How to find your purpose in life?

You just need to take a look around you, while at work, in the shopping mall or while commuting on a busy Saturday morning. The fact is that people are frustrated, dissatisfied and unhappy, asking themselves: ‘What do I want to do with my life or what is my purpose in life or how to find my passion in life?’. Not everyone of course, but an overwhelming amount of people — in fact, far too many. Even though a sign of frustration might only be temporary for some, for most people, a constant state of dissatisfaction about life has turned normal. However, it is not actually dissatisfaction about life, but rather dissatisfaction about themselves — about their very own sense of accomplishment or missed opportunities, well knowing that they could live by more meaningful terms. We can observe this fact not only in the younger generation but also in the older one, as people contemplate on: ‘how to find meaning in life after 50′?’

The question that many people all around the world have is, how to find meaning in life or in other words, what is my purpose in life? For some it is quite frankly an elusive concept that they do not believe in, while others might say, finding your purpose in life is unattainable, even though they recognise that some select individuals somehow live out that dream. So, objectively it is attainable but simply not for them? Well, that does not make sense, does it? If it is attainable for one; by definition it is also attainable for others!

The truth is that finding your purpose does not need to be convoluted, difficult or even elusive. In fact, it is a simple and straightforward approach, however we first must understand the underlying meaning of what a purpose is in the first place.

A purpose has different levels or depth, and depending on the answers we seek, we must ask ourselves a different set of questions. It is important to understand that neither level is better than the other, but equal in nature, in fact all levels are required to keep the equilibrium of life. I like to cluster levels of purposes into 3 general groups, which are…

Level 1 (specific): On the first level the purpose (PL1) is very much driven by your mental state, by a need or desire towards accomplishment. It usually is lived short term and might change over time or unexpectedly. The question you can ask yourself is, what does accomplishing this purpose give you? If you sense that accomplishing this purpose or objective, will provide you with a lift in self-esteem for example, you know that you are on that level.

Abstract example: A colourful flower serves as a birthday gift; it looks pretty for a while but it dries up quickly and might get thrown out soon thereafter.

Level 2 (general): On the second level, your purpose (PL2) is more intrinsically driven, meaning it is ascending from a realm of truth that however remains subjective to your own sense of reality. A life that is lived through these senses of truth and authenticity is worth living by, as it starts to transcend the mind (PL1) and opens the lens of life to more objective accomplishments that serve a bigger purpose than oneself alone. You may see yourself deeply caring for the planet and advocating its well-being.

Abstract example: A colourful flower serves in its natural habit, like a garden or in a park for example. It is alive and it provides its environment like bees with essential nutrients for them to survive. It is pleasing to the eye, smells incredible and last a long time.

Level 3 (abstract): On the deepest level (PL3), the purpose is simply to LIVE. There is no argument about why, in fact it does not matter. What matters is that you live life fully, which has evolved into a natural way of being. Life is effortless, you clearly feel the forces of nature and know when it is time to move towards your goals (without the need to accomplish) and when it is time to sit and be still, so to speak. Life is part of you — in fact it is you.

Abstract example: A colourful flower is just that — a colourful flower. It does not inherently has a value of good or bad, right or wrong. It allows the observer to impress their own set of values upon that flower that in turn enriches the world.