What is the purpose of life?
What is the purpose of life? It is not easy to answer this question. Because seven billion people live on the earth, they are all different, and I bet each individual might have different life purposes. Then let’s change the question. ‘How’ can we find the purpose of life?
People usually get confused about the difference between the purpose of life and life’s goal. Can you know the difference for them? Meeting a perfect life partner, getting a promotion at work, buying a nice car, and owning a new house. People have these common goals in their life. But when they reach their goals eventually, they feel void rather than they feel satisfied. Why do they feel void even though they attain what they want? Because they do not pursue what is essential ‘value’ in their life.
People will never find their life’s real value from other people’s standards because they cannot evaluate it. True value can be your own happiness, dedicating yourself to your community or ‘World peace’.
The goal without value makes you wander searching for next void goal even after you accomplish the previous one. And you can easily get lost in that journey.
Your value is yourself period. Understanding what you want and an essential value in your life can help you know your purpose in life.
Let me share my personal experience. I also tried many things to find the purpose of my life. I tried to learn something new, read many books, and meet many people. Of course, I learned from those experiences, but I finally found that “The answer is within me” after this long journey.
You can find all answers within yourself. When you reflect on yourself and understand yourself, you will know so many more things.
Then, what should we do to find the answer within ourselves? Let me introduce one of the meditation techniques to look back on yourself.
1. Eliminate unnecessary things in your mind. Please write down the list of your current goals on a piece of paper and single out what makes you unhappy by setting up as goals. Then, lastly, eliminate those from the list.
2. Find what you are genuinely looking for. Reflect on yourself and find what makes you happy. Please create another list for them.
Meditation is the easiest way to reflect on yourself.
All you have to do is to be truthful in your inner voice. But, doing this is not something heavy or serious. It is like having a conversation with your inner self, like writing a secret diary for yourself. When you meditate regularly, you can open to your self and discover a new world within you.
When you look back on yourself, you can find your gift. You don’t need to compare yourself with others. You can find your talent, and even you can contribute it to the world.
The meaning of life is to find your gift.
The purpose of life is to give it away.
– Pablo Picasso
When you find your real value within, you will know the purpose of life and the reason to live life. When you feel that the world needs you, then this whole world will be your purpose in life. Because you and the world are not two separate, but one.
Now, If you want to know the purpose of your life, let’s meditate on putting down your desire or expectation and find real happiness within you.
I hope this youtube clip may help your journey of discovering who you are.
Written by Mago Kim
