5 easy pieces to piecing together your purpose in life
In the film Five Easy Pieces starring Jack Nicholson, the main character played by him, works in an oil field for many years after failing to achieve the dream of being a pianist; a dream
which his parents created for him. Throughout the film, Jack’s character Robert Dupea doesn’t really know what he’s supposed to do with his life. He keeps running from his fears, his family, and from his past.
Figuring out what you were put on this Earth to do can sometimes be like putting together a jigsaw puzzle when the pieces are spread around the world. Some people don’t complete their puzzle because they often don’t have the patience, desire, or they’re just fearful. However, the five pieces needed to complete the puzzle of your life’s purpose are actually quite easy to find.
Here are the five easy pieces to piecing together your purpose in life.
1. Recognizing your talents and passions
This is probably the easiest and most common way for people to discover their purpose in life. So we’ll start off with it.
Following you talents and passions will lead to fulfillment, happiness, and even money to pay the bills (or even a lot more). Natural born or acquired talents, it doesn’t matter; you were given them by someone or something for a reason.
To discover more about your passions and talents, think of:
- What makes you cry with joy.
- What makes you and others smile.
- What people sincerely say you’re good at.
- What makes you and others laugh.
- What keeps you up all night because you’re so fired up about it.
2. Look to your past
It’s difficult sometimes to reflect on our pasts. There are plenty of events I would like to erase from my memory, but I think it’s foolish to do so. Instead, we should use it to move us forward and to make sense of where we are now.
Looking to our pasts to get a sense of our purpose has its own puzzle pieces:
- What circumstances were born into?
Perhaps you were born into poverty. Then your purpose may be to rise above impoverished surroundings and to lead others by example.
- What major mistakes and vices did you parents battle?
Were they abusive, addicted to drugs/alcohol, or did they engage is something else destructive? Well your purpose is not to continue the cycle. You have to break free and again, lead by example.
- What have you failed at?
Failure should never be permanent. It’s only there to separate those who want something more than those who don’t. If a failure of something affected you so much that you couldn’t stop thinking about it, then your purpose is to get back in the game, approach it differently and succeed.
- Who affected you the most in a positive way?
Was it a teacher, author, actor, director, a president, or a local hero? If they changed your life, then perhaps you should carry on their mission as well.
3. There are 4 purposes that unite us all:
1. Be as happy as possible.
2. Live life the way you desire.
3. Change the lives of others. (It often doesn’t take as much as you think)
4. Leave the world a little better than when we were born into it.
And yes to all the negative Nancys and Neds: not everyone will fulfill these purposes, but everyone can.
4. Be open to multiple purposes
Many of us have multiple purposes, but often we have one main mission in life, and then other smaller reasons for existing. Perhaps someone is supposed to be a great parent, but also change the world in another way.
Other times, two different purposes can form into a larger one. I’ve been told that I was pretty good at writing and I should think about turning it into a career, but I always brushed it off. One thing I always wanted to do was change the world. So I decided one day to just combine the two and change the world through my talent of writing.
Our purposes can also vary depending on our age. Commonly it’s materialistic in nature when we’re younger, but not so much when we get older.
This leads me to the fifth piece of the puzzle…
5. Find out what your purpose in the now is
What you’re on this Earth to do today is more important than what your purpose later in life is. Today is guaranteed, tomorrow isn’t.
If you think your purpose it to share your art with the world, then start today! If you feel you’re supposed to be a social entrepreneur, then get going now! You may find something that’ll give your life meaning until the end.
We wait for the perfect moment, but it doesn’t exist. Concentrate on your purpose for today, tomorrow, next month, and for the next few years at the most. Life is now, not tomorrow.
Photo by tcp909
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November 21st, 2008 at 11:39 am
why does everyone assume we all have some great purpose in life. talk about pressure. when you look at other living things do you actually label a purpose for it. no, you just think its there because it “is”. we are just here because we “are”. live your life in the moment, enjoy everything around you, and if for some reason you believe a purpose for you has happened- it found you, you did not find it. live happy and send a relative some flowers:)
November 21st, 2008 at 1:59 pm
Hey Jason,
I understand where you’re coming from. And I respect you saying “live in the moment”, but I think for many people to continue, they need a purpose to get up in the morning.
If I were to believe life is what it “is”, I probably wouldn’t even bother getting up in the morning. But I’m on a “mission” to leave an impact on the world.
-Andrew
November 22nd, 2008 at 6:54 pm
[...] 5 easy pieces to piecing together your purpose in life | Lyved [...]
November 24th, 2008 at 12:18 am
Nice Post Ryan! I enjoyed the way that you broke it down for us. Keep up the hard work!
November 24th, 2008 at 10:00 am
Hey Conrad,
Did you mean Andrew?
Either way, thank you.
