Purpose brings joy and meaning to your life
Purposefulness doesn’t have to be a grand idea. Or a bold action. It can spring simply from a commitment to be faithful in even the most undervalued or straightforward tasks—parenting, volunteering, mentoring.
It’s whatever brings joy and meaning to your life.
Purpose is different for everyone. It is inextricably linked to the context of community. Yet it has the same effect on all of us. It’s an energizing element that contributes to better health and better quality of life.
Pursuing your purpose can have rewarding and far-reaching influences on your life. The satisfaction and joy you receive from living a purposeful life and sharing your passion with others can help you live better—and possibly even longer.
Meaning in routines
Wake. Work. Eat. Go to sleep. Do it again. Does your life sometimes feel like a song that’s stuck on repeat?
There’s no getting around life’s daily necessities and commitments. But the notion that that’s all there is to life—that there is no higher purpose to your energy and actions—can leave you feeling empty.
People who look beyond the everyday and live with a higher sense of purpose enjoy longer, healthier, more fulfilled lives. Experts define purposeful living as the ability to derive meaning from life experiences—whether everyday or extraordinary—and to be focused and intentional.
So how do people develop this valuable attribute? Purposefulness stems from a number of sources, among them:
- Innate drive: Some people are able to sense their purpose early in life and feel naturally driven to give of their spirits and achieve their goals.
- Consciousness: These people have trained themselves to live in the moment, being aware of what is happening without wishing things were different
- Faith: For some people, a sense of purpose is as matter-of-fact as a belief in creation: “God [or some creative force] put me here. Therefore, my existence serves a higher purpose.” Remember that living purposefully is an ability—this is a skill you can learn. This is an ideal place to get started finding, strengthening, and sharing your personal sense of purpose.
Lifelong effects
The effects of purpose might be more far-reaching than we can imagine.
Sometimes, though, a child can offer a simple reminder of the importance of conscious living. One couple learned that lesson when their five-year-old daughter began kindergarten. They had wondered how their bright, outgoing child would adapt to the rigors of elementary school. She soon had the routines down pat. “I love school,” she told her parents, “but…get up, eat breakfast, go to school, go home, go to bed…is this what I’m going to do every day, from now on? Is this all there is?” Instead of simply answering “yes,” the parents talked about how she could view her days as more than a collection of boring requirements. They reminded her to do things like
- treasure fun moments with her parents, little sister, and friends.
- be spontaneous, as well as disciplined. That balance takes practice at all ages!
- develop her sense of empathy and think about how she might help others.
- stop each day to feel amazed at the world around her. Grasshoppers, full moons, and spider webs are enthralling to kids—and to the adults who take time to notice them.
The girl’s parents were struck by the manifold nature of their purpose as parents: Not only were they making conscious efforts to nurture her in body and spirit, but their child was teaching them to dig even deeper. And, they realized, the lessons she absorbed at five were the ones she would one day pass on to her own children.
Take the first step
When you follow your passion, it shows. Get started finding and nurturing your own sense of purpose in life—and enjoy the healthfulness it brings you.
