The Truth About Life Purpose

In a past post I wrote about the greatest myths about life purpose. So what is true about life purpose?

Truth #1 – Life purpose is much more of a journey than a destination.

It is more a state of being than a state of doing. It’s about who you are and how you show up in the world. Your life purpose may be expressed in specific ways, including (hopefully) your career path. But essentially it is an ongoing journey.

Realize that the journey may not be a straight line from point A to point B. More often than not there are twists and detours along the path. And these unexpected “detours,” although frustrating and discouraging at the time, can lead to the greatest insights about our purpose.

We often think that life purpose has to be this BIG thing. But, to use the analogy of dance, what makes a good dancer might be their high kicks, super fast footwork, high leaps, or their ability to turn like a top. But what makes a good dancer great has less to do with the tricks and everything to do with how they fill the space between the movements.

Just like the quality of a dancer is determined by how he fills the space between the big movements, the quality of our life is determined by how we fill the space between the big moments of our journey. Remember, it’s always about the journey.

When you think about the times in your life that you felt the greatest joy, it probably was not that once-in-a-lifetime vacation you took; most likely, it was found in a smile, a touch, a kind word… because you often find the most joy and meaning in the ordinary moments of life. The same is true of life purpose. How can you bring a greater sense of purpose to your ordinary moments? How do you fill out the “in between?”

Truth #2 – Your life purpose is a driving force.

Have you ever made a New Year’s resolution? Did you know that, on average, most folks have given up on their resolutions by Jan 7th? That’s because often our goals are things we think we should be doing. We tell ourselves, “I should work out more.” “I should eat better.” “I should lose those 10 lbs.” “I should watch less TV.”

However, when your goals emerge from your sense of purpose in life, there’s a much higher likelihood of you achieving them. And as a result, you will have much more satisfaction, enthusiasm, and well-being.

Truth #3 – Your life purpose is an organizing force.

Have you ever experienced the power of synchronicity? Most of us have at some point in our lives. When you are living in alignment with your life purpose you become more magnetic and attract all kinds of supportive people and resources to you in ways you could not have previously imagined.

Knowing your life purpose also helps you stay focused and make decisions that are in alignment with who you are and why you are here. It acts like a barometer for the spirit.