In this post, we’ll unpack all you need to know about life purpose, defining exactly what it is, its evolutionary role, why it’s important, how to find it and more.
What Is Life Purpose?
Life purpose is the ultimate motivating factor for one’s existence which determines how we want to live and have a positive impact on the world.
In Japan they call it Ikigai — a reason for waking up in the morning. In India they call it Dharma. Ultimately your purpose is your calling — it’s what feeds your soul.
“Only staying active will make you want to live a hundred years.” — Japanese Proverb
The Evolutionary Lens
From an evolutionary perspective, life purpose evolved to enhance survival by guiding goal-directed behaviour, strengthening social bonds and promoting long-term resilience.
Entropy reigns supreme in nature. If an organism believes it can no longer be useful, it will gradually deteriorate over time.
Why It’s Is Important
Our life purpose guides our decisions, shapes our goals and influences our behaviour. It gives us meaning, creates direction, provides focus and fuels motivation, resilience and a sense of fulfilment. This enables us to overcome challenges and inspiring us to contribute positively to ourselves and others.
“When you protect your dharma, your dharma protects you.” — Manusmriti 8:15
The Power Of Purpose
Research shows that finding your purpose is linked to living longer.
In one eleven-year study, researchers followed highly functioning people between the ages of 62 and 93. They found that individuals who expressed a clear goal in life — something to get up for in the morning or something that made a difference — lived longer and were sharper than whose who didn’t.
In a survey of almost 7,000 older adults, those who hadn’t found their purpose were more than twice as likely to die prematurely compared to those who had. Having a sense of purpose and meaning also reduced the incidence of cardiovascular events like heart attack and stroke.
Another study showed that we are more likely to die the year following retirement than we are the year pre-ceding it when we are still working.
Your passion becomes your purpose when you use it to serve others.
How To Identify It
An extraordinary life is a meaningful life and a meaningful life is pursuing your purpose.
To identify it, ask yourself: “If I had all the money in the world and all the time in the world, what would I do?”
It’s important to understand that your purpose will evolve over time as you discover ever-deeper aspects of yourself and your potential.
Everyone has a special gift that only they can offer to the world. That gift is your purpose.
Summary (TL;DR)
Life purpose is the ultimate motivating factor for one’s existence. It determines how we want to live and have a positive impact on the world.
Our life purpose guides our decisions, shapes our goals and influences our behaviour. It also gives us meaning, creates direction, provides focus and fuels motivation, resilience and a sense of fulfilment.
