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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47 Responses to “5 easy pieces to piecing together your purpose in life”
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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:)
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
[...] 5 easy pieces to piecing together your purpose in life | Lyved [...]
Nice Post Ryan! I enjoyed the way that you broke it down for us. Keep up the hard work!
Hey Conrad,
Did you mean Andrew?
Either way, thank you.
-Andrew
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
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
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 
Don’t worry about it Conrad! It happens!
-Andrew
Hm I dunno. Hedonism works for me for the time being.
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.
Thanks “ddm”! Glad you liked the post. It does take time, sometimes VERY long.
-Andrew
I like #5, we should ask what can we do today instead of tomorrow.
Hey Hamdani,
Glad you liked that one! I think it’s my favorite piece to the puzzle as well.
-Andrew
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/
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
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.
Changing people’s lives and the world makes you more joyful than anything in the world.
Glad you liked the post!
-Andrew
[...] Nabbed from: http://www.lyved.com/body_soul/5-easy-pieces-to-piecing-together-your-purpose-in-life/ [...]
Great read. Leaving a world a better place really resonates with me. Keep it up! Shann
Thanks Shann! Glad you liked it.
-Andrew
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
Glad you liked it Douglas! Number 4 is probably my most favorite as well.
-Andrew
Excellent post! I especially like the 4 purposes that unite it all.
Thanks Stephanie! Glad you liked it. Thanks for submitting it to Reddit as well.
-Andrew
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
Thanks for the thumbs up and for the compliments! I appreciate it.
-Andrew
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
Thanks Mehreen! Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for the thumbs up on SU.
-Andrew
Thank you for this. It is greatly appreciated. simple enough to follow and to believe that i can actually do it. I need this push; this hope, so thank you.
Hey Emily,
I’m glad you liked this and thought it was simple but powerful.
I think finding our purpose isn’t a complex task. It might take some time though.
-Andrew
Hi,
Thanks for this nice post, it was worth of my time to read it. I appreciate ur effort.
Cheers,
Jas
A simple but a very appreciated post, well worth the read,thank you.
No problem! Glad you liked it.
-Andrew
Just stumbled across your post, and you’ve said it perfectly. Thank you.
No problem Marja! Thanks for reading this article.
-Andrew
I asked the question of “What’s the purpose of your life” on Yahoo Answers and some the answers I got surprised me. “Who needs purpose? What’s the point of that? I just take life as it comes.” Or “I don’t have a purpose, you live, you die.”
Life without purpose is meaningless. Finding your purpose is one of the most important and life changing thing you can do.
That’s an interesting experiment with Yahoo answers. There’s a few of those types of comments on this article.
It’s very frustrating and I totally agree with you. Life without a purpose is pointless.
-Andrew
i have these thoughts :
1. one of my ‘wishes’ is to be happy in life. but, what is it that makes me happy?
2. is it that there is ‘something’ that makes me feel good about my life, or am i expecting too much and that i am supposed to be happy already?
your article is amazing.. i am getting closer to find the answer. thanks for writing
Hey,
Glad you enjoyed this article!
It’s great that your asking yourself these questions.
-Andrew
I think happiness comes from enjoying whatever you are doing. No matter what it is if you enjoy doing it you are happy.
And that is where #1 and #5 comes to the picture.
Sooner or later you have to recognize your talents and passion. If that’s what you do for living you must be a very happy person.
And if you discover that feeling in the “now” and in every “now” your pleasure is doubled.
We should all go for our passion, the things or activities we are good at to create more happiness all around us.
[...] – 5 easy pieces to piecing together your purpose in life [...]
Um, my problem is, I don’t know what I really wanna do. With life. i mean, I love writing, and I love drawing, and often I feel like either could work, but then I feel like it’s nothing when compared to works by others. I know I have to find my own answer, but when I do get it, I’ll also have to act upon it. Or (as you said) ‘they’ would bug me till death! My real problem is committing to something and sticking there all the way through – I am very quickly distracted by stray sights or a pretty butterfly. It’s like I’m in a beautiful garden and everything looks too lovely to prefer over over the other.
Hi again Priyanka,
I completely know how you feel. You don’t want to be stuck with just one thing. You have a passion for many things and want to try them all. Well that may be what you have to do. Do writing, do drawing, do other creative things, try things you’ve never done and may think you’re not that good at.
I think you know that right path or at least you will when you come to it.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
-Andrew
i dont think any one should be seeking there purpose in life. NEVER. if you go looking for your purpose you will loose sight of what is right in front of you. i LOVE LOVE LOVE what jason the first reponder said “live in the moment” but i would like to add to that. live in the moment cuz when the moment is over, do you want to relive it? did you want to ride that roller coaster? did you want to ask him out? who knows if youll have a second chance! dont go looking for your purpose becuase everyone has many many purposes!
for example your kids, your job, you husband/wife, or all of them! you cant spend your whole life just singing and have that be ur only purpose.
Hi liza,
Please reread points 4 and 5 and I think you’ll agree that they’re discussing the same argument you’re making. Living in the moment is sooo important. I agree!
-Andrew
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