We often hear mentors and motivational speakers encouraging us to find or discover our purpose in life, and to work toward fulfilling it in order to feel complete and satisfied. But how true is that? Does every person actually come into this world with a purpose? And if so, how does each of us discover what that purpose truly is?
Many people describe their purpose as a feeling in their hearts that pushes them toward a certain path. Others describe it as a thought in the back of their minds, a quiet but persistent sense that they need to follow a specific direction in life to feel satisfied. While others say they feel pulled toward something they cannot easily ignore or escape, even if they try.
But at the same time, many people say they don’t feel any of this. They are unsure of what their purpose is, or even whether they have one at all. However, they still believe that a purpose exists for them, they just need more time to discover it. In the meantime, they often feel down or even worthless, especially when they compare themselves to others who seem to have already figured out their purpose and therefore appear more successful.
If we think about it more deeply, how true is this idea? Is there really a purpose assigned to each person? If we go back in history, purpose was often described as a path or direction set by a higher power or by forces beyond human understanding. Later, this idea started to evolve, especially through Greek philosophy and then through monotheistic religions that shaped how people understand meaning and existence.
Yet even today, there is still no clear, universal definition of what our purpose is, or how we are supposed to know for certain whether we are heading in the right direction when we believe we are pursuing it.
With that said, we might come to the conclusion that the idea of purpose in life serves to give each person a sense of importance within a community. It can be seen as a way of integrating individuals into society by giving them roles that benefit others. In other words, purpose may act as a way of reducing selfishness and organizing human life into communities where people work together for the benefit of all, allowing society to grow instead of each person focusing only on themselves, which could eventually lead to division and instability.
So, if we put spirituality and religion aside and think about it logically, can we agree that finding a purpose is for the greater good? And can we decide what our purpose is instead of waiting to discover it as something given to us?
How might we do that?
For example, when we feel drawn toward something but also feel that it is too difficult to achieve, or that pursuing it would require us to let go of things we are comfortable with. Or when the thing we are drawn to does not seem to make our life easier or more stable. In those moments, can we choose not to pursue it in order to avoid unnecessary struggle, and instead choose a path that improves our life while also benefiting society in some way?
In other words, can we decide what our purpose should be, create a plan to achieve it, and feel fulfilled through that decision, rather than waiting for a feeling or thought in the back of our minds to define it for us, and feeling lost or inadequate if it doesn’t?
Because many people do report that the purpose they feel they are given is not always helping them to improve their personal life or make them happier. It is mostly focused on what benefits it gives to society.
So, just keep in mind that when choosing your purpose, try to be balanced between what improves your life and what benefits society at the same time so you end up both happy and satisfied.
