Find Purpose and Meaning in Life

If you ask the average person if their life has purpose and meaning, you’re likely to only receive a few nods. People really do lead lives of quiet desperation. It’s common to feel dissatisfied with life and to believe that your life lacks purpose and meaning. This doesn’t have to be a permanent condition!

There’s no set recipe for a meaningful life. Your values and perception of the world are unique. The most meaningful and purposeful life you can lead is specific to you. Have the courage to create a life that potentially lies outside the norm.

Live a life filled with meaning and purpose:

1. Help someone. The most satisfying life is one that serves others in some way. You could be an author that writes interesting novels or a high school math teacher. You might volunteer to coach youth baseball twice a week. A life devoid of service to others isn’t as meaningful as it could be.

2. Do something new. Most people spend their time living a small bubble, that bubble where you’re only concerned with short-term pleasure and pain. Change your life up a little bit and do something new for a change. Do something that interests you, even if it makes you uncomfortable.

3. Drop television for a week. Watching TV is addictive. It’s a very distracting and an easy activity to do. It also steals valuable hours from your life that could be spent doing countless other things.

• You could go back to school, learn to speak Japanese, spend time with actual people, or write a book. What will you get from another year of watching TV every night?

4. Write your own script. Too many people feel compelled to live by the “rules” of society. There’s a compulsion to go to college, get married, have kids, and have a sensible career. But how can you find purpose in your life when the main structure of your life was determined by society and not yourself?

• It’s never too late to break free from the mold that society has created. Does the typical conventional life appeal to you? Make your own rules.

5. Push beyond your comfort zone. An interesting and exciting life is beyond that comfortable place you like to reside. The comfort zone is a breeding place for mediocrity, which isn’t purposeful or meaningful. A meaningful life lies beyond the limits of your current sphere of comfort.

6. Follow your gut. Your gut is tuned to your interests, experiences, and perception of the world. Let your intuition guide you in the big decisions.

7. Know your values. Are you keenly aware of your values? What matters the most to you? Can you live a meaningful life that isn’t built around your values? Unlikely. Be aware of your values and take them into consideration when making all of your decisions.

• Make a list of all your values. The list might be quite long! Now put them in order, with the most important at the top of the list. Circle the top six.
• For the next month, make all of your decisions with these six values in mind. If you can’t do it, you might have to rearrange your values!

8. Be aware of your strength and passions. By combining your values, strengths, and passions, you can create a meaningful life. Serve others along the way and you’ll have a surefire winner.

Become familiar with your values, strengths, and passions. You’re more likely to build a meaningful life with knowledge of these pivotal areas. The right lifestyle is specific to you. If your life lacks purpose and meaning, it’s time to create a new life. You don’t have to live a life of quiet desperation.