“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.” ~Eleanor Roosevelt
For some of us, like me, the question, “What is my purpose?” creates a ton of anxiety and a feeling that our self-worth is being undermined.
It’s hard to escape this question because everywhere we turn, finding our purpose and living on a large scale seem to be the main themes of the day. The mounting pressure created by social media and the need to have it all figured out by a certain date exacerbate this search.
I used to succumb to that pressure, until I said enough and changed my entire outlook on life.
During my moments of deep reflection, I have found that the answer to this question is as fluid and as complex as life itself.
Our purpose isn’t really one thing. I think our purpose is multi layered, rich and yet simple, and it should not be pigeonholed into one career or grand master plan, though some of us commit ourselves to one purposeful path. I also believe that our purpose can change throughout our lives.
I believe that our deepest purpose is to discover our true nature, to cherish our true selves, to listen to the call of our soul, to heal the wounds that keep us in the shadow, to become more compassionate, to love the ordinary as well as the extraordinary, to serve, and to enjoy doing nothing from time to time.
When we discover ourselves, our purpose reveals itself naturally.
How do we discover ourselves? We experiment every single day. We become our own scientists. We start to pay attention to what brings us nourishment and joy. We pay attention to what feels natural. Purpose is not one thing; it’s everything.
I like to call myself a lawyer by day and spiritual warrior by night, but the truth is that I am a light warrior all day.
Despite the fact that my current career may not be the highest expression of my true calling, which is to teach, my current career has undoubtedly taught me many lessons about helping people, having integrity (go ahead with the lawyer jokes, I will laugh along with you!), becoming a great listener, and also counseling others.
These are all virtues of a teacher, so even though I am not a full-time spiritual teacher yet, I still get to bring the energy of a teacher to my everyday life—not only in my job, but also in my home and family life.
I am an aunt, niece, spiritual seeker, friend, sister, daughter, partner, and so much more. I am not just a lawyer. And I am living my purpose every day by bringing the qualities of a spiritual teacher to everything that I do and everything that I am.
Our default thinking leads us to believe that having a purpose involves something on a grand stage or having a large audience with whom to share ideas, but that may not be your calling or your day-to-day purpose. Your purpose can be manifested in so many different ways.
Take being a parent, for example. It’s the greatest job and blessing in the world. I am not a parent, but I have happily been involved in my nephew’s and niece’s life since the day they were born. I can appreciate the enormous responsibility one undertakes when they say yes to becoming a parent.
Recently, I had this very conversation with my sister-in-law. She has a yearning desire to share a great message with the world and help others heal, but at the moment her hands are full because she is a super full-time mom. We came to the conclusion that her purpose right now, meaning today, is to raise four beautiful angels, which she is doing so beautifully.
I told her I could not think of a greater purpose. Giving endlessly, serving, giving your heart, time, and energy to the well-being of precious souls. Perhaps a few years down the road that will change when she has more time on her hands. In the meantime, motherhood is teaching her many things that one day she may use to help spread her message.
So even if you’re doing something you don’t want to be doing and you’re in the middle of transitioning to something else like me, your purpose is to be present to whatever is happening in your life right now.
Being present helps us learn about ourselves, because the truth is that we are always preparing for the next step, which is sometimes a mystery. So don’t take one second for granted. Every minute of your life means something.
Another great piece to add to this discussion about purpose is patience. I never really understood divine timing until this year. I believe life unfolds perfectly for each of us. If we can stay present, our purpose will never evade us.
I also believe that we do not arrive at one single destination. So, today, and only today, your purpose is to find as much joy and magic in the little moments as possible, even if you are having a tough day. This day is here to teach you something too. Your purpose is to find and honor the lesson. Your purpose is to allow your life’s plan to unfold perfectly for you.
There’s no need to put more pressure on ourselves to think about our purpose because we can’t get there by obsessing about it anyway.
Life is multi-faceted. You are a rich, dynamic, beautiful spark of life. You are not just one thing, and your life is not just about one thing or one career. You are so much more than that.
So find your purpose in being a friend, daughter, son, partner, activist, or in being your own best friend. Find your purpose in loving who you are. You are an original creation and, I believe, here for a reason. You are here to do all the beautiful things that I just described, and to do them with intention and consciousness.
