8 Simple Tips for Finding Your Purpose in Life
Everything that is a part of this nature or surrounding has a specific purpose in its life. And, because of that purpose, everyone is helping each other either knowingly or unknowingly. Like honey bees are responsible for pollination and producing honey, so this is what a honey bee does and this is what it is capable of doing.
Whereas a cow’s purpose is to provide us milk and almost every living being is a part of this environmental cycle for a very long time whether it might be a giraffe or an amoeba, every organism is satisfying its purpose.
Therefore, humans must also have a purpose to fulfill the same as animals, right? A human mind is full of numerous hidden secrets that it might take centuries to explore all of its powers and on the basis of these phenomenal powers, we humans were able to create a number system, formulated physical laws, created civilization, and much more.
So, all these were achievable only because of the purposes that our great ancestors had in their lives, and the challenges which forced them to fulfill their purpose are what we are experiencing today. If Newton didn’t have a purpose in life, didn’t have curiosity, then we could have never understood the gravity and could have never landed on the moon.
Many people might agree and can infer that human was sent on this planet for a purpose and without having any purpose it is impossible to create balance in society. A purpose always motivates an individual to move forward and without having such a thing a person may start feeling that something is missing from his/her life. Therefore, life would seem incomplete.
You can see it as a tool and bent it or shape it according to your own comfort for a better, happier, and healthier life. So, today we are here to find our purpose in life. But before that let us discuss that why an individual needs a sense of purpose.
Why an Individual Requires A Sense of Purpose?
According to a study published in Applied Psychology in 2010, it was found that those individuals having high levels of eudemonic well-being are tend to live longer as you can easily detect a sense of purpose along with a sense of control and intuition of what you do is worthwhile, in them.
Well, the results of other researchers were somewhat different as they found that well-being can be protective for health maintenance, meaning people with strong and healthy well-being are 30 percent less likely to die when observed for a regular eight-and-a-half-year period.
Our feelings play an important role in maintaining our well-being, that is why it has also been founded by research that our feelings are interlinked with each other, creating a sense within oneself for a positive health outcome, such as fewer strokes and heart attacks, enhanced sleeping pattern, and also a lower risk of Alzheimer and disabilities.
There have been many types of research that have been carried out for the need of sense of purpose in life and one of the researches was published in 2016 in the Journal of Research and Personality which tells those individuals who feel a sense of purpose in life tend to make more money than those who feel their work lacks meaning.
The outcomes of these researches are enough to clear all the doubts that there is no need for an individual to choose between having wealth and living a meaningful life because once you start walking on your desired path with a sole purpose then you will have both, that is, wealth and meaningful life. You just need to find a purpose and carry it throughout your life, that is it.
This journey has never been easy as it demands plenty of self-reflection, creating a habit to listen to other people, and finding where a passion lies in an individual. That is why we have worked upon this topic very well and have brought eight effective points that are definitely going to help you in finding your purpose so that you can also start living a meaningful life.
8 Easy Ways to Discover Your Purpose in Life
- Always Consider Feedbacks
There are a lot of things that a person likes to do and with time, those things become ingrained in life that he might actually forget one day whether these things are a part of his life or not as he has been continuously doing those things for so many years.
Fortunately, you are surrounded by a bunch of people that are there to give you some insight. There is a good chance that you might be displaying your passion and purpose in front of those surrounding you without even realizing it as your passion and purpose have become a part of your life.
Now, it is up to you what you want to choose between reaching out to people and asking what they think about you or want to make notes when someone passes compliments by closely observing you. Both the ways are helpful in their own sense, even these will boost you up every time and their compliments might reinforce some of the passions you have already been engaging in.
- Explore Your Interests
It must be really hard to hear from anybody that he doesn’t have any interest in anything because interests are those things that drive a human to move forward in life or helps in keeping them engaged in something. For example, a person might be interested in reading books, gardening, cooking, playing sports, performing, surfing through the internet or social media, et cetera.
Share those activities which you enjoy most with people when you are meeting them face-to-face. Sharing means enhancing your interests by giving them a better shape because you do not know when your interest might become the purpose of your life.
