead us to our purpose.
Pay attention to things that make you cry or rage. What is it about that topic that creates such an emotional reaction? What can you do to change it (not your emotional reaction, but the problem that created it)?
13. Open Yourself to Change
If we’re lucky, we spend 80 years on this Earth. Some of us find a purpose and pursue it for the entire time, but the reality is that most of us evolve with life, and our passions may change.
A mother may find her purpose in raising children, but what happens when they’ve all flown from the nest? She can find a renewed purpose in her grandchildren, but she could also explore other possibilities.
Allow yourself the grace to change as you age. Your purpose today doesn’t need to be your purpose tomorrow.
14. Accept Feedback
Other people often tell us our calling if we’re willing to listen.
The other day, a former employee called me seeking advice. I answered truthfully, guided them through some options, and offered my support.
About an hour later, a cubicle mate stopped me in the hall. She told me I’m a wonderful leader and great at giving folks advice. She said she overhears me speaking all the time and can see how much I care about people and the mission, and she felt the need to tell me.
She didn’t know that I’m a life coach and spend my free time helping people in exactly the same way. But from the little she saw of how I interact with people, she identified my purpose – to help people with personal and professional development.
What are your friends, family, and coworkers saying about you? Do you listen?
15. Consider Your Core Values
Before asking “What is my purpose in life?” you should ask “What are my core values?”
Your core values define who you are, while your purpose outlines what you should do. How do you know what to do if you don’t know who you are?
Consider your values, and find a purpose that aligns with them.
16. Explore
Many of the items on this list come down to a single word. If you want to find your purpose, you need to explore. Explore everything: your inner self, your ideals, your passions, and the world around you.
Life isn’t the destination. It’s the journey. Allowing yourself the freedom to explore the world, both figuratively and literally, will help you narrow down your true calling.
17. Live
Nicoleta Ionescu via Shutterstock.com.
It may sound silly, but I think the true purpose of life is living. We weren’t meant to work in an office 40 hours per week, do chores, go to bed, and repeat ad nauseam.
Life is for living.
Living your life to the fullest is the purpose of life. You were meant to get out there, find your passion, discover yourself, and live your best life. It doesn’t have to be in the pursuit of some higher calling (though it can be). It can simply be what makes you happiest.
So be happy. Enjoy every moment of life.
Purpose, Passion, and Meaning
Find your purpose. Pursue your passion. What’s the meaning of life?
These three concepts are all so tightly interwoven that they are nearly synonymous.
However, there are slight differences. Your passion can be your purpose, but we think of passion as something a little more selfish and purpose as something you give back to the world. Passion is what drives us; purpose is why it drives us.
Passion and purpose are also related to meaning. What does living a meaningful life entail?
Some view it as living a life that made a difference, an impact on someone or a group of people. A person’s life has meaning if they make the world around them a better place. With this interpretation, a person’s life’s meaning doesn’t have to be related to their passion or purpose. It’s an expression of how others view their life.
Others get more philosophical with it and ask questions like, “What is the meaning of life?” If you think of it this way, finding your purpose is finding the meaning in your life.
Life Purpose Examples
sulit.photos via Shutterstock.com.
Nearly anything can be your calling. If you’re still struggling with finding purpose, explore these options for finding meaning.
Remember, though – everyone is different. It’s okay if none of these ideas speak to you.
If nothing here inspires you, consider hiring a life coach or speaking with a mentor. Every situation is unique, and sometimes, it takes one-on-one guidance to narrow down what we want out of life.
Service to Others
Many people find fulfillment in life by serving others. You could achieve this via volunteer work, a career in caregiving, or helping your family at home.
If you are driven by helping others, consider that this might be your purpose in life. Find opportunities to give back, serve others, and help people around you.
Dedication to Faith
Some people find meaning in dedicating themselves to the service of a higher power. Whether through Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, or any other religion, many find that worship and dedication to faith give their lives meaning.
If spirituality guides you, try getting more involved in your religious organization. Many religions dedicate themselves to serving others, so you may find that although you derive meaning from your faith, your purpose aligns more with service. That’s okay. Discovering your passion, purpose, and meaning is part of the journey.
Creating
A lot of people are driven by an intense need to create. Artists, actors, writers, singers, bloggers, streamers, YouTubers, and other content creators find fulfillment in making things to educate and entertain others.
Creatives in all niches find that the act of making something drives them. The end goals may be different. Some may want to educate or persuade, others may want to entertain, and others still might find meaning in leaving something lasting for future generations.
Activism
Many people have found their life’s purpose in pursuing a cause they care about. Activism can take many forms. You can get involved in local politics, join a charity organization that fights for a reason you care about, or even mobilize like-minded individuals.
Fighting for a cause you truly believe in can give you a sense of purpose. Follow in the footsteps of women like Susan B. Anthony and Ida B. Wells in fighting for women or Martin Luther King Jr. in fighting for civil rights.
Dedicating your life to a cause you truly believe in is a great way to inject a sense of purpose and meaning in your life.
Live Purposefully
A final example of living a life of purpose is centered around being rather than doing. When you live your life on purpose, you can find meaning in the simple act of existing.
Embracing a purposeful life is a little more complex than the other items. Having an external purpose is easy. Making yourself the purpose takes mindfulness, gratitude, and introspection.
