How To Find Meaning & Purpose In Your Life

You've probably been asked time and time again about what you wanted to do with your life. As a child, the answer might have fallen along the lines of being a superhero or a unicorn, but when you're older, it can be harder to figure out what your purpose actually is supposed to be.

There's no way to find meaning in your life without taking a few risks. It's completely natural to feel lost and confused sometimes, but there are ways to find your niche and true direction in life. In today's society, if you don't figure out what your purpose is by the time you're 20, people sometimes assume something is wrong with you. But what if you are destined to do something greater that you just haven't figured it out yet? Or what if you're passionate about more than one thing and can't figure out how to do both of them together? When it comes to your life, you need to find something that will give you so much joy that you truly feel fulfilled while doing it. If you find yourself feeling lost and not exactly sure of what your purpose is, hopefully these tips can encourage you to find out what exactly will bring meaning into your life.

1. Ask Yourself The Important Questions

When it comes to finding your purpose, you have to try to be completely honest with yourself. Try asking important questions that will help get the process started. According to Forbes, there are four questions you can ask yourself when you're feeling lost: "What makes you come alive?" "What are your innate strengths?" "Where do you add the greatest value?" and "How will you measure your life?" Being honest with yourself can make you more aware of what truly inspires you and how you'll bring value into the world. The only way you're going to find your purpose is to deeply challenge yourself. When answering these questions, figure out what the common theme is. Do they all involve your love for photography? What about helping others? Once the dots all start to align, it may be easier for you to find out actually what you're destined to do.

2. Set Goals

Put some pep in your step by doing what you want instead of just thinking about it. To help find purpose and meaning, you should start setting weekly goals of where you want to be. The right amount of pressure can propel you forward so you can continue to move into the direction you want to go. According to Psychology Today, you don't need to have everything figured out to start — but you just need to begin. Once you make that shift, everything may align and you may start to feel better about yourself because you're moving in the direction you always wanted to go.

3. Listen To Your Intuition

During this process, try to really listen to your heart. When you're asking yourself these questions and setting goals, what are your instincts leaning towards? Do you want to help people? Do you want to become an artist? Listen to what your intuition is telling you, because you, and only you, know the answer. According to Entrepreneur, Jeff Goins, best-selling author of The Art of Work, said that the best way for you to find your purpose and create your future is by actually looking into your past. By doing this, you're allowing your past to inform your future and help find a unifying thread that is consistent with your passions and skills.

4. Get Out Of Your Comfort Zone

Break your habits, do something that you haven't done before, and stop watching TV — being in your comfort zone is just preventing you from dealing with fear. Whether it's the fear of failure or the fear of the unknown, either way, you have to take that leap to help find meaning in your life. According to Expert Enough, you become more of the person you are meant to be once you start pushing yourself away from your comfort zone and facing your fears. While doing this is a challenge in itself, it's worth to tackle your fears so you won't feel negative about yourself.

5. Connect With More Than One Passion

Being passionate about just one thing doesn't seem logical anymore. You probably have more than one talent and there's no reason why you shouldn't explore all of them. According to the Huffington Post, we struggle so much with finding our purpose because we're taught that we should go after just that one thing that makes us happy. And by just going after that one goal, it can actually prevents us from reaching our true potential. Start tapping into everything that makes you feel alive and let go of the thought that you can only be passionate about one single thing. There are plenty of ways for you to do everything you're passionate about, you just have to take the steps to get there.

6. Surround Yourself With Positive, Goal-Oriented People

Surround yourself with people that'll influence you and push you forward. When one feels lost, it might be hard for them to push themselves when their environment is filled with toxic people who don't believe in them. According to the Huffington Post, you want to surround yourself with good people that'll provide you with motivation and empower you to make the right changes to succeed. Having a healthy support group may even help initiate you to find your purpose because your friends and family may encourage you to do so.

For some people, it takes years to figure out exactly what brings them meaning and happiness. But hopefully, after doing a few of these steps, you can move towards the direction of figuring out what brings you joy and what will fulfill you with purpose. Remember to take baby steps and enjoy the ride.

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