Many people feel lost these days because they’re unsure of what their “life purpose” is. Society has convinced us that we’re supposed to have a major epiphany about what we should dedicate our lives to.
And if that doesn’t happen, the implication is that there’s either something wrong with us, or we need to wait to move forward until our “eureka” moment arrives.
In reality, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Rather than a life-defining purpose, what people do best with is simply a direction to start moving in, and here’s why.
8 reasons you should figure out your immediate direction before you go thinking about your purpose:
1. As your life changes, your life purpose may change, leaving you feeling lost or unmoored.
Having a grand purpose may be helpful for some people, but as we move through our lives, our abilities and attitudes change.
As such, it can be tremendously painful when we realize that we no longer want or are capable of the purpose we once dreamed of. This is especially true if we have interwoven our ego with that purpose.
This is why a general direction can be much better. It keeps you moving forwards, without being entirely fixated on just one outcome.
If you’ve fixated on a goal or purpose and it’s no longer possible, don’t fret. Instead, let your good sense, reason, and appetites guide you in the direction of something more fitting.
For example, even if your goal or purpose was firmly fixed on some high-energy activity or sport and you simply cannot do it competitively anymore, that’s ok. There are still many up-and-coming folks who would love a seasoned veteran to teach them.
2. A general direction is far easier to hold to than a specific purpose.
See this as the difference between knowing where you want to go and having carte blanche about the ways to get there, versus being locked into a particular path with no wiggle room for the journey.
For example, your chosen direction may be that you want to be of service to others and do as much as you can to make this world a better place.
This can take many forms over the course of your life, from activism, tree planting, or outreach work in your younger years to fundraising, hospice visits, and crafting for charity as you age.
All of those actions fall under the umbrella of your chosen direction rather than being locked into one specific form.
3. You can’t be expected to know your purpose until you do “stuff” first.
Until we’ve gained a lot of experience in life, we have no basis for comparison.
Quite simply, it’s difficult for someone to choose a life-defining purpose when one hasn’t lived enough to recognize where their heart lies. That’s where a vague direction helps guide us whilst keeping us open to new experiences.
For example, my partner took up glassmaking when he was in his late teens. He did this because several generations back in his family, his ancestors made significant advances in that field.
After trying it, he discovered that it wasn’t for him, but he did discover that he enjoyed blacksmithing.
His strengths lie in iron and stone: glass was a bit too flimsy and temperamental for him. But he wouldn’t have discovered this had he not invested the time and effort to experiment.
It’s never a failed venture if you have learned something of the world — and yourself — as you try out different things.
Often, what may seem like a waste of time is what helps to clarify and define your path. Furthermore, you’ll likely learn far more about yourself from your failures than the easy victories.
4. The most meaningful experiences are usually found in unexpected moments.
While it may be comforting to map out every aspect of your existence in the pursuit of a Grand Plan, that may not be the path that’ll lead you to the most meaningful things you’ll experience during your lifetime.
You cannot control life, so give yours a chance to unfold organically rather than in a tightly governed manner.
When you choose a direction to take instead of a specific plan, you leave room for spontaneity and magic.
For example, you might choose to take a train to get to a job interview in another city, end up sharing snacks with your seatmate, and end up making a new lifelong friend (or lover!).
Alternatively, they might offer you a life opportunity that’s far more appealing than the job you’re en route to interview for.
You set out in one direction, but the journey may well surprise you along the way.
5. Having a grand purpose often causes internal paralysis.
If you cling tightly to the idea of a grand, life-defining purpose, you may find yourself fearful of making mistakes of any kind.
In your mind, the slightest misstep may result in complete failure, as well as potentially hurting or disappointing those around you.
What’s more, most of us don’t have unlimited resources that allow us to take financial risks without fear, nor a financial safety net for when things go wrong. Many people have to start their ventures from nothing, and every mistake or bit of time wasted may cost them dearly.
That’s where choosing a general direction instead of establishing a major purpose comes in. It allows wiggle room for you to try out a variety of approaches without the same crushing stress or worry about lost time or resources.
When you choose a direction, rather than putting all eggs in one basket initially (which comes with great risk), you have much greater freedom to course correct.
6. In our modern society, grand purpose isn’t necessarily a guaranteed success.
The lives we lead today are very different from those of our predecessors.
Everything moves and changes at such breakneck speed that an endeavor that seems like a great idea one day might become irrelevant or unstable a couple of years later.
It’s a much different world than the one our parents and grandparents inhabited, where they might have gotten an office job right out of high school and held it until they retired with a full pension at 50.
As such, the grand purpose you might have been seeking since your early youth may not be a viable option anymore.
You may not be able to become what you once imagined as a child. But the spirit of those dreams can still guide you in a direction that evolves as the world does.
7. You don’t need to have a grand purpose to make a difference in the world, or to feel truly fulfilled.
If you don’t have a grand life purpose in mind, that doesn’t mean that you aren’t making a real difference just by living your life.
In fact, you may not even realize how much good you’ve already done via the numerous actions you’ve taken over the course of your life.
There may be many people walking around right now whose lives are better because of some small, seemingly unimportant thing you did in the past.
If you’re stuck trying to figure out what to do with yourself, think about the times in your life that have made you feel the most fulfilled. What were you doing in those moments? How did your actions affect those around you? And what actions filled you with pride and made you want to do them again?
Those beautiful ordinary experiences are clues as to where to go from here, and none of them required a grand purpose.
8. Life is a purpose unto itself.
Nearly 120 billion people have existed on this planet since our Homo sapiens first started to walk around upright.
You can be absolutely certain that not all of them had a grand, life-defining purpose that filled them with ambition. In fact, a significant number of them were likely content with simple lives that revolved around little joys, small personal achievements, and fulfilling relationships.
Life is a beautiful endeavor unto itself, and flowing along in different directions can reveal a number of heartfelt reasons why you’re here and what you’d like to do with the time you have to work with.
Just pick a direction and start moving in it, knowing that you can always change course once you’re in motion.
Final thoughts…
If you’re still having difficulty figuring out which direction to start heading into, consider looking into the Japanese concept of Ikigai.
By looking at the different things that inspire you, as well as taking into account your strengths, personal preferences, and aversions, you can determine a direction that you can pursue.
Do some volunteer work or internships to dip your toes into different endeavors, see which ones you like best, and pursue the things that fill your heart with joy and fulfillment.
