Do you feel directionless in your life? Sometimes, understanding why we need purpose in life and recognizing your own purpose can make all the difference!
Nowadays when people talk about what they want to do with their lives, rarely will someone simply say they want to have a steady nine-to-five job that puts food on the table.
A generation or two ago, those were the requirements – a stable job that provided a steady income and had some room for progress. It wasn’t unusual for a person to only work for fewer than five different companies in their entire working career.Purpose is being demanded by many people and no wonder – doing meaningless things isn’t going to cut it much longer. People want to have personal purpose, they want the ability to connect with the people around them and they want to service people and places in need. There are many things that having a purpose can do for a person, and I can think of five important ones.
# Purpose gives you meaning
Having meaning doesn’t always have to translate to something spiritual or religious. When a person has purpose, they understand what cause(s) are important to them and work towards contributing to those in a positive way. While you are pursuing your passion and following your purpose, whether it is in a career or your spare time, you get a deep gratification often unattainable if you are doing meaningless tasks on a day-to-day basis.
For example, when an organization’s purpose is to offer clean drinking water solutions to communities without resources, they find meaning while following their passion towards sustainability. With issues like climate change and poverty no longer avoidable, our world today has so many opportunities for people to find fulfillment by doing something with a purpose greater than themselves.
# Purpose gives you determination
If you have a clear passion, backed with a purpose, there is nothing more motivating. If you know what it is you want to do, why you want to do it, and what the outcomes could be, you will have incredible focus and drive. You will devise a plan on how to get there, and you will make it happen because you have a very clear vision and goal.
A recent graduate who has a devoted passion for law, and a purpose to vocalize the need for fair and consistent contraceptive rights for working women is going to have a very clear vision of what they would like to achieve next. The purpose allows a focus and drive that perhaps passion alone can’t always muster.
# Purpose gives you confidencePurpose allows an individual, or an organization, to feel confident and secure in where they are going, and the choices they are making. People unfortunately will doubt you, try to knock you down, they might say you are unqualified, or have lack of experience. But, if you have a purpose that is clear and you are passionate towards, you will remain self-assured and composed even when you face obstacles, which you undoubtedly will at some point.
# Purpose can lead to a stellar careerWhen you have a passion and define yourself a purpose, a very amazing career may transpire. Well, it won’t appear from thin air, and you will definitely have to do some leg-work. But if you’ve got a purpose, you’ve got the opportunity to find a job that let’s you live out your passion, and make a difference.
Say, for example, your purpose in life is to work with an organization to overcome societal barriers by engaging communities and bringing them together. That is a purpose that you could apply to so many fulfilling careers. You could work on a team that brings business opportunities to impoverished communities, or leads self-confidence and leadership workshops for at-risk youth. When you have a purpose, and you stick to it, the career possibilities become amazing.
# Purpose results in successWhether you’re following a purpose in your career, or in your life in general, you are bound to find success. When you are working towards something that brings you personal growth, reconnects you with your surrounding communities, and allows you to give back, you will feel accomplished in a way that is extremely rewarding.
Success always means something different for each individual – but if success is happiness, a rewarding career, or the chance to contribute to a greater cause, then you are likely to find it when you have a defined purpose.