However, it’s worthwhile. Having a sense of purpose in being will help you become one with the world and find inner peace. It’s empowering and allows you to live life to the fullest because it comes with the understanding that living life to the fullest is the purpose of life.
Books that Can Help You Find Your Purpose in Life
Tonuka Stock via Shutterstock.com.
An article on the web is a great starting point for finding your purpose, but sometimes you need more in-depth information.
We provided some great ideas for exploring your purpose, but they might not be enough for someone who has no idea of their inner purpose or where to start.
These resources can help.
Find Your Passion Ultimate Bundle
The best resource for finding your purpose in life is one we’ve developed ourselves.
Helping people discover, fund, and pursue their passions is Partners in Fire’s top priority. We think everyone should have the opportunity to follow their dreams and live the life they want.
Our ultimate bundle for discovering your passion is available in our shop and on Etsy. It’s a printable workbook filled with journal prompts, follow-up questions, mind maps, passion ideas, and action plans to help you get started.
If you’re clueless about your purpose but ready to find it – you need this workbook.
More Books for Finding Your Passion and Purpose
If you want more resources in addition to the ultimate bundle, check out these books.
Most of these are read-only, so they don’t include the printable bundle’s activities, but they are great resources to help you answer that ultimate question: “What is my purpose in life?”
Hey folks! Transparency Disclosure- Some of the links in this article are affiliate links. That means I’ll receive a small commission if you decide to click on it and buy something. Don’t worry, it doesn’t cost you anything extra!
I Don’t Know What I Want, But I Know It’s Not This
I Don’t Know What I Want, But I Know it’s Not This by Julie Jansen is a guide to finding a career that fits you. According to a survey by Zippia, 50% of Americans don’t like their jobs. Work is not a path to fulfillment, as we’ve been led to believe.
Jansen’s book doesn’t fight the idea that we need to find meaning in our work for fulfillment, but it does help guide you towards a career that you might find meaningful.
Man’s Search for Meaning
If you want to get more philosophical in your search for purpose, you need to read Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl. First published in 1946, this was one of the first books to dive deep into what a purpose in life really is.
Man’s Search for Meaning is about triumphing over trauma and despair. Frankl admitted that the book was inspired by his time in a concentration camp, arguably one of the worst traumas a person can experience.
Though inspired by horrific events, the book strives to be inspirational and showcase that you can find purpose and meaning, even in the worst circumstances.
The Happiness of Pursuit: Finding the Quest that Will Bring Purpose to Your Life
The Happiness of Pursuit by Chris Guillebeau is a little different. Instead of showing you how to find your purpose, it claims that the pursuit of purpose is your purpose.
Guillebeau is a serial entrepreneur who has visited every country, started a podcast, written books, and continues to challenge himself with new pursuits.
The meaning in his life comes from pursuing a wide range of activities. The Happiness of Pursuit showcases through interviews and case studies how the happiest people are the ones who keep pushing their boundaries and keep questing.
The journey is life’s purpose, not the destination.
Follow Your Heart: Finding Purpose in Your Life and Work
Follow Your Heart by Andrew Matthews is a simple and funny guide to living a good life. Illustrated with humorous comics that depict the struggles of just living, this book seeks to help readers expect and embrace the difficulties that come with life.
The summary of the book is the best way to explain its humor:
It’s about doing what you love and finding peace of mind. It is about dealing with disasters and not blaming your mother! It is about how happy people think, why rich people make money – even by accident – and it’s about what losers do and how not to be like them!
The Crossroads of Should and Must: Find and Follow Your Passion
I love the premise of this book. We talked about society’s expectations and why we often choose a life of misery over following our own hearts, and The Crossroads of Should and Must by Elle Luna expands upon this idea. It’s the only book on this list that acknowledges all the pressure we have to do things a certain way.
If you’ve been struggling with what you “should” do because society, family, or whoever told you it’s what you needed but want to figure out what you “must” do because it’s the thing that’s calling you, you need this book.
Inspirational Quotes About Finding Purpose in Life
For a little more inspiration to answer the question “What is my purpose in life?” we will leave you with motivational quotes on passion, purpose, and meaning from celebrities, thought leaders, and other inspirational people from our past.
These ten quotes won’t help you find your own personal meaning, but they will inspire you to search for it and pursue it when you find it.
“If you have a strong purpose in life, you don’t have to be pushed. Your passion will drive you there.” – Roy T. Bennett
“The two most important days in life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” – Mark Twain
“By setting and pursuing goals, you have nothing to lose but a lot to gain. It has been scientifically proven that people who set goals are more fulfilled and positive about life. Having a purpose to wake up to each day will challenge us and give us meaning.” – Zoe McKey
“People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they’re not on your road doesn’t mean they’ve gotten lost.” – Dalai Lama
“The path to our destination is not always a straight one. We go down the wrong road, we get lost, we turn back. Maybe it doesn’t matter which road we embark on. Maybe what matters is that we embark.” – Barbara Hall
“The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson
“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.” ― Eleanor Roosevelt
“It’s not enough to have lived. We should be determined to live for something.” – Winston S. Churchill
“There is no greater gift you can give or receive than to honor your calling. It’s why you were born. And how you become most truly alive.” – Oprah Winfrey
“We all have a purpose in life, and when you find yours, you will recognize it.” – Catherine Pulsifer
It’s time to stop wistfully asking, “What is my purpose in life?” and start finding out.
Are you ready for the challenge?