You wake up. Breakfast. Wash., Dress, walk, work, and get back home. Dine. Watch TV and Sleep. Wake up. Repeat. What does all of this mean? Is there a reason behind it? Does it help to fulfil your Purpose in Life?
Life can be challenging at times. Where do you draw your energy from, and how do you go over them? You may occasionally feel like you could be a part of something greater. You are drawn to something but cannot identify it; it eludes you, which is frustrating. That is because you are unsure about your Purpose in Life.

In the post Write Your Personal Mission Statement in 6 Inspiring Steps, where you will find a methodology and several examples, you will find in this post two other tools and exercises to find your Purpose in Life.

Goals, Purpose and Meaning of Life. What’s the Difference?

Goals

Goals: What we do (or wish to do). Goals are precise, measurable outcomes that we hope to achieve. Goals might be personal or professional, short-term or long-term, but they all have one thing in common: they’re what we work for (or wish to do). We set objectives for relationships, career progress, quarterly revenues, nutrition and exercise, and more. Goals, purpose, and meaning are significantly less prioritised in Western society than they should be, which, as we’ll examine below, could be problematic.

Meaning Of Life

Meaning: Why we do it. Meaning is the emotional meaning we attach to what we do and the significance we give it. It drives everything we do. Meaning is something we create and experience; it is not something that just exists on its own. Meaning and motivation are closely related.

Purpose in Life

Purpose: The impact we want to have. The purpose is the cumulative effect of meaningful goals. The purpose is less tangible. We describe purpose as a long-term goal or guiding concept based on meaning. It is the effect on the world that we hope to have.

Exercise 1: The 9 spheres of Purpose of Life

This exercise is extracted from the book written by Richard Nelson Bolles, What Color Is Your Parachute?

When your time on Earth is done, what type of footprint do you want to leave behind? The objective is to identify your personal moral compass, spiritual principles, or overarching aspirations. You’ll be well on your way to defining your Purpose in Life and mission after you figure it out.

Example: I want to use my teaching to make a difference in people’s lives. I want everyone I’ve worked with or lived with to be more educated, kind, and forgiving because I’ve taught them.

Nine spheres, which relate to the many aspects of our nature, make up the purpose of Life. Which one appeals to you the most as you review these in the diagram on this page? It’s time to think critically. Could you carefully review this diagram? Spend some time reflecting. Think about circling the components that matter to you the most.

The Sphere of the Senses

Do you want to be more beautiful when you have finished your Life here on Earth? What kind of beauty fascinates you, if any? Is it something else—art, music, flowers, pictures, paintings, staging, handicrafts, clothes, or art? Write a paragraph on it if this is your primary goal in Life.

The Sphere of the Body

Do you want more completeness, fitness, or health in the world, more wounds on people’s bodies being healed, more feeding the hungry, and more providing clothing for the needy because you lived here? Write a paragraph on it if this is your primary goal in Life.

The Sphere of Our Possessions

Is the love of material stuff in our world your main worry? Do you desire more excellent stewardship of our resources, as individuals, as a community, as a country, in the world when your Life on Earth is through as a result of your presence?

Do you prefer the terms “more, more” over “simple, quality (rather than quantity), and a larger focus on the phrase “enough”? If so, specifically in what spheres of human Life? Write a paragraph on it if this is your primary goal, your purpose in Life.

The Sphere of the Will or Conscience

Do you want the world to be a better place because you were here regarding morality, fairness, righteousness, and honesty once your Life on Earth is over? What specific domains of human Life or history? Could you write a paragraph on it if this is your main goal in Life?

The Sphere of the Heart

Do you want the world to be a better place because you were here when your Life on Earth ended? Whose love or compassion is it? For what else? If this is your Purpose in Life, describe it in one paragraph.

The Sphere of Entertainment

Do you want more people to have their burdens lessened, their perspectives broadened, and their troubles temporarily forgotten after your Life on Earth is over? Do you want the world to be filled with more laughter and joy due to your presence? If yes, what specific form of entertainment do you hope to provide the world? If this is your purpose in Life, elaborate in one paragraph.

The Sphere of the Earth

Is the planet on which we are living your first priority? Do you want a greater investigation of the Earth or the universe—exploration, not exploitation—and more dealing with its issues and energies? Do you want more robust protection for this planet? If yes, which issues or difficulties in particular capture your attention and heart? Write a paragraph on it if this is your main goal, your purpose in Life.

The Sphere of the Spirit

Do you want the world to be a better place because of your presence on Earth regarding spirituality, faith, compassion, forgiveness, and love for higher power and the human family in all its diversity? If so, with what groups of people, ages, or stages of Life? If this describes you, your sense of purpose in Life is directing you toward the spiritual realm. Write a paragraph describing it.

The Sphere of the Mind

Do you want the world to be a better place because of what you learned while you were here when your time on Earth was over? Clarity, knowledge, or knowledge about what precisely? Write a paragraph describing your main purpose in Life if that is the case.

In conclusion, remember that each is a desirable goal required in this world. Which one, in particular, draws you to it the most is the question. Which one do you want to help the most with your intellect, energies, talents, abilities, and Life while you are still on this planet? Once finished, enter a summary paragraph or essay of your chosen goal or mission. One or more may be selected.

Exercise 2: Your philosophy about Life

With the first exercise, you can encounter two difficulties:

1. Despite your best efforts, you simply cannot complete this activity to find your Purpose in Life. If you’re looking for an answer, put the query in the back of your mind; someday, some understanding will surface—today, next week, next month, or next year. Don’t be too hard on yourself.
2. Then you can create a statement detailing your philosophy of Life, including questions like why are we here, why are you here, and so on, rather than a statement of purpose or mission for your Life. This is frequently referred to as your philosophy about Life. You are not really interested in or dislike this approach.