The world needs you just because you’re here. Do not worry about the limitations in your head about time or age. You are here to contribute. You have your own unique expression, your own way of thinking, your own preferences, and your own feelings. Honor all of who you are. Walk down the street and smile. That may be your purpose for today. I assure you there are people that need you, and you them.
Enjoy the mundane—the drive to work, the meal preparation, the chores. Connect with yourself daily, honor your feelings, and follow your inner guidance, your nudges. Life is always sending us messages.
We do not need to look anymore or find anything. We came here to experience the gift of being alive and that is truly our purpose.
About Christine Rodriguez
Christine Rodriguez is a spiritual life coach dedicated to helping others transform beliefs, thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that no longer serve them so they can create a life that’s aligned with their true desires and capabilities. To work with her, please visit miraculousshifts.com. You can find her on Instagram @miraculousshifts_christy.
Though I run this site, it is not mine. It's ours. It's not about me. It's about us. Your stories and your wisdom are just as meaningful as mine.
Based on the posts in the forums the top issues that create the most suffering appear to be relationship, meaning and purpose. And many of the issues about relationships seem to be connected to the idea the relationship will create or enhance the experience of purpose and having purpose a meaning to life.
I believe the quest to purpose and meaning is a fool’s game… or only for those that are very skilled. The moment you try to name purpose or meaning, measure it, grasp it, the experience (which is intended for the moment as all experiences are) fades often leaving the after taste of ashes and or the bitter sweet question, what now.
In the law of cause and effect (Karma – Action) every cause and effect is purpose and meaning. We just tend to desire that our purpose, our causes and effects be grand and acknowledged and sustain us for all our life. (If you don’t have a picture of it, it doesn’t exist) We might be happier if we learned to detach ourselves (not the same as indifference) from this measuring of purpose and meaning and instead be grateful when we experience it
I like what Joseph Campbell said about Meaning and Purpose.
“Life has no meaning. Each of us has meaning and we bring it to life. It is a waste to be asking the question when you are the answer.” … “People say that what we’re all seeking is a meaning for life. I don’t think that’s what we’re really seeking. I think that what we’re seeking is an experience of being alive, so that our life experiences on the purely physical plane will have resonances with our own innermost being and reality, so that we actually feel the rapture of being alive.” ― Joseph Campbell
“We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.” T. S. Eliot… you are, as you are, meaning and purpose – a gift to life (not a gift from life).
Being present is the ultimate purpose Christine. Even if you seem far off from what you want to do, or have not found your genuine passion, being in the here and now alerts you to signals, and nudges and intuitive pulls. All about the here and now. Rocking post.
I love this! It’s very wise advice. Thank you for sharing. I really needed to hear this right now at this point in my life. I’ve printed it to read and reflect on again.
“When we discover ourselves, our purpose reveals itself naturally.” YES.
I’m also of the mind that our purpose doesn’t fit neatly into a little box–and it isn’t defined by one aspect of our lives. I find purpose in being a mother, but it is not the ONLY place I find purpose. I did, however, feel unfulfilled when I was ignoring my calling toward being a writer. I think that’s where we can really cause ourselves great pain: ignoring the parts of us that are yearning for fulfillment.
“The world needs you just because you’re here. Do not worry about the limitations in your head about time or age. You are here to contribute. You have your own unique expression, your own way of thinking, your own preferences, and your own feelings. Honor all of who you are. Walk down the street and smile. That may be your purpose for today. I assure you there are people that need you, and you them.“
Love the above which is a fantastic way to understand life 😊. The article makes for really good way to understand a recurring topic . Oh btw – also like your pic with the statue head .
I am in th middle of transitioning myself. Feeing lonely and not sure what is next. So I take it one day at time focusing on taking care of myself during this time… which seems to be going on too long. You did mention Patience… thank you!.
Yesterday I went to the gym and walked the track watching others play basketball. There was one little boy that was great at playing basketball. My intuition told me to go tell him how great I thought he was. I followed my guidance and told him…as a young man he wasn’t too receptive. His father came over and thanked me for sharing my spirit with him. His father proceeded to tell me his trials raising his son when his own father left when he was very young.I told him him he did very well especialy not having a father role model. It was a half hour out of my day but I felt that was my purpose for the day. Who knows how much that meant to him.
