The Meaning Of Life Answered.
For each one of us, the meaning of life is to figure out what our purpose is for being here.
Each of us comes into this world with a certain set of skills and traits, strengths and weaknesses. The meaning of life is to be consciously aware of what your strengths and skills are and then to find the best and most beneficial and productive way to use them.
At the most basic level, that is really all there is for anyone of us to do: We need to know what good we can do with what we have. And for life to have meaning, do, we must. We need to be aware and know, and we need to do something good and just maybe, even great.
What Is Purpose?
The simple definition of purpose is: The reason for which something is done, made, used etc.; An intended or desired result; end; aim; goal.
Purpose is the reason is behind doing something – doing anything whether we are conscious of it or not. And so, taking the first line from the definition and applying it to our lives we can figure out, or, at least, start to figure out the answer to the question of, “Why am I here?”
Coming at it from the other way, the meaning or purpose of your life is for you to figure out your reason for your existence by figuring out what you should be doing. Your purpose comes from the doing.
It’s Too Late. You Are Already Here. So, Really, What Other Choice Do You Have?
If you are reading this, then you are here. By being here all that is left for you to do is to figure out why. What is your intended or desired result for being here? Since you are here, what are you going to do about it? Being here is a given; “it is what it is.” You just need to figure out what to do with your time here. Sounds easy enough, right? Is it? Is it easy enough?
Well yes, it can be. We often complicate things by over thinking them.
The only way to solve the problem of over thinking the question of why we are here is to do the things that have meaning to you. We are born. We live. And then, one day, we will most certainly die. We all die. Answer this: What will you do with your time?
“In The Beginning.” No. Not Just That. There Is So Much More.
We all have a beginning and a middle and eventually, for each and every one of us, an end. The beginning and the end are given. There is really not much that we can do about our birth and our death. The only part of our life that we may have a say in or any possible self-determination about is the middle part of our existence: The Big Middle. You are here. What will you do with your life?
With the above in mind, our purpose in life must be attached to and come from our living of it. And the easiest way that I know of in order to figure out how to have purpose for our life is for each and every one of us to look ahead to the end of our life and figure out what we would want to be said about us when we are finally gone. We need to think about how and what we want to be remembered as and for. The best way to sort out your life’s purpose is to jump ahead to the end and work your way backwards.
Determine Your Legacy And Live A Life That Is Worth Living
It is sadly too often true that too many people live their lives in quiet desperation. Too many people live their life on auto-pilot, going through the motions without any real reason to other than to wake up each day, get through it and then do it all over again the next day, the next week, the next month and the next year. It certainly seems that far too many of us are going through our day-to-day lives aimlessly and without any real direction. And, yes, this thought should depress you.
But why are people living their lives like this, needlessly suffering and torturing themselves? Especially since it is really not that hard to live life differently and with meaning.
Then, when our life is over most people are filled with regret. We end up leaving too many things undone and failing to live our life enthusiastically and with purpose. These are some of our most common regrets and pains that we can have at the end of our life.
Here’s a little exercise for you: When you have a chance, Google search what are people’s top regrets in life. You will find that most of the items that are on all of the different lists about life’s regrets are about the things that people did not do. Very few of them are about the “bad” things that people did do in their lives. What you will find is that for most people, life’s biggest regrets can by summarized as this: “I was here. But it did not matter. I made little, not as much as I could have or no difference at all.” Again, you will see that the regrets are about the not doing of the things that matter to the person that has them. Most of life’s regrets are about things not done.
We all have the chance to make a difference. Even though it is probably true, that most of us will never solve a large world problem or find the cure for some horrible disease, we can have an impact and we can make a difference by being alive. Each and every one of us, against all odds, is here and each and every one of us needs to bring our own something to the table. We may not necessarily owe it to anyone in particular, but we most certainly do owe it to ourselves.
“I Want It All And I Want It Now!”
If you want to live a fulfilling life, a life truly worthy of being and perhaps, even worthy of admiration – if you want to live a life that matters to you – then it is crucial for you to determine your legacy today, right now. Then, you must start the process of the being and the living of what you want your legacy to be, immediately. Now!
Yes, now! Sooner or later all of your tomorrows will run out. Do the math. We have limited time. If we are lucky, most of us will only get roughly 70 to 80 good years. What are you going to do with them? What do you want your story be? Every day, every hour, every minute and even every second matters. What will you do with your seconds, minutes and days?
You need to want it. Now.
Before you start. It is important to know that there is one basic overriding rule for finding the purpose in your life and it is this: Your purpose can be just about anything that you want it to be as long as it is good for you and good for everyone else. Simply put, your purpose should be for the betterment of yourself and for the betterment of mankind; Not to the detriment of mankind.
Sure, some personal sacrifices will need to be made but what you do should not ever harm anyone else. Do not ever loose sight of this notion.
Be The Author Of Your Legacy
Following these strategies can help you determine your legacy and begin living it:
1. Determine Your Core Values.
Figure out what’s most important to you. Take your time. You only have one life so make it as meaningful as possible. What truly matters to you? What do you want to stand for and be about?
Need help to figure out your values? Then maybe you need to have vision.
