Heart Advice

5 Questions to Help You Find Your Purpose in Life

Study after study shows the importance of having a sense of purpose. Having a direction and an overarching meaning in life helps you live longer, helps buffer against setbacks, and is linked with wellbeing.

In theory this is great, but in reality most people aren’t born knowing what they want to do with their lives. A recent article by author Mark Manson highlights the problem:

"Chances are you have no clue what you want to do. It’s a struggle almost every adult goes through. “What do I want to do with my life?” “What am I passionate about?” “What do I not suck at?”

Part of the problem is the concept of “life purpose” itself. The idea that we were each born for some higher purpose and it’s now our cosmic mission to find it."

Manson recommends re-framing the question and thinking about purpose in a more manageable way:

"So when people say, “What should I do with my life?” or “What is my life purpose?” what they’re actually asking is: “What can I do with my time that is important?”"

He put together a series of questions to help you figure out for yourself what matters most to you and how to add more meaning to your life...''