Finding one’s purpose or mission is likely one of the biggest stressors in everyone’s life. We all want to know who we are, why we’re here, and what we are meant to do with our lives. The quote, “You must go on adventures to find where you truly belong,” reminds us that in order to find our true life’s purpose, we need to be willing to put in time and effort to explore what makes us feel alive.
Why Do We Need a Purpose?
There are numerous benefits to having a purpose in life.
Helps You Make Important Decisions
When we understand our purpose, making difficult and important decisions becomes much easier because we know the direction we’re heading. Having a destination in life allows you to make decisions that lead to that destination.
Gives You Drive and Motivation
A life’s purpose is the driving force of your life. It is the reason you get out of bed in the morning. Understanding what you are meant to do with your life can help get you through tough times and get you to keep going despite how difficult the journey is.
Helps You Set Goals
Having a life’s purpose helps you set goals that you actually want to achieve. Our goals are often influenced by other people’s expectations, but knowing where you belong can help you set goals for yourself, not for other people.
Makes You Happier and Healthier
Purpose, or meaning, is a main component of the PERMA Model of Happiness for good reason. Having a purpose in life has many health benefits that lead to a happier and healthier life including better sleep, improved stress management, reduced anxiety, decreased likelihood of disease, and higher tolerance to pain.
Linked to Living Longer
Perhaps the most convincing finding that we all need a life’s purpose is that having a purpose in life is associated with living longer. One study involving almost 7,000 participants found that those with a stronger purpose in life had decreased mortality (risk of death).
How To Find Your Purpose
If you aren’t quite sure what your purpose is, there are several ways you can go about determining your purpose.
Volunteer Your Time
One great way to find your purpose is to volunteer. It can be difficult to explore your interests in your work because it is generally frowned upon to jump from one job to the next. By volunteering, you can test your passions with a much lower commitment, and you can try a bunch of different things in a short period of time.
Explore Your Options
Sometimes we get stuck on one idea and forget to explore other options. If you have found a purpose in life that you are certain of, that’s great. However, there is nothing wrong with exploring to see what other passions and purposes you might discover.
Talk to People
The people around you are a great reference when trying to learn about your purpose. Your friends and family spend a lot of time with you and have likely noticed things that you are good at, things you get excited about, and things you do that impact others. Ask them what they think your purpose is, and try leaning into those passions.
Take Risks
You will never find your meaning in life without taking a few risks. You have to be willing to invest some time, energy, and resources to try different things and see what works. Don’t be afraid to test some ideas out.
Our life’s purpose typically doesn’t fall in our laps. Going on adventures allows us to get out of our day to day patterns and comfort zones and experience new things. Do some exploring to find your purpose and meaning in life and enjoy the many benefits of living a fulfilling life.
