The Big Mistake People Make When in Search for Purpose in Life
There is nothing more admirable than making a commitment to live a purposeful life. It’s easy to go through life on autopilot. Taking the path of least resistance is by default the way humans react to our circumstances. Choosing to make more of your life than what has come easy to you and choosing to make an impact that goes beyond serving only your self-interest is difficult.
However, once you decide to take this step, I must warn you not to make this one big mistake. The mistake many people make when going in search for purpose in life is to pick a purpose that looks good and sounds good but doesn’t reflect your inner voice. For example, choosing a purpose to help at risk youth when you really don’t like kids and have never done any work related to at risk populations.
Just because a cause makes you look good and it sounds good telling people about it, doesn’t make it a good idea for you. A purpose doesn’t have to change the world. If that’s your calling, by all means do it. But if that is not your calling, don’t force it.
Finding a purpose in life is more about who you are as much as it is about who you can help. If you have a passion for wrestling, yoga, gardening, movies, stock trading, art, cooking, entrepreneurship, golf, chess, shopping, or even something most people never think of like sleeping, start with that. Figure out what you most enjoy about that activity, and then figure out how you can bring that joy to others. That joy doesn’t have to change the world. It just has to go beyond serving only your self-interest.
Simply stated, be generous with your passions and you will find your purpose in life.