What’s Your Life’s Purpose?

How many times have you stayed awake asking questions like, “Is this all there is to my life? What will make me happy? What’s my life’s purpose?”

Philosophers have grappled with these questions for over 3000 years, without coming up with an answer that we all agree to.

So what hope do you have of discovering the truth?

Although, there is no single solution for all of us, there is a simple framework that can help you discover the answer that works for YOU.

A new discipline called “Positive Psychology” developed by the University of Pennsylvania, incorporates detailed scientific research on the factors that enable regular people like us have flourishing lives of happiness & success.

Based on this research the type of life you lead can be identified along a spectrum that has a “Pleasant Life” at one end with a “Meaningful Life” at the other and a “Good Life” somewhere in between.

The Pleasant Life

A Pleasant Life is something a vast majority of people spend all their time chasing. This is a life which is full of pleasures like travelling around the world, eating great food, living in a large home etc. There is no end goal to this type of life and no other purpose than the fulfilment of personal pleasure. Life is all about the journey and not the destination. Some examples of this would be global nomads like Tim Ferriss (Author of 4 Hour Work Week), Kim Kardashian or Page 3 socialites. Taken to the extreme this path could cause you to descend into gluttony, alcoholism or excessive gambling.

The Meaningful Life

The other end of the spectrum is the Meaningful Life. This is about devoting all your energies to a great cause and ignoring your personal needs. In this category are soldiers who are happy to sacrifice their lives for their country; artists willing to live in poverty so they can devote all their energies to their art or saints who choose to live & serve among the poor. Examples of these include Mother Teresa, Freedom fighter Bhagat Singh and the artist Vincent Van Gogh. A severe example of this would be Osama Bin Laden.

The Good Life

Between these two extremes is the Good Life. This is where you pursue interests that you are passionate about, but not to the detriment of your own personal or financial well-being. Examples of this are the social entrepreneur who sets up a company promoting village handicrafts, the author who writes historical novels or even a mobile game designer. Exemplars of this would include Steve Jobs, Verghese Kurian (Founder of Amul) or Indian Mythologist Devdutt Patnaik. The good life is usually a path of moderation but can also shift into an obsession with chasing career success and ignoring your family.

What Life Path Should You Follow?

It is all up to you, as each of these are perfectly valid paths to your life’s purpose. The key is to understand what path you are currently on and ask yourself if that makes you truly happy. If not, shift to another path. If so, enjoy the experience of travelling down this path.
In the final analysis, nobody can tell you what your life’s purpose should be. It is yours to choose!