Here's the audio version if you prefer to listen: PODCAST
Do you ever feel empty? Have you asked yourself "What am I doing this all for?" No? Good. Maybe you already have a higher goal and found your life's purpose.
Perhaps you think not knowing your life's purpose is a problem that doesn't apply to people like you. Because you're young - or old. Because you're successful. Because you found your place in life. Because it's something for weed-smoking new-age punks.
You would be surprised how many people haven't found their life's purpose yet. You find them on all walks of life. Many people hunt weak goals, like "making money" and when they achieve it, they realize it doesn't make them happy. Achieving shallow goals doesn't fulfill us. It provides a short-lived feeling of triumph.
We can try to ignore the feeling of being lost and quickly set another shallow goal. We can run faster. Until we can't. Until we hit a wall.
A silly slogan that resonated with me when I was still living without purpose is: "With the right car, you can always drive faster than sorrow."
Without purpose, life can feel meaningless and empty. Just like a black hole in our stomach that we try to fill somehow. Some try to fill it with drugs. Others with promiscuity. That might be fun in the short-term but it's not a sustainable long-term solution.
Five Reasons Why You Should Find Your Life’s Purpose
Life is short
The precious gift of life is finite and goes by like a flash. It can be over any second. Or you might live until a very high age and look back at a meaningless life with regrets.
Purpose gives live meaning
Once you find a higher goal, a worthy goal and once you figure out your purpose, you will live a life full of meaning. No matter how tired and exhausted you are, you will never feel empty again. You'll never ask yourself "what's the point" ever again.
Instead, you'll feel confident in the knowledge that your life makes a difference. That gives you an immense push of motivation and energy.
With purpose you can accomplish anything
Many people don't achieve their goals because their goals aren't strong enough. Once the initial motivation fades off, they don't have enough drive to see things through until the end.
With purpose, you will feel passionate and determined, no matter how many obstacles life or others throw in your way. Nothing can stand in your way. You will feel indomitable.
You have gifts to share with the world
At the core, people are givers. We are supportive creatures by nature but we often chose - or are forced to - life an unnatural life.
Your purpose will inevitably be tied in with your unique gifts. There are people in desperate need of what you have to offer and they will benefit greatly from what you have to give. Give it to them!
If you currently are a taker and not a giver - try being a giver. It's an incredible feeling and you will love the sense of fulfillment and positive energy.
It's what makes life worthwhile.
Purpose provides clarity
If you have a higher goal and know your purpose in life, you will have a vision. That vision will bring about clarity. If you're driven by your passion and a desire to make a positive difference, each of your actions will have a clear motivation behind it and will give way to a crystal-clear sense of what you need to do in that very moment.
Social autism and increasing selfishness are one of the reasons why more and more people fall into depression.
People need togetherness and connectedness. Hunting tiny, seflish goals strips you of that. As I mentioned, people by nature are supportive creatures. Living an unnatural life comes at a price. Magic always has a price.
Final thoughts
Having a purpose is like having a tune-up. It gets you back in sync with life how it's suppossed to be lived. You will feel energized, fulfilled and alive.
People who hunt tiny, selfish goals often feel depressed and empty. They waste a lot of their life because inside they know that what their pursuing (or maybe they're not pursuing any goal at all) isn't worth it.
With a purpose, with a higher goal you won't waste any more time. Because you know every second counts. Also, your purpose provides you with so much energy that it's easy to carry on.
"What's the point" and other hopeless questions won't be on your mind ever again. The saddest question you might ask yourself from time to time when you're tired is "will I ever get there?" However, because you have a worthy goal and you're on an important mission to making a positive impact in this world, you'll answer: I don't have time for this. I'm on a mission much bigger than my self-doubts.
On a semi-related topic: Here's something I read a few years ago. It's about powerful magic.
Rain magic
There was a small tribe of warriors somewhere in Africa. Their leader was a powerful witch doctor. He knew a powerful ritual that made it rain every time. The ritual is a dance.
Why it worked every single time? Because they never stopped dancing until it rained.
Living with purpose provides you with the power to dance until it rains.
Update
A reader named Joseph sent in a valid and important comment I would like to share with you:
Excellent guidance well articulated. Thank you. But why stop at one "life's purpose?" I discovered my first in my 20s, and it's still a priority 50 years later. The second, which also influenced my professions, began percolating in my early 30s, then came to a full boil in my late 30s. 40 years later, that mission also still comprises a major portion of my life.
"A purpose" doesn't mean one purpose.
