We Don't Need To Find Our Purpose

As people seeking evolution and life satisfaction, we often hold a belief that we must “find our purpose” in order to feel fulfilled. We seek externally for that perfect job or that perfect hobby that will give us the “aha moment” we’ve been waiting for. We want to know why we were put on this planet. 

What does purpose mean to you? Why is it worth the search? What are you truly trying to find?

Most of us are looking for a sense of life satisfaction. A safety in ourselves and our life. Simply put: We want to be happy.

The truth is, our purpose is not something to find. It’s something to remember.

Instead of looking for your purpose, notice in what moments you are already living it. In other words, what are you doing when you feel the most free? What comes easily to you? What can you lose track of time doing? 

Bonus question: What makes you feel like a kid again?

In these moments of flow/joy/freedom, our purpose is simply revealed to us. No grasping or searching required. We remember how to feel free.

We need to release the pressure we put on ourselves to have it all figured out—as individuals and as a culture. Our dissatisfaction with life can create an anxiety and an urgency around finding this elusive purpose. We can feel behind and even ashamed for feeling lost.

The truth is, the figuring out happens naturally when we follow our freedom. There is nothing to find but our joy that has been with us all along. We live our way into the answer.

Focus on the ease and fall into your purpose.

Feeling Depressed? Identifying Values Can Help.

Depression, sadness, or hopelessness can feel confusing. Considering how to feel better can be overwhelming. If you’re feeling depressed and not sure why, simply identifying your values can help.

What do you find yourself caring the most about? Relationships? Adventure? Knowledge? Fun?

These aspects of life we find ourselves drawn to--that we find important--are values. For a list of values often used in psychotherapy, click here.

Once you identify your top values, you’ve essentially created a map to life satisfaction. 

Consider: Does my day-to-day life align with my values?

If not, you may be feeling lackluster.

Sometimes our responsibilities, circumstances, and culture take precedence over our values. If you value adventure, cliff diving in Tahiti is likely not in the cards for today.

However, you have the power to incorporate your top values into your everyday life right now by making small and different choices. For example, you can go on a long drive and see where it takes you, try something new for lunch, or get curious about an unfamiliar person in your life.

Making choices in line with your top values, big and small, can help lift your depression and give you more vitality to live the life that makes you happy.

Mindfulness Builds Intuition

“Mindfulness is awareness that arises from paying attention to the present moment, on purpose, non-judgmentally.” -Kabat-Zinn

We typically navigate our day-to-day experience on auto-pilot, mainly using thought as our guide. We plan and we process. You might notice even now that your awareness is mainly in your mind and almost completely disconnected from your body and emotions.

Mindfulness allows present-moment awareness of our thoughts, emotions, sensations, and memories. It is like a superpower in this way. In mindfulness, we can access WAY more information about our internal experience than when we rely solely on the mind.

When we practice mindfulness to access the vibrancy of present moment experience, we can pick up on pieces of our truth that we would otherwise miss when stuck in thought. In other words, we build our intuition.

For example, in making a decision, we could use thought to weigh the pros and cons of each choice. We could also use mindfulness to sense how each choice feels in our body. These sensations are informed by our thoughts, memories, and emotions.

What would it be like to get curious about how your body feels in a choice? Would you feel relaxed or tense? What would you notice is informing that sensation?

We make more informed choices when we add mindfulness to our decision-making toolbox. More informed choices = more thriving and less suffering!

When we practice mindfulness, we build intuition, and we make choices that help us thrive.