Christine, thanks for sharing this. I feel so overwhelmed at the thought of finding one “true” purpose. I love the idea that our purpose is simply to be here and experience life. It’s hard for me to feel well with that idea because everyone seems so purposeful in their careers, but I’m going to work on being gentler with myself so that I can enjoy and experience life to its fullest.
yes! Ryan. At times, it’s been challenging to stay present but truly it is where the real magic happens. Thank you for taking the time to read my post and letting me know that my message resonated.🙏🏼
Yes. I agree. The key is to integrate all of who we are. Because we are many things. Life doesn’t fit into a little box indeed. Good luck with your writing. Wishing you much success🙏🏼
Wow, thank you for sharing this. Such a deep and rich perspective. I’ll have to read this again and again.🙏🏼
Aww thank you so much for sharing. It’s so hard some days! I get it! See how beautiful those 30 minutes were because in the end I do believe that connecting to others is part of our purpose. Well done💜
You are welcome! Just because I wrote about it doesn’t mean I have mastered it. It just means that I have decided to look at it from a different perspective. I hear you. Some seem to have “it all figured out”, but remember you are unique and your expression of one of your purposes may look like nothing out there. Let life surprise you as you explore 🙂 some of us live singular purpose driven lives and that may be what was on their soul’s agenda although I do feel that we all have multiple purposes. Some of us may just move from one thing to the next just exploring and exploration may very well be your purpose too! Take it easy💜
Makes my heart sing❤️ I’m so happy it resonated. One day at a time my dear. It’s what I say to myself. Thank you for reading and commenting.🙏🏼
Hi! Thank you thank you for your feedback. Truly grateful my message vibes with you. And yes, I love Buddha and the pic. It was taken during my visit to beautiful Japanese gardens in florida. Blessings to you💫
Been reading allot about Karma lately and I find it interesting the for many people, myself included, Karma was about punishment and justice, a something that one had redeem to move forward in life. (Reincarnation in the sense that each moment, each breath, is a cycle of ‘birth, death and rebirth’. Which is an attribute of the Law of Cause and Effect – Karma – Action. Every creating is also a destruction, every destruction a creation – Life as it is, life eats life)
I no longer think Karma (Action) is about punishment and justice but an attribute of Love. Why – The concepts of Purpose and Meaning may be subjective even illusion… yet I do not know anyone that does not want, need, desire the experiencing of purpose and meaning. The Law of Cause and Affect, Karma, allows our actions and who we are to influence and of course, like it or not to be influenced (can’t have one without the other) and it is through this influence that we can experience meaning, purpose and growth. (life demands growth) Of course, that means we get to be accountable and responsible for our actions. Thus I would argue that accountability, responsibly, meaning, purpose… are attributes of the experience of Unconditional Love.
I know it might sound like a contradiction, however if we didn’t get to be accountable for our Actions (Karma) nothing we did or who we are could be experienced as having influence or meaning. There could be no growth
The unskillful search and measuring of meaning and purpose may be unwise, as it more often then not creates suffering, however Karma allows us the opportunity to awaken to the experience that we are, as we are, purpose and meaning… And that Life as it is, the cycle of life, death and rebirth, is Love.
If any of that makes sense 🙂
@disqus_lFXPeDyk1v:disqus what a beautiful piece of content, looks like you wrote it straight from your heart! this is the thing i really needed to read about, i second every word written by you, but i just needed a sort of assurance that what i’m thinking is okay. Thankyou for making me feel so! 🙂 🙂
Love,
Shivali Ranga
Thank you for sharing your thoughts, every word resonates with exactly what my mind would never let my mouth describe! This is beautiful.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read and comment! It’s been a journey for me to discover my truth and perspective. Glad to share it with you and all who can benefit from it💜
Delighted you felt my love in this post. I really allow my heart to speak through me. Im really moved that you resonated with my message and that my words brought you peace🙏🏼 Thank you for taking the time to let me know. Blessings to you!
Reading this made my heart feel recognized. Today’s world is so driven and everyone puts on their “I know what I am doing” face. I have always felt a deep jealousy for that trait. I shared this article with one of my sisters as well as I printed it out. The words rang so true. Thank you so much for sharing such powerful emotions.