Purpose

When I was in high school I read Rick Warren’s book “The Purpose Driven Life,” and it left me feeling more confused and empty than before I’d started it. I did the workbook, I re-read it, and I was still left feeling like I had even less of a sense of purpose than before I’d read it. I’ve spent a lot of my life thinking about my purpose and what it might be, and until a couple of years ago, I only came up with vague ideas.

So what changed? How did I figure out my purpose? 

One day, it hit me out of nowhere. I always thought my purpose had to be some big, world-changing thing. After all, my purpose is the very reason for my existence, the reason I am alive, surely it needed to require time, effort, sacrifice. It had to be something that left behind deep footprints and marked change in people’s lives.

But then I realized there is equal purpose found in the small things. I realized my purpose is writing, storytelling, and creating art. At first, I had to convince myself that storytelling could even be a life’s purpose, that it was something worth dedicating my life to. How can telling stories possibly be a person’s “life purpose”? 

Well, bards and traveling storytellers are the reasons we have a lot of the legends we have today. People watch TV and movies to escape or relax, and those require storytelling. Even creating a work of non-fiction necessitates an element of storytelling. By being a a storyteller, I’m helping people learn, fire up their imaginations, take a moment to chill out, and probably more things I’m not aware of. 

So, how do you find your purpose? 

Well, that’s kind of personal. I’ve mentioned the book Ikigai before, but what Ikigai means is purpose. There are four questions to consider: 

1. What do I love?
2. What am I good at?
3. What can I be paid for?
4. What does the world need?

This construct has been helpful for millions of people, and was actually recommended to me at work when I was contemplating a career change, so I wanted to mention it. If this four-part framework works for you, that’s great! Use it! 

Unfortunately for me, it brought me back to how I felt in high school. I don’t think you need to be good at what your purpose is. After all, who decides what is good and what isn’t? I don’t think being paid for what your purpose is a requirement. It’s very possible to have a day job and still make time for your passions. If the two intersect, that’s great, but they may not and that doesn’t preclude it from being your purpose. I think asking what the world needs is intimidating and off-putting. The world doesn’t need another mystery book or another embroidery hoop; those aren’t necessities. But they can bring light to the people who enjoy them, and that joy can help fuel whatever their purpose is. 

No matter how you find your purpose, one thing is true: a sense of purpose is essential to mental and physical health and helps us create and maintain social ties. 

Now, it’s time to ask yourself, what is your purpose? If you don’t know, start by identifying what you love to do. Don’t know what you love to do? As a workaholic, I’ve been there, too. I had to sit down, close my eyes, and think back to when I was a child. What did Little Natalie do when she was playing? She made up stories, put on puppet shows, crafted things with her hands. It turns out nothing has changed and those are still the activities I love, that I get lost in. Try tapping into your memory of what you did as a child that made you light up, that made you try to get people’s attention to show them what you were doing. 

Start there, and think about how to integrate the activity into your daily adult life. Did you like playing games? Then try inventing some games of your own. Maybe you wanted to spend all of your time socializing and playing with friends. Then get involved with some local programs within your communities or organize a charity event. Did you like reading books? Start doing book reviews on your own blog or sites like Goodreads. You never know where life will take you once you start believing in yourself.

You matter, and you have a purpose. You are on Earth during this exact time period for a reason. This week, dig into your purpose 1% more; get 1% Better at tapping into it and integrating it into your daily life. The more you intentionally practice living your purpose every day, the more alive you’ll feel. And when you do it, do it with (you guessed it) purpose. 

With gratitude,

Natalie