2. Start With The End In Mind.
Imagine you’re on your death bed. Where are you? Are you living in a mansion with a private nurse? In a nursing home? In a modest family home? Who is with you? Close family? Do you have a string of friends, family, and admirers stopping by to pay their respects? What will they say about you when you are gone?
3. What Do You Want To Look Back Upon?
What will your live have been about? Spreading peace throughout the world? Building a real estate empire? Traveling the world and learning about different cultures? Mastering the piano? Becoming the most powerful person in your city? Living a well-rounded life with a close-knit family?
There are limits, of course, but from the options that you may have, what do you want to do?
- Make a list of everything you want to do, have, and accomplish over the course of your lifetime. What great cause do you want to represent? What would make you proud? Really think about what would have made your life worthwhile?
Pick one or two things that are most important to you right now.
4. Are You Currently Living In A Way That Will Lead To This Ending
Imagine your average weekday and weekend day. If you continued living this way for the rest of your life, where would you end up? Are you on the path to living the legacy you desire?
5. Determine The First Step. What Do You Need To Do First?
The journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step. Create a set of goals with the ultimate end in mind. Create a starting goal that can begin working on immediately.
For example, imagine one of your goals is to climb Mount Everest. Your set of goals and tasks might look like:
- Join a gym and get into great shape.
- Start saving money. Equipment and traveling are expensive.
- Get a passport.
- Take a mountaineering course on Mt Rainier that will prepare me for my next climb.
- Climb Ecuadorian volcanoes.
- Climb Mt Aconcagua.
- Climb Mt. McKinley.
- Climb Mt. Cho Oyu.
- Climb Mt Everest.
6. Now, Get Started Now. Take That First Step.
This is the hardest part. Knowledge is power, but having knowledge is completely wasted if you do nothing with it. Taking that first step from the point of standing still will take effort. You must put in the effort. No one will do it for you. You gotta move, man!
- If you want to build a billion-dollar business empire, it’s not easy to get started when you only have $105 in the bank but you can start. It’s just going to take a little more time and a little more work.
Taking on the tough goals and tasks is a big part of what can give your life meaning and purpose.
7. Avoid Losing Sight Of What’s Most Important.
Avoid getting too caught up in your big goals. You still have friends and family to care for, and they may not really care if you live an extraordinary life. They still need you whether you live an impressive life or not. But, by living a life with purpose, with an end goal in mind, you just may become a true inspiration to them.
- You can create a life that is exciting, or at least, interesting and fulfilling. Dream big, muster your courage, and get started today to make it a reality.
Why Even Bother?
Maybe you have it pretty good. Maybe you don’t. It does not matter what your situation currently is. Figuring out and knowing what your purpose is and then doing something about it is crucial for each and every one of us. Or not. The choice is yours to make. Keep reading.
Misery or Meaning – It’s your choice.
What’s it gonna be?
Choose wisely.
12 Benefits Of Knowing And Living Your Life With Purpose
Do you know your life’s purpose? Most people don’t. In fact, few people have even considered it. That’s a real shame, because knowing your life’s purpose is exactly what makes life more interesting, satisfying and quite possibly, even more exciting!
Imagine being excited to live each day of your life! Most people dread getting up in the morning and spend their week counting the days to the weekend, only to do it all over again the following week. The sad truth of that last sentence is depressing. Why would you want to live like that?
There are so many reasons why it’s important to have a purpose. However, most people have never considered what their purpose is. It can be challenging to establish your purpose if you seem to spend all of your energy just surviving your day to day life. However, knowing your purpose can make life a lot less complicated!
It’s worth taking the time to discover your purpose and to build your life around that purpose. Determining your life’s purpose is worthy of your time and consideration! It may well be the most important thing that you do with your life…
Why Knowing Your Purpose Is Essential To Living A Great Life:
1. It’s Simply A Whole Lot Easier To Plan Your Day.
Most people spend their day trying to figure out what to do. When you don’t have a clear objective and purpose, it’s easy to become lost. What are you attempting to achieve each day?
2. It’s Much, Much Easier To Resist The Stupid, Wasteful Distractions.
Life’s oh so many distractions can be the undoing of us all. With being constantly wired up these days, it is far too easy to find things “to do” that we waste our time with. We will even rationalize the distractions by saying that we are just killing time while we waiting for something else to happen. Think about that for a moment. Why would you want to “kill time”?
Time is the most precious commodity that we have.
Religious or not, there is a reason that the proverb. “Idle hands are the devils workshop.” rings true today.
Your life’s purpose is something that’s compelling to you. Distractions are hard to resist when your life feels meaningless, or you feel bored. Your ability to focus is enhanced when you know your purpose. Instead of doing the dumb regretful distractions do the stuff that has real meaning to you!
And yes, it can be true that many of the distractions in your life are the things that actually are of interest to you, but not enough to be a genuine purpose. It can be the things that you like to dabble in that can also be distracting. When you have a real purpose, these semi-serious interests get kicked to the curb.
3. Knowing Your Purpose Provides Clarity.
You know what’s important and what isn’t if your purpose is clear to you. If you’re obsessed with making the PGA Tour, there’s no reason to worry about politics or the fact that your neighbor isn’t mowing his grass. You have bigger fish to fry.
Serenity comes from clarity: Knowing which battles need to be fought and which to be ignored. With a well defined purpose comes, “the wisdom to know the difference”.
4. It’s Easier To Make Good Decisions.
Knowing your purpose provides a foundation for making decisions. How will you make a decision that’s right for you if you don’t know your purpose? When your purpose is clear, your options become much easier to evaluate.
Your purpose is the overriding consideration in your life. Decisions are much easier to make when you clearly understand what you’re trying to accomplish.
For example, if your purpose is to be a world-class marathoner, the right diet choices become much clearer. You also know that getting to bed on time each night is more important than running around all night with your friends.
Whether your goal is to attend Harvard Law School, run a marathon, or start your own company, knowing your purpose will give you the direction to be able to choose the best option for nearly any decision that you need to make.
5. Real Fun.
For most of us, a fun activity is something that we do just as a distraction or to pass the time (Still killing time, are we?). It’s not something you would want to do all day, every day. Riding a roller-coaster is fun, but you wouldn’t want to do it for eight hours every day. Eating ice cream is fun, but it’s not enjoyable and certainly not beneficial to eat ice cream five times a day.
When you know your purpose, the activities associated with that purpose can be enjoyable and even “fun.” You know you’re living the life you’re supposed to live. That’s the ultimate source of fun. Imagine having fun at your work!
6. Contentment.
You feel content when you know and live your purpose. The nagging feeling that you should be doing something else with your life dissipates. Contentment is what remains. This is the emotion that most people crave, not fun, even if they don’t realize it. Contentment is the place where the feeling of real fun comes from.
7. Enthusiasm.
You feel much more motivated. You feel less internal resistance. Knowing your purpose unleashes your enthusiasm. In fact, enthusiasm is one clue that you’re living your purpose. Are you enthusiastic about going to your job each day?
8. You Make Meaningful Progress In Your Life.
Happiness is largely the result of making progress toward meaningful goals. You have a much better chance of being happy when you’re aware of your life’s purpose.
Do you have goals? If not, why not? Re-read the first section of this article. If you do have goals, how do you feel when you’re making progress toward them?
9. It Adds To Your Charisma And You Become More Interesting To Others.
Have you ever known someone that was clear on what they wanted from their life? It’s exciting to be around someone like that. The are are interesting to be with. What they say and do have meaning.
You become much more interesting and magnetic when your life has a clear direction and you are acting on it and as a result, your social life improves in many ways.
Someone with a purpose is much more interesting than someone who is just drifting through life. You’re much more attractive to others when your purpose is clear to you.
Think of someone you know whose life is committed to something. Now think of someone you know who seems lost and inconsequential in the world. Which would you rather be? Which would you rather spend time with? Ask yourself this: How would you like to appear to others?
10. Your Creativity Is Fully Utilized.
Creativity is just as important for adults as it is for children. Pursuing anything meaningful will involve overcoming obstacles. When you’re fully energized, your creativity can operate at full power. You’re surprised by your ability to solve problems.
11. When You Know Your Purpose, You’re More Likely To Persevere.
Life is hard. Living with purpose and moving towards a goal will take effort and energy and there most certainly will be setbacks and obstacles. It will be way to easy to give up if you’re not committed. Your purpose is the thing that you’re committed to so, when those inevitable obstacles pop up, you’ll be in a much better position to find the solutions and overcome them.
12. It All But Guarantees Success.
There are no guarantees in life, true. But with greater focus and perseverance, you’re much more likely to be successful. It’s very difficult to be successful at something you feel half-hearted about.
Imagine something that you’re totally committed to achieving. Now, imagine that it’s also very meaningful to you, and it’s also very interesting to you. How much more likely are you to be successful?
Contrast that with something you’re only mildly interested in that you consider to be rather meaningless. How successful will you be? The difference in your results would be staggering.
Conclusion
The world is full of people aimlessly drifting through life without a purpose. Most people have never taken the time to consider what they want their life to be about. This is a huge mistake, because there are so many benefits for each of one of us to knowing and living your life with purpose.
Life is short. Why would you go through each day mindlessly wandering around? You have a direction for your life when you have a purpose. You will know what to do and you should be able to figure out how you will be able to do it.
When you know your purpose, life is more meaningful and easier to navigate. Decisions are easier to make. You’re more interesting to others. Your much clearer on what you’re trying to accomplish.
Your purpose might be saving the albino zebras or becoming a horror novelist. It may not matter what your purpose is, but you can live a more meaningful life when you make the time to identify it.
If you don’t know your life’s purpose, stop everything you’re doing and give it some serious thought. Right now is the right time. You only have one life to live!
Your life’s purpose is something that only you can determine for yourself. Think of all your interests, and then consider how meaningful you think each one is. Your purpose is somewhere in your list waiting for you to find it. It’s never too soon or too late to find your purpose!
BAM! Be A Man. Do The Right Thing. Live With Purpose.
BAM! Be A Man. Do The Right Thing.
Be The DtRTy Guy!