Updated on July 11th, 2022
Have you ever found yourself lost for purpose ? Perhaps you’re a bit fed up with your life and its trials and tribulations. Perhaps you feel you’ve been there, seen it all, done it all, and got the t-shirt. And as you’re thinking about what to do differently in your life, you cannot help but wonder why bother at all. Perhaps you’ve even asked yourself What’s the point? Well , you’re not the only one. Let me tell you …
The question What’s the point? gets right to the very core of what it is to live a fulfilled life – a life you love. And it inevitably comes up for most of my clients, as they explore and start changing their life into a life they love to live.
It’s great to work out
- where you want to live,
- what you want to do professionally and in your spare time,
- who you want to spend time with,
- what adventures you want to experience,
- how you can best look after yourself, and
- how much money you’ll need in order to feel secure and do all that.
It’s a necessary step for you to know what changes you need to make in order to create a life you love.
But if you can see no point to any such changes, no compelling reason-why, then any change you make will feel empty – like putting on cosmetic, superficial layers on the outside that are supposed to make you happy, but don’t do the trick, as they don’t connect to what’s really important to you on the inside.
What’s the Point? asks for purpose
I’ve long maintained that a truly fulfilling life is not a life where all outer parameters are ideal. Where you wear rose-tinted glasses because the sun always shines and all is perfect.
Rather, it’s a life that you live from what you love and are passionate about. A life that respects who you are and what truly matters to you. A life that distinctly feels right for you. A life that suits who you are today. (Top 10 Ingredients for a Life You Love.)
It’s creating and living such a life that will give you a sense of purpose that will carry you through the inevitable cloudy or rainy bits, too.
See the very first logo I created for my coaching practice, right here?
Every time I look at it, I am reminded of the reason why I have started my practice – and the life around it: To become utterly, truly, authentically myself. To create and live a life I love, rain or shine. And to use my unique combination of skills and talents to inspire and guide others towards a life that has purpose for them.
So they too will use their unique skills and passions to be truly themselves and help others. I make a difference to people and, in my own small way, even the world. And we all become happier.
Although it also has to be said that happiness, though often a by-product of having purpose, is probably not what this is all about. Rather, when you live a life of purpose, and you know why you’re doing what you’re doing, you will be motivated and able to keep going even in times when you’re not quite so happy. Because what you do matters to you deeply, and you know it’s worth it.
A purpose connects you up and carries you through
In my own life, I’ve sought purpose from when I was very young. Yet I had to reach my forties to stumble upon mine. Much as I sometimes despaired about not finding anything that felt right to me, it all makes sense when I look back on my journey from where I am now.
And that is a beautiful, comforting thing.
Now:
Has it been an easy journey? Not entirely, no. I’ve gone through sunshine, clouds and rain. Even storms. I still do, and I expect that I will continue to do so.
But on the whole, I love my life today, clouds and all. And knowing, compellingly, why I’ve chosen this particular path for myself, makes me uncompromising, resourceful and creative – some might call it stubborn! 😉 – in persevering with it. I want to make it work. Even when the going gets tough.
Looking for purpose asks for why you’re doing what you’re doing – whether that be in your life as a whole, or in every single one of the small actions you take each day.
By why I don’t mean just a rational, logical reason, like working in order to earn money to pay the bills. That’s just one part of the picture, and whilst it will satisfy a necessity, it may not necessarily fulfill you.
No. What I mean is a Reason-Why with a capital R and a capital W. One that really means something to you. One that really matters to you.
When you find that and start living it out, your life feels guided by purpose and acquires meaning.
And you’ll feel that, what you do in the outer world connects to who you really are on the inside. You’ll feel more peaceful about life, even when things don’t go your way. Life, and what you uniquely bring to it, will start to make sense for you at a deeper level. And that’s fulfilling.
There’s more:
Victor Frankl, author of Man’s Search for Meaning, said: “He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.”
And that’s the point.
Want to read more?
Over to you now
What’s your purpose in life?
What do you believe is the point?
Or are you still searching for it?
Do share it below – thank you!
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