- Discover What You Love to Do
If you are stuck somewhere and do not know how to find a purpose for your life, the best way to find it is to simply ask yourself that what you truly love to do. Talking to yourself will always help you in finding all the answers which you have always been looking for or expecting from others to tell you.
Earlier, before the internet was born, there were a handful of interests and talents in society that are in continuation and still exist. Now, everything has changed after the internet has become a part of everyone’s life. With the help of the internet, people have explored numerous interests that are now considered professional.
For example, vlogging or making videos was not considered a profession. But now, you will find every second youngster to be a YouTuber. So, the internet has given rise to new professions and interests which people are enjoying and have made a career out of it.
You just need to start considering the type of skills, talents, and passions you have and bring them to the table. Figure out everything, its pros, and cons, then brainstorm how you might turn your passion into something meaningful.
- Donate Time and Money
There are a few cases in which people cannot figure out their talent or find it difficult to decide where their interests lie, even though, they have been trying for so many years. It's okay, do not think of yourself as a loser. That doesn’t mean you can never find a purpose in your entire life.
If you are facing difficulties now, then you can start with donating your time and money to others as this can be become a purpose of your life because sharing or giving something of yours to others always bring inner happiness.
Doing something kind for others will make you feel as your life has some meaning too. For example, you can start with volunteering for a nonprofit organization, donating money for natural causes, helping people around your neighborhood, volunteering to drive your elderly neighbor to the grocery store once a week, and much more.
- Surround Yourself with Positive People
It is always said that your friends or your company reflects your personality. Consider that you are surrounded by positive people in your life then your mind will always be full of beautiful thoughts and this positive company of yours will bring a positive change in you.
On the other hand, if your company consists of negative people then their negativity can alter your own thoughts and will change your personality which may affect the important people of your life as they might not start liking it.
So, in order to change into a positive personality, you need to work really hard on yourself. Once you have reached to a satisfactory point in your life where you believe now you have been transformed positively, then comes your second step, that is, you have to make sure that your surrounding is also positive and this also depends on you that what kind of friends, society, or well-wishers you choose to stay in your life, either positive or negative ones.
- Treat Your Life as A Daring Adventure
There is no point in living a normal life and following the same routine. Don’t act like a prisoner whose timetable/routine is fixed in his cell/prison. Remember, always ask yourself that “What am I doing to myself? Am I taking care of myself like the way my body demands?”
A human body is not meant to stay within the walls of houses. It needs exposure and it also needs air to breathe. Take yourself out on adventurous trips maybe like visiting other countries if you can, otherwise, there would be a lot of happening places in your country too, you can start from there.
Taking care of your body and visiting adventurous places will always inspire you, make your heart sing, make your eyes light up, and an abundance of hope will shiver up your spine. Everyone has many ups and downs in their life, but how you march ahead in life is what matters the most. Remember, having a purpose helps you in moving forward.
- Start Conversations with New People
It is easy to act like you have secluded yourself from the outside world and don’t even care what is happening beyond the boundaries of your life. But that nature of yours is not going to help you in achieving what you desire.
Instead, take out time to talk to the people around you, whether in subways or at a bar. Start asking them where do they work, on which project they are working on, or what they like to do for fun. Starting random conversations with strangers might feel odd at first, but talking to them outside of your present social circle can bring you lots of new career opportunities that you never knew existed.
Talking to random people will cause you no harm, in fact, the conversation will increase your knowledge of something and might also help you in finding interesting activities which might become the key to help you find your purpose.
- Learn to Accept Yourself First
Not everyone in this world is perfect. Each one of us has flaws in our character but that doesn’t mean we cannot achieve or obtain a true purpose in our life. If we keep on regretting or repenting for those flaws or what we have done, then we cannot move ahead in life.
The change begins when you start accepting who you are and start working on those flaws. Once this becomes a habit of yours to turn into a better person then you will also start understanding about yourself that who you actually are and what should be your purpose as this will bring clarity in your life.
So, always remember that no one can understand you better than yourself, and knowing yourself completely from head to toe needs a lot of patience and practice. Once you have mastered this technique, you will never find difficulty in finding your true purpose.