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In This Article:
- Why your life purpose may be simpler than you think
- How love and joy are key indicators of your true path
- Examples of everyday purposes that bring deep fulfillment
- Reflective questions to help guide your choices and direction
- Why being true to your heart leads to a life of fulfillment
The Easy Way to Discover and Live Your Life Purpose
by Marie T. Russell, InnerSelf.com
Living “your life purpose” sounds like such a lofty and hard-to-define goal. But what if it wasn’t that complicated to discover what your life purpose is? And what if it was really easy to live it? Well, maybe not always easy—but easy to know when you’re in sync with it, when you're being true to it.
I’m going to share what just became clear for me. Our life purpose is as simple as following our heart, being true to it, doing the loving thing. Asking yourself, “Does this feel loving and supportive, both for myself and others?” can guide you to stay on your life path.
Simplistic, you say? Ah, but yes—it is. And that’s the magic and wonder of it.
Let’s look at a few examples to bring this idea to life. What if someone’s life purpose is to teach little children? That person would naturally love being around children, would seek out time with them, and may even bring innovative and joyful ways to teach—blending learning with laughter and love.
Another example: what if someone’s life purpose is to be a musician, creating and performing songs that bring pleasure to others? That person would be drawn to music, writing songs in their head or on scraps of paper—even while working a job that doesn’t light up their spirit. Their joy resides in the creativity of songwriting and expression. That is their life purpose, because it brings joy not only to others, but more importantly, to themselves.
A Signpost of Life Purpose
So here’s a signpost to help you recognize your life purpose: Does the thought of doing that thing bring you joy? Do you lose track of time when you’re engaged in it? Do you go out of your way to make time for it? Would you do it even if it didn’t provide income, simply because you love it?
The same applies to all life purposes. Great doctors and nurses—the ones truly living their purpose—love their work. They’re not doing it just for the money. They have a passion for healing and for easing the pain of others. That’s where their heart leads them.
What does your heart yearn to do to make life better—both for yourself and for others?
So… Where Is Your Heart Guiding You?
If you are being true to yourself and doing what you love, it will inevitably benefit others too. I’m not talking about selfish love—if such a thing exists. If you're doing something only to make yourself feel better and it brings no benefit to others, then I’d say that’s not really based in love, but rather, greed. When an action is rooted in Love, it serves the highest good of both you and those around you.
Living your life purpose is a path of discovery. Sometimes, you may need to travel down a road for a while before realizing it doesn’t make your heart sing. It doesn’t bring lasting joy. It doesn’t fulfill your deep yearning for inner peace and happiness. And that's the time to make a course correction.
One of the great challenges of our lives, I feel, is that too many of us are not being true to our purpose, to our hearts. And that’s how so many end up living lives of quiet desperation. If you look around (and start with yourself), you’ll see that actions which lead to unhappiness or hurt are usually not based in love—for self or others.
Life Purpose Is Not Always Lofty
Your life purpose might be as simple as being kind. It doesn’t have to be about inventing something grand or solving global problems. It might be about spreading kindness, acceptance, and love in your day-to-day interactions. And yes, that includes how you treat yourself.
A simple way to check in with your life purpose is to ask yourself: Is it kind? Is it loving? Does it bring me peace? Does it bring joy and contentment? Does it feel like something I want to keep doing?
Life Is Really Simple
We often believe life is complicated. And while it can be, that’s often because we’ve made it so—or allowed others to do that for us. Think of the classic example: someone choosing a career, not for the love of it, but for the money or promise of security, based on their own fears or the fears of others. Unfortunately, that’s all too common.
And the result? Often misery. And somehow, the money from that unloved job disappears into unfulfilling purchases or unexpected expenses. Meanwhile, the artist or purpose-driven person, though perhaps not wealthy, lives with an inner joy and peace that no amount of money can buy.
So yes—life is simple. Or it can be. All of us, even the most hardened, have a heart. Whether we choose to live by it is another matter. But if you’re looking for peace of mind and a deep sense of fulfillment, living your purpose in alignment with your heart will bring you joy and the satisfaction of a life well lived.
I believe an action has to be win-win—or more specifically, love-love—for it to be truly aligned with your purpose, and truly fulfilling of your soul. That purpose is to express your deepest self—the part of you connected to the source of life and love itself.
William Shakespeare, in Hamlet, said it this way:
This above all,—to thine own self be true;
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.
So be true to your heart. Follow its quiet wisdom. It already knows the way.
Creative Commons 3.0: This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 License. Attribute the author: Marie T. Russell, InnerSelf.com. Link back to the article: This article originally appeared on InnerSelf.comAbout The Author
Marie T. Russell is the founder of InnerSelf Magazine (founded 1985). She also produced and hosted a weekly South Florida radio broadcast, Inner Power, from 1992-1995 which focused on themes such as self-esteem, personal growth, and well-being. Her articles focus on transformation and reconnecting with our own inner source of joy and creativity.
Article Recap:
This article gently guides readers to discover their life purpose by tuning into their heart’s wisdom. Through relatable examples and reflective questions, it shows how living with love, kindness, and authenticity naturally reveals one’s true path to joy and fulfillment.
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