Repetition. Boredom. Déjà vu.
We’ve all been there.
Wake up, go to work, come home have dinner, watch television… go to bed.
Repeat.
Sure, you are functioning… but do you have purpose in your life? Are you incorporating things into your days that bring you excitement and joy?
Are you doing something that matters?
If you are like thousands of other people, you may find yourself questioning what life is really all about… and how to live a purposeful life.
What Makes a Purposeful Life?
One of the most common misconceptions of having a purposeful life is that the purpose of life is based on the amount of wealth, status, and/or power an individual has achieved. Yet, even though these “goals” have been achieved, there is still an empty feeling… like something is missing in their life.
A purposeful life should not be based on what society has dictated, and although everyone is different, living a purposeful life should be based on what their soul is actually searching for to fill the void.
One of the most wonderful gifts of being human is that you have the ability and option to choose to live your life the way you want. There isn’t a set rule that forces humans or a guidebook that teaches humans how to live a purposeful life… it’s more of an individual rule on how to be happy with yourself and your life.
In other words, nothing else really matters if you aren’t following your soul’s purpose and aren’t doing what makes you feel complete or loved by yourself.
The good news is there are steps you can take to encourage and foster a greater sense of purpose in your life.
That’s right.
It is possible to align your life with purpose, to do what you love and to live in purposefulness.
Moving towards a more purposeful life and reaching inside of yourself may sound like a complicated process… but that is hardly the truth.
By the following these tips, you will have the tools you need to start living with purpose and having a happier, more fulfilling life.
7 Steps to Live a More Purposeful Life
1. Align Your Life with What You Care About
One of the most important factors of learning how to live a purposeful life is to understand what life, specifically your life, should really feel like.
When you aren’t being the true you, it may seem as though you are in a fog.
You may be busy, but still feel bored. You're rested, but always tired. And even the smallest tasks feel like an overwhelming chore.
Living your life with purpose means that you are doing what aligns with your beliefs and values; it means you are truly doing what feels right to you.
While living a purposeful life may not guarantee you a higher salary, it will give you the desire to be a part of something that is bigger than yourself. And the reward for that is priceless.
The video below explores and provide practical strategies you can use for either looking for a job that gives you purpose and meaning or finding meaning outside of your job, so you can find more purpose with your daily routine.
2. Recognize the Things You Care About
Living life with purpose basically means applying your individual skills in a manner that contributes to the greater good, but in a way that has meaning to you.
To help recognize what you care about, it’s beneficial to ask yourself what you are good at. What skills do you possess that can be used for a cause? What has meaning to you in the community?
By reflecting on and answering these questions, you will find your interests and learn how these interests can bring purpose to your life.
3. Trust Yourself
Trust yourself and do not worry about what others think.
For those who live a purposeful life, it is their values and core beliefs that influence their decisions and determine what their short and long-term priorities are.
It’s what guides and shapes their daily actions.
It’s natural to live by the rules of others, but there is actually no right or wrong way to live your life. If you follow your intuition and trust your gut, you will live your life with a clear conscience and be able to know what the best is for you.
In order to live a purposeful life, you must learn to trust yourself and your ability to make the decisions that are the best for you.
4. Develop Positive Emotions
Developing positive emotions, such as gratitude, can help you find purpose.
The reason being is that positive emotions are directly linked to caring about others and finding your meaning in life… as well as your overall well-being.
Having a direct link to your positive emotions can help you to have a better focus on how you can contribute to the world. Practicing gratitude allows you to reflect on the blessings in your life and allow you to pay the blessings forward.
This is often interpreted as a scenario in which someone may discover “found” money. As part of their being blessed, they in turn, share their found money with others.
A purposeful life through gratitude can be described as feeling blessed to feel a connection to the things in life that don’t have a monetary value, it’s an understanding of the difference between wants and needs.
5. Empower Others
One of the best advantages to living a purposeful life is that while discovering your strengths and skills, you gain a sense of pride while being of service to your community.
Without this self-awareness, you aren’t able to pass on your skills of helping others. This doesn’t require physical strengths, but it does require powerful emotion and belief that can be used to empower others.
By living a purposeful life, you will be able to encourage others to help people through their personal gains… and passing it on.
Empowering others to believe in themselves, to live their life without the restraints of survival through pleasing another will, in turn, encourage them to also empower others.
The more positive others feel about themselves because of your words and actions, the more positivity they can pass on to others. It’s a continuous circle of positivity.
6. Let Go of Failure and Be Content
Life is never easy, but it can be easier if you learn to let go of failure and be content with the purpose.
Choosing to pursue a life that isn’t aligned with your purpose will only lead to a life that is demanding more of you. It is important to put the failures behind you and be content with your present state.
For example, turning down a job that goes beyond your beliefs or entails duties that defy the trust in yourself, doesn’t mean that you are a failure. On the contrary, it means that your purpose in life goes beyond a powerful position and lucrativeness.
It means that you are content and have found your purpose in life. Believing in yourself and having inner peace is much more valuable than power.
7. Live In and For the Moment
Life has a tendency to have people waiting for a better opportunity, a better moment… a time in the future when the magic will happen and everything will simply fall into place.
You may think you’re ready to jump into action when this day finally arrives; however, the day will actually never arrive until you make the decision for it to arrive.
Discovering how to live a more purposeful life means learning to stop waiting for better circumstances… and instead just marvel in the moment.
People who live their life with purpose cherish each and every moment, and they live their life without regret.
So, instead of putting your happiness on something that may or may not happen in the future… take in the joy of what is going on around you at this very moment in time.
Remember, you shouldn’t be sad because something is over… you should be happy because you were a part of the start of something else.
Final Thoughts on Purposeful Living
When seeking the answers on how to live a more purposeful life, the first and most important step is to have a clear understanding of not only what you want your life to look like… but how you really want to live it.
Your personal fulfillment, joy, and meaning are your responsibility. Finding purpose is like anything else that is “new” in life… people tend to get excited and attempt to jump in with both feet.
But finding purpose is more about taking baby steps. The slower you go, the more time you will have to truly reflect on what you want and what you can do to feel a sense of purpose. Take each step with the knowledge that you trust yourself to live your life to its fullest.
Finding gratitude is an essential factor for how to have a more purposeful life… but finding gratitude in things around can sometimes be difficult. That is why it’s so important that you take baby steps on your journey to living life with purpose.
To learn more about how to be grateful for the moment, be sure to read the following articles:
- 30 Days of Gratitude Challenge
- 101 Things To Be Grateful For In Your Life
- 151 Gratitude Journal Prompts for Daily Thankfulness
Finally, if you want to increase your happiness and life satisfaction, then watch this free video that details the 7-minute habit for planning your day to focus on what's important.