Aim for a philosophy of Life that is no longer than two pages. It should cover whichever of the following topics you determine is most crucial. You don’t need to write about each one. You often only need two or three phrases for each thing you want to comment on.

• Beauty: what kind of beauty moves you? What role does beauty play in the world?
• Behaviour: what kind of behaviour do you believe is appropriate in this society?
• Beliefs: your most solid convictions
• Celebration: how do you like to play or celebrate?
• Choice: what is it, and how important is it to you?
• Community: your idea of belonging to one another and what you believe is our duty to one another is what you call a community
• Compassion: how do you show compassion to others and to yourself?
• Confusion: How do you deal with and navigate through confusion?
• Death: what you believe about death and what you believe happens after it
• Events: what you believe causes things to happen; how you justify why they do
• Free will: whether or not we have free choice, our lives are predetermined.
• Happiness: what constitutes the purest form of human happiness? Who are your personal heroes and heroines, and why?
• Humanity: what you believe is essential to being human, and what you believe is our purpose
• Love: what you think about the nature and significance of love, as well as all the words that are associated with it: Sensitivity, compassion, and grace
• Moral issues: which moral concerns do you think need the most of our attention, debate, and involvement to resolve?
• Paradox: how you respond to its existence in Life
• Purpose: why we are here and what Life is all about: our purpose
• Reality: its nature and components are what you imagine them to be.
• Self: whether your physical self is the extent of your being; what it means to rely on yourself
• Spirituality: its role in Life and how we should approach it
• Stewardship: managing the resources that have been entrusted to us is known as stewardship.
• Truth: what you believe it to be; which truths are most crucial
• Uniqueness: what makes each of us distinctive, in your opinion?
• Universe: your idea of what binds the universe together, such as a supreme being or another force
• Values: How you view humanity and the world, ordered according to what is most important (to you)

Exercise 3: How to know Your Purpose in Life, the express version

5 Questions to Ask Yourself, by Adam Leipzig

• Who are you (name)?
• What do you love to do? What do you feel supremely qualified to teach others?
• Who do you do it for?
• What do those people want or need?
• How do they change or transform as a result?

How to Get Purpose in Life to Work: 3 final tips

Purpose in Life is not something we search for or find but something we create and develop

How to find purpose in Life? We do not find, we create purpose when we invest in something and feel connected to it. Find a skill you have, then invest countless hours perfecting it via tenacity, dedication, and sacrifice. You’ll get fervent about whatever it is as a result. We get more emotionally invested in a concept when we devote our time and effort to it, and that notion gains emotional heft. This emotional energy encourages additional investment and the development of purpose.

Each man must look to himself to teach him the meaning of life. It is not something discovered: it is something molded.

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

If we pay attention to our emotions, we can sense purpose

Emotions reveal our ideals, just as emotional power drives long-term commitment. They offer hints as to what truly counts. At their most fundamental, emotions aid our ability to focus on a threat or opportunity. This makes me sad or angry. Why? It must be a serious threat to anything.

Feelings have a logic to them. What message is being conveyed by that feeling, consider? What could it possibly be attempting to say to you? Finding purpose in Life is still underway, but it is more of a process of experiencing than discovering. Not outside of you, but within of you. Ask yourself, what are you prepared to sacrifice if you still have trouble interpreting your emotions and finding your purpose.

By responding to these questions, you can learn about your interests and the areas where you wish to develop your purpose.

The focus is on long-term objectives and relationship

Unlike concepts like goals and objectives, the purpose in Life is long-term in nature. It’s an objective that goes beyond just your lifetime. Thinking 50 or even 100 years into the future can help you determine what is most important. The goal is to be connected, both to oneself and to others. Only when a purpose is tied to your core beliefs, who you are, and the impact you hope to have on the world will it be sustained.

Many people in their teens wonder about these big questions – what’s the meaning of life, what are we doing here – then somewhere in their 20s, they seem to say, ‘I’ll just get married. I’ll just have kids. I’ll get back to that later.’ But they never do. For me, it kept boiling.

Yuval Noah Harari

Conclusion Purpose in Life

Finding your purpose in Life is more than just a platitude or an unattainable goal. Actually, it’s a resource for leading a better, happier, healthier life that far too few people try to use. Don’t let a limiting belief stifle your aspirations.

Finding your purpose in Life is a lifelong process, but once you’ve found it, you’ll find that your Life starts to open up in ways you never imagined. Your eyes will be awakened to all the opportunities around you, and you will encounter new heights of opportunity. Turning toward your thoughts and diving in is the key to discovering your mission.

Additionally, you can discover that your goal evolves with time. There is no doubt that you can serve more than one purpose. Remember that your mission doesn’t always require changing what you’re doing. You might want to occasionally take a break from what you’re doing to consider whether you feel like your route is leading you in the direction you want to go. If it’s not, you can alter your direction. Sometimes the path to your mission is littered with bends, forks, and stop signs. David Gousset

Let’s finish the Purpose in Life post with a short fable.

• Each student received a balloon from their teacher, who instructed them to blow it up, write their name on it, and then throw it down the hallway.
• The balloons were then thoroughly mixed by the professor. After that, the pupils had five minutes to locate their own balloon. A frantic search failed to turn up their balloon.
• The teacher then instructed the class to pick up the first balloon they discovered and give it to the individual whose name was inscribed on it. Each person received their own balloon in only five minutes.
• The professor informed the students: These balloons represent happiness. If everyone looks for their own, we will never find it. But if we are concerned about the joy of others, we will also find our own.