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    dominicadominica

    Do you know your life purpose?

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    Posted in Spirituality in RecoveryVote Up2Vote Down
    I think one of the most challenging questions for us to ponder and answer in life is, “What is my purpose?”  Have you ever just been going through life, day in and day out, going through the routines, the motions…..and then for some reason in one instant a thought pops into your mind:  “What am I doing?  What have I done?  What is my life’s purpose?”

    Then you just sit or lay there for a few minutes reflecting on your life past, present, and future.  I know that this happens to me quite often as I lay in bed at night.  Wondering, contemplating, praying.  Sometimes wrestling with emotions, disappointments, fears, etc.  The older I get the more this question runs through my mind, as time becomes more and more valuable to me.  What is my life purpose?

    Listen to what Richard Lieder wrote about purpose: 

    “Purpose is the conscious choice of what, where, and how to make a positive contribution to our world. It is the theme, quality or passion we choose to center our lives around.”

    I like that.  A conscious choice of how we can make a positive contribution to our world.  How we can add value to humanity. Each of us has something to offer, with love being the primary thing that everyone can offer to humanity.  Along with love, we can offer service.  Helping one another however we can in little and big ways.  

    Defining your Life Purpose:

    If you’re having trouble finding your life purpose, don’t fret.  There may never be one definitive “purpose” for your life but we all ought to be loving and serving each other.  That is quite a big purpose right there.  

    I encourage you to take some time to pray and contemplate what your purpose is.  Some are created to lead, some to follow.  Some are created to invent life-saving medicines, some to serve the homeless at a soup kitchen.  Ask yourself what makes you happy.  What drives you?  If money were no object, what would you be pursuing?  What do people tell you that you’re good at?  What are your passions?  Protecting the environment?  Protecting your country?  Teaching children?  What do you want to be remembered for? What kind of legacy do you want to leave?

    It is a good idea to keep a journal and write down your thoughts and reflections. Perhaps you will notice a common theme that keeps recurring in your morning meditations.  Also, take some time to read about others who are succeeding in life, doing what makes them happy and adds value to humanity.  

    Once you have some direction, write down your goals and action steps that you will take to achieve those goals.  For example, if you decide that your life purpose is to use your athletic talent and motivational skills to coach youth, create a plan toward getting started. You could begin by being a volunteer coach and/or sending out resumes for coaching positions.  If you want to spend your life feeding the poor, start a non-profit and begin with your mission.  

    If you wait for things to happen in your life, you may just be waiting a lifetime and end up disappointed wondering why you never did anything that made you feel fulfilled.  Happiness and fulfillment come from inside, from a power greater than yourself, so begin to look for your purpose from within.  Learn the art of silence and solitude and look for opportunities daily to love and bless others.  You can live out your purpose one day at a time: happy, joyous, and free. 






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    • 3 Commentsby Likes|Date
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      DeanDDeanD
      Great post, @dominica! I used to find myself wondering about my life purpose pretty frequently. That was back when I had a job I had worked at for 20+ years. A job I was pretty damn sick of. 

      But when my son started struggling with addiction, I took it upon myself to be totally transparent and very vocal about it. By doing that, I found out that I could help people who were going through similar experiences with their children or loved ones. A couple years later, I realized that my purpose in life was to help people. So a few years ago, when I was offered a buyout by my employer, I took it. And I've been working hard at helping people ever since. I don't get paid for a lot of the stuff I do, and I am certainly worse off financially than I've ever been. But I still feel better about my life than I ever have. Lesson learned: There is soooooo much more to being "rich" than just having money.

      My goal is to get a full-time job helping others, hopefully in the addiction/recovery field. But it could be in another field, too. As long as I'm having a positive impact on other people's lives, I'll be happy.

      I think I rambled a bit, but you get the idea. :)
    • Vote Up0Vote Down
      SmitheeSmithee
      My life's purpose when I was younger was to make a difference in the world. As I got older and realized how hard that could be I realized that whilst I was aiming for the stars I was neglecting my duty to my fellow humans who were living in my hometown. Most people have lost faith in humanity. I do the little I can when I can to restore people's faith in humanity. Kindness can and does snowball . . .
    • Vote Up0Vote Down
      rubymusic1rubymusic1
      It's interesting to hear what other people's life purposes are. I've thought about mine on many occasions but to no avail, I'm still searching, but I guess I'm still young yet. I still have hope that I will find my life purpose one day! Suffering with depression and anxiety has hindered this over time, but has also made me more aware of life purposes.
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