The quest to know what is the purpose of life is a matter that haunts us all at a personal level and at the scale at which we recognize that life extends beyond us to the trees and birds, to a future that does not yet belong to us and to a past long gone. It is a question of finding meaning in all of the happenings of the world, between the possible and the impossible, between history and the vast stretches of time ahead, between the expectations of others and those of ourselves, between our various potentials and our limitations as finite beings and to resolve these things and more with our terrible understanding of any of them.
To find life’s purpose is, in other words, to know what to make of life in the face of politics, history, fellow creatures, family, marriage, opportunities, limited experiences, ideologies, technology, death, human suffering, and so on. It is not easy to do this, and that is why there are so many answers to this quintessential question and the reason that there is no single platitude that stands above all others as the “one”.
So don’t despair that you know not what to do with your life, or haven’t found a purpose yet. It is doubtful that anyone in history ever has or ever will. The matter of being acquainted with our own existence is a very personal and exclusive experience, and our understanding of the world is equally unique which makes it less likely that anyone could figure out what is the purpose of life for you. Not to mention, to have a perfect understanding of the world and the cosmos in general and to use this comprehension to come to the right conclusion is virtually impossible.
The reality is that we shall always be limited as beings and you have to decide what you want to do with your life not by being at perfect ease with yourself but on the conviction that you can never get it right no matter how hard you try. In fact, the question of what is the purpose of life being notoriously difficult to answer should be substituted with that of how to lead a good life as much practical wisdom abounds on the latter. Socrates, for instance, says “an unexamined life is not worth living” and by this, he means that we should constantly examine our decisions to make them serve us better now and in the future. In the same breath, he implies that we should be ready to learn and improve and earn our right to life by being better versions of ourselves each day. Buddha calls on his followers to “practice mindfulness”, and the stoics advise us to keep a journal on which we reflect daily on our various accomplishments and failings.
Make the Best with what you’ve got
Thus the first step to developing a life that is filled with purpose is to be humble, to recognize that we cannot be everything and anything. This way we shall stop being stumped for choice and decide to make the best of what we already got. Some people choose to perform poorly at their workplace because they believe that it is not where they belong, and this is a very dangerous attitude. Dangerous because it messes with your work ethic and limits your ability to grow to meet the very opportunities that lead to a life of purpose.A bad work ethic also assumes that you have to start at a high point and that the path to purpose is carpeted with flowers on the sidewalk while the reality is that it is dirty, and littered with potholes. It is one of perseverance, and many a times you will have to create the path ahead without help or guidance from anyone. So if you want to find your life’s purpose never let anything or anyone compromise your work ethic as a good work ethic is your surest bet at building something worthwhile in the long run.
Be Decisive
Stop wasting time and decide on what you want to be right now! Shakespeare sums up the question of purpose beautifully when he says “To be or not to be: That is the question”. Sadly many people choose not to be by constantly delaying their decisions without taking time to note that the more they delay, the less they get from life. Being decisive also requires being able to commit to your choices at least long enough to see what comes out of them.Warren Buffet advices that in life, you don’t have to swing at every ball that comes your way, you just have to hit a few of them and understanding this is key to finding your life’s purpose. One way to make sure that you make the right hits is to list your priorities for the day, for the week and for the year and to make notes and observations as you try your best to follow through on them. You will be surprised at how much this daily practice will orient your life towards the fine things in life.
Overcome your fears
Fear by definition is holding back your best effort and why anyone would do that in their life basically their only real possession in this universe makes no sense. But it is the case that for most of us we are always holding back i.e. not putting enough time on the things that matter, are in love with various distractions such as movies, social media or are living what is often called “the good life” meaning alcohol, sex and other similar indulgences.Fear and procrastination take many forms, but it is always the case that they take away your time and keep you from thinking about the problems you should be solving. One sure way to conquer fear and pursue your purpose in life is to understand that you have everything to gain and nothing to lose by having a good work ethic for instance. Sometimes you will fail and maybe terribly but if you choose to stand up and press on be sure that there are a thousand other folks out there who gave up and that will be your edge in life. But finding your purpose in life is not simply a matter of besting everyone else it is about exploring your various potentials, and this is a sacred duty to self and winning or losing are just outcomes in this vital process. The people who succeed in life in ways that require documentaries and memoirs to comprehend the scale of their achievements don’t start off with the desire to win, they start willing to know what they are capable of and we all owe it to ourselves to explore this side of ourselves. This above all requires that you let go of any fears that you have.
Trust what you already know
At every age you already know enough of yourself, your life situation and the world around you to make informed decisions and to wait to know enough in order to decide on your life’s purpose is a big misunderstanding of what constitutes purpose. Because although similar to the question of why do I exist? The matter of life’s purpose is different because purpose calls to action while existence is a matter of origin. This means that you are already living a purposeful life as long as you are doing things and if you choose to do them well for at least that time you shall have served a purpose that you can be proud of. It is that easy but to live a fulfilled life and one with a major theme you need consistency and purpose for you shall be the outcome you get from the consistency.Cultivate the right virtues
Every ship requires steering and life is no different. There’s got to be the principles and values on which your actions are based because if you think about it, life is one complex mash up of experiences, knowledge, goals, intentions, actions, relationships, needs and so on and anything as complex requires at least a constitution. Virtues and principles will guide you to your destination and a simple dictum like “I always finish what I start” maybe all you need. Thus sit down and write the things that you admire, the things that please you and a list of your highest aspirations and then develop your constitution such that it becomes easier for you to make decisions in the face of any complexity that life throws at you.Orient yourself with the right questions
It is good that you should ask what the purpose of life is because as Aristotle once put it “contemplation is the highest form of activity” it allows you to take charge, exercise power over the self and reaffirms your ability to change for the better. Deciding on your purpose in life will always be a matter of making good on what you already know about life and your situation, and this requires answering several fundamental questions two of which are; is this best I can do? And does it feel right? whenever you are called to action. If you do this, you will never go astray.What does all this say about the answer to the question of what is the purpose of life, simply that the purpose of life is what you get at the very end of a life well lived. It will be an answer unique to you and your experiences.
Moteo: Writer, Web Content Developer, Send Mail to Gholaworks@gmail.com
Mateo Ngatia
I'm Mateo Ngatia. A full time Content Developer who enjoys sharing two rules to live by on a daily basis. It is mostly a fun thing, that reminds us that living is serious business no matter what you do .
Website: http://2rules2liveby.blogspot/
Social Links: