Finding Our Purpose Seems Impossible — How Do We Do It?

I recently read in an Entrepreneur article (why are they all so spot on?) that the two most important concepts of your life are (1) Knowing your purpose and (2) Understanding how to stay in alignment with that purpose.

It seems like that’s all everyone is doing these days — searching for their purpose, complaining they can’t find it and giving up on the process altogether because it’s just too damn difficult to figure out.

While I condemn society for rewarding consistency in the, “he stayed in this position for five years, so he deserves a promotion for sticking with the company,” sort of way, I do think consistency is the key to figuring out our purpose.

I think without consistency, we won’t establish ourselves in a way that feels right, noble and fulfilled. I think so many people are struggling with this concept largely because they keep making pitstops when they’re tired. I think if you’re truly looking for your purpose in life, you don’t allow yourself to get tired.

We can and should get frustrated, angry, sad, and frustrated again while we’re taking steps to find where we truly fit in the world, but we can’t get tired.

Peer Pressure Will Never Go Away — So…We Need To Stop Giving Into It

I also think we let ourselves get distracted by what our peers are doing, so then everything (performing well professionally, having a gorgeous home, sending our kids to the best school) not only becomes a competition with our former selves, but a competition with our friends, family members and successful people we see on social media.

If we cared less about what other people’s successes are contrived of and more about our own personal journey to find purpose within ourselves and in our lives, the world would be a happier place. Social gatherings, at the very least, would be a happier place.

On that note, wouldn’t it be cool if we changed the conversation at parties to propel discussions about doing great things for the world like limiting our carbon footprint and putting an end to child labor instead of gossiping about the size of someone’s engagement ring?

Conclusion

And if “finding our purpose,” which, they say (I always wonder who “they” are) can take years, or even decades to discover, it seems wise to grade ourselves according to nobody’s personal or professional growth but our own. Otherwise, everything gets so blurry that we can no longer see straight. And furthermore, we lose sight of what we set out to accomplish in the first place because we’re inundated by the things everyone else is doing — so then we become too scared of failure, rejection and judgement from other people, and don’t press on like we told ourselves we would.

Letting other people’s opinions about you or your ideas get to you will hold you back from pursuing whatever it is that is important to you.

If you feel like you are meant to empower women in some way or be a mentor to young kids or create a movement to stop marine pollution or whatever it is you feel compelled to do — if you feel it in your soul, in your entire being that if you don’t do it, you will forever regret it — that’s a pretty clear sign, in my book, that you need to do it.

In contrast, maybe some of us don’t necessarily have or want a purpose and the heavy pressure that comes with it. Maybe some of us are content with not being an entrepreneurial-obsessive, overachieving young thing. Those people will probably have less wrinkles, less anxiety and a more carefree mindset, so while we are or are not pursuing our purpose, we shouldn’t judge either side of the spectrum.

Thanks for reading!