You\u2019re Never too Old to Start Your Spiritual Journey and Find Your Purpose<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\nIt’s a Myth<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The thing about searching for purpose is that most people never end up finding it \u2014 at least not in the strict way they think. It does more harm than good when you tell someone that there is only one thing and one purpose for which they were put on this Earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It’s the same as telling people that there is only one ideal person for them that they’ll just fall in love with at first sight. In order not to drive ourselves insane with the search for such a perfect thing, the best thing you can do is to try not to think on a scale this large.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When you tell people that in order to be fulfilled, they need a purpose, they then feel empty until they find it. This is why “searching for purpose” is a tool used as a marketing tactic in the self-improvement industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are studies that prove that trying too hard to be happy actually ends up having the opposite of the desired result. Searching for purpose can make you feel worse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You’re Wasting Your Time<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
It’s counterproductive to spend all your time thinking about that sweet moment when you finally find your meaning in life. But if you sit around waiting for a purpose to show up with a large sign in your life, then you’re just wasting your time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It’s a much better use of your time to give purpose to other things in your life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It’s Limiting<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The “purpose” paradigm is a limiting concept when you think about it. While taking up so much of our time, it doesn’t even take into account the rest of the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Throughout our lives, our journeys are bound to change, our paths are going to go off-track, and our personalities are going to change so that purpose is going to change as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you’re firmly convinced that you have a specific purpose, the more persistent you are in adhering to it, the less flexible you are when it comes to experiencing life to the fullest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is even worse if you’re young. No one finds their purpose when they’re a teenager or when they’re barely passing that stage. They have found a purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It’s an impossible feat to have a set statement and mission that you can keep up with throughout your entire life. If you dedicate your time to just this, everything else you’re doing is just filtered down to the point of being meaningless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It’s Not Something You Find<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
This phenomenon of believing that purpose is a thing that you find can be attributed to this famous, “inspiring” Mark Twain quote, “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born, and the day you find out why.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This mindset results in people thinking that they’re just going through the motions of life until they find a higher calling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The average person, whether a teenager in high school, a college student, or a middle-aged employee stuck in an unfulfilling job, then searching for something that will magically give life meaning is more likely to end with feeling frustrated rather than fulfilled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It’s Not Stable<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Throughout our lifetimes, what gives our lives meaning and brings us joy changes. From childhood to adulthood, to parenthood, and to being retirees, it’s inevitable that we change our minds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So when that job you thought was your purpose suddenly stops being fulfilling, you’re evolving past that original source of purpose. And it’s not coming from a lack of commitment or a careless nature; this is natural.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Just as different things brought us joy in different periods of our lives, the sources of purpose can and do change over time. What you think is your purpose at 20 will dramatically change ten years later. And the same goes for almost everyone else you meet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So how are you supposed to find it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That’s not the question you need to ask. What we should be doing is filling everything we do with purpose. We should be allowing for multiple sources of meaning to naturally develop in our lives. And when those inevitable changes occur over time, we should go along with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Purpose Isn’t Just One Thing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
And then it comes down to this: purpose isn’t just one single thing. Many people believe that there is an overwhelming purpose in their lives \u2014 just as Marie Curie found her purpose in science and how Mother Teresa devoted her life to the poor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But what we don’t see is that Nobel Prize-winning Marie Curie was also a devoted mother and wife. In addition to her work, she wrote a biography of Pierre, her husband.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of her daughters even won her own Nobel Prize. But we’re so fixated on how to fit the story of Marie Curie into our concept of purpose that we ignore everything else except the most obvious accomplishments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Purpose is something that you’ll find in your family, your work, your faith, your community, and your hobbies. These multiple sources that provide meaning are the ones that will help us find value in our lives and in our work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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