-Andrew
November 24th, 2008 at 5:07 pm
There are so many ways of thinking about personal purpose, that writers often give too much information and suggestion. You honed it down to some very useful actions.
I especially liked #5: “Find out what your purpose in the now is.”
Our individual mission can be so illusive that we feel we do not have, or need one. But if we can just focus on what our best and most genuine purpose is today, we will arrive at our grand purpose naturally.
I also agree that looking at your past, especially in childhood, is key to knowing your best direction.
John
November 24th, 2008 at 6:31 pm
Hey John,
I totally agree with this: “There are so many ways of thinking about personal purpose, that writers often give too much information and suggestion. You honed it down to some very useful actions.”
I think many people over complicate the task of finding our purpose.
Thanks for the comments everyone!
-Andrew
November 25th, 2008 at 1:58 am
Man, I am so embarrassed right now. Do you ever have a name that you just seem to keep confusing with another name and sometimes you say it without realizing… Yeah. I swear I knew it was Andrew!
Sorry Andrew
Keep up the good work though, I really do like the new theme and everything 
November 25th, 2008 at 8:14 am
Don’t worry about it Conrad! It happens!
-Andrew
November 28th, 2008 at 6:18 pm
Hm I dunno. Hedonism works for me for the time being.
November 28th, 2008 at 8:01 pm
Many things unclear in youth become much clearer with age and experience. That is wisdom. Unfortunately, you can’t rush such things.
Great post, I enjoyed reading very much.
November 28th, 2008 at 11:08 pm
Thanks “ddm”! Glad you liked the post. It does take time, sometimes VERY long.
-Andrew
December 1st, 2008 at 9:23 am
I like #5, we should ask what can we do today instead of tomorrow.
December 1st, 2008 at 9:52 am
Hey Hamdani,
Glad you liked that one! I think it’s my favorite piece to the puzzle as well.
-Andrew
December 1st, 2008 at 10:14 pm
I like this part: “To discover more about your passions and talents, think of:What makes you cry with joy & What keeps you up all night because you’re so fired up about it.”
Those really caught my eye. As a guy, things that make me cry don’t come up too often, so when I read this as a discovery tool, I have to agree with it. The same goes with what keeps me up all night…its so true.
Very well thought out and well written. Keep up the good advice!
Seth
http://fun-dad.blogspot.com/
December 1st, 2008 at 10:19 pm
Hey Seth,
Thanks so much! It sounds like you really understood this article. Obviously if you cry all the time, it might not be about something you’re passionate it about. But if you’re strong, but something just always gets to you, it’s probably good to listen to it.
-Andrew
December 2nd, 2008 at 6:56 pm
Great post! It looks like a lot of thought and research went into this post.
On number three I believe that point one (being happy) is a byproduct of changing the world and leaving the world a little better than you found it.
Again, great post and thank you for your work.
December 2nd, 2008 at 9:53 pm
Changing people’s lives and the world makes you more joyful than anything in the world.
Glad you liked the post!
-Andrew
December 3rd, 2008 at 6:33 pm
[...] Nabbed from: http://www.lyved.com/body_soul/5-easy-pieces-to-piecing-together-your-purpose-in-life/ [...]
December 4th, 2008 at 7:46 pm
Great read. Leaving a world a better place really resonates with me. Keep it up! Shann
December 4th, 2008 at 8:43 pm
Thanks Shann! Glad you liked it.
-Andrew
December 7th, 2008 at 5:22 pm
Andrew,
Great stuff, been catching up on my feeds after a hectic few days, this post hit the spot for me today. I especially like number 4.
Kind regards,
Doug
December 7th, 2008 at 8:57 pm
Glad you liked it Douglas! Number 4 is probably my most favorite as well.
-Andrew
December 14th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
Excellent post! I especially like the 4 purposes that unite it all.
December 14th, 2008 at 9:16 pm
Thanks Stephanie! Glad you liked it. Thanks for submitting it to Reddit as well.
-Andrew
December 17th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
Nice article. “We wait for the perfect moment, but it doesn’t exist.” is so true.
“Be as happy as possible” is an excellent philosophy. I touched upon this on my website as well:
http://www.self-improvement-advice.org/definition-of-happiness.html
I just gave it a Thumbs up on StumbleUpon.
Thanks
Prashant
December 17th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
Thanks for the thumbs up and for the compliments! I appreciate it.
-Andrew
December 31st, 2008 at 4:06 pm
Great post! =)
i iiked the part “What makes you cry with joy.
- What makes you and others smile.”
and also “Was it a teacher, author, actor, director, a president, or a local hero? If they changed your life, then perhaps you should carry on their mission as well”
thumbs up on stumblepon
December 31st, 2008 at 8:44 pm
Thanks Mehreen! Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for the thumbs up on SU.
-Andrew