Why should you find and follow your life purpose?

Life can be a wonderful adventure or a grueling challenge, although for most people it is nothing more than a monotonous and automatic routine. Get up, work, eat, take care of the children, watch TV, sleep and start again.

This does not seem like a very encouraging outlook, not to mention those times when extraordinary negative events occur to us. To overcome the inertia of monotony or hopelessness, we must find and follow our life purpose.

But what is this concept exactly? At some point we have all struggled to search for it and have become desperate when we have not found answers. Especially during adolescence, we often struggle with existential questions, such as “what is life?”, “what am I here for?”, “what is the point of all this?” Actually, Each of us is responsible for constructing this meaning personally..

What is the purpose of life?

The purpose of life It is the intention, meaning or purpose that a person gives to his or her own existence.. Thus, it includes a commitment to life, a perception that it is useful and valuable, and a motivation that drives us to develop it in a certain way.

Different authors and currents have tried to approach this concept by offering different explanations. For example, you may have heard of ikigaia Japanese term that could be translated as “reason for living”.

This is a mission or motivation that provides desire and courage to get up every morning and face the day. He ikigai It is the common point between what you are good at, what gives you pleasure in doing and what can add value to the world. If you identify the characteristics of your case, you will have found an engine of life.

Another interesting approach is the one carried out through Viktor Frankl’s logotherapy. After being a prisoner in several concentration camps and suffering firsthand the horrors of the Nazi holocaust, this Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist developed a therapeutic movement that focused its action on helping people find the meaning of their lives to be able to heal them comprehensively.

Find and follow your life purpose

It may seem to you that finding your purpose in life is something extremely complicated and irrelevant. However, in reality beyond philosophical issues and Having this motivation brings multiple benefits:

Various research reinforces the idea that having a vital purpose reduces the risk of death between 17% and 33% and reduces the probability of suffering cardiovascular accidents.Those who have found a meaning or mission in life have healthier habits and consume less toxic substances.They are also better able to manage and deal with stressful situations.suffering less impact on their health.Increases sense of personal competenceso that the individual perceives himself as more capable of facing challenges and difficulties. Accepting life with its difficulties and limitations and perceiving it as equally valuable reduces states of decay and the presence of affective disorders. Likewise, there is a greater tendency to seek rewarding and vitalizing experiences that contribute to positive moods.Promotes close social and emotional relationshipsrewarding and enriching. There is, in short, greater satisfaction and commitment to life.

How to identify it?

As we mentioned at the beginning, the purpose of life is not common to all human beings, but deeply personal. Furthermore, this can vary depending on each evolutionary stage and moment and has an important component of will. That is, for some people this purpose is revealed clearly and clearly early, but The most common thing is that it needs to be built and developed. To get some clues, turn to the following questions:

What were you passionate about doing when you were a child? What drives and motivates you to get up every morning? What activity would you gladly spend your time on without needing to get anything in return? Why do others come to you because they consider you especially suitable in that area? This does not have to be related to your profession and may be more associated with your personality characteristics. Which of your personal experiences have been most significant for you and what have they taught you? If there were no impossible things, what would you like to do? your life? Try to go beyond the material and superficial and look for what would really make you feel complete and fulfilled as an individual.

With the previous guidelines, Try to set a goal and divide it into small achievable goals. short-medium term. As we have said, the purpose of life is not received but rather constructed. Also, remember that it requires an investment of time and effort, both to identify and practice it.

Thus, every day you have an opportunity to get closer to it, to its understanding and its realization. And remember that this may vary over time depending on your own experiences; Therefore, never limit yourself.

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