If you find yourself feeling unfulfilled, bored, or like something is “just missing” from your daily life, it may be worth considering the question “What is my purpose?”
It’s actually quite common to pause and ask, “What is my purpose in life?” Discovering your life purpose can bring clarity, motivation, and a renewed sense of direction, helping you find meaning in both your work and personal life.
No one wants to feel like their days are passing without growth or fulfillment. Yet, in the comfort of familiar routines, it’s easy to lose sight of what truly inspires us. Without an intentional focus on self-reflection and life goals, you may find yourself struggling with a lack of direction or passion.
Uncovering your sense of purpose can reignite energy, excitement, and a deeper connection to the things that matter most. In this article, you’ll learn how to recognize if you’re feeling disconnected from your purpose, explore a step-by-step guide to finding meaning in life, and gain practical tools to help you start living your life with greater fulfillment and intention.
What is a life purpose?
Life purpose is the guiding force that gives your existence meaning, direction, and fulfillment. It’s the deeper reason behind your actions, goals, and aspirations—the thing that inspires you to grow, contribute, and live with intention.
For some, life purpose is about finding meaning in relationships, careers, or personal growth. For others, it’s about pursuing passions, helping others, or overcoming struggles to create a lasting impact. Your purpose in life isn’t fixed—it evolves through self-reflection, experiences, and the values you hold dear.
It’s often a central goal or set of goals that help with the following:
- Guide decision-making
- Provide direction
- Create a sense of meaning
- Influence behaviors
- Determine how you prioritize your time
You can think of the purpose or objective of life as your “why” or the reason you get out of bed each morning. It’s the motivating factor behind many things you do that shape your goals and make you feel like you’re on this planet for a reason.
Why is finding purpose important?
Aside from providing a sense of direction, focus, and self-worth, finding your life’s purpose comes with a range of benefits, including:
- Better physical health and well-being:A strong sense of purpose is associated with reduced stress and improved mental health.
- Greater success and happiness: Purposeful individuals often exhibit greater resilience and determination, even in times of suffering.
- Stronger personal relationships: Sharing a common purpose with others can deepen connections and create a more meaningful existence.
Life purpose examples
To offer a better sense of what it means to find your life purpose, here are a few life purpose examples to inform and inspire your journey:
- Raising a family and setting the best example for your children
- Supporting a social issue, such as climate change or racial equality
- Creating a legacy that helps others who have faced similar challenges
- Becoming a researcher to contribute to better medical treatments
- Traveling the world to experience new cultures and perspectives
- Mentoring and guiding others to help them find meaning and navigate challenges in their lives
- Pursuing a creative passion, such as writing or music, to bring happiness to yourself and others
- Advocating for mental health awareness to support those who are struggling and create a more compassionate world
It’s important to remember that your purpose statement doesn’t have to be grandiose, like solving world hunger. Purpose comes in all forms, as everyone derives meaning from different sources.
Do you lack purpose in life?
Speaking of lacking purpose — how do you know if you’re struggling to find your purpose? One tell-tale sign is experiencing purpose anxiety, which is a nervousness about being able to find your purpose.
It can be easy to put a lot of pressure on yourself to find the best-fitting purpose and dedicate your life to it. But you may have more than one purpose that changes throughout your life's chapters.
If you feel frustrated about your life purpose not feeling obvious, remember you have an entire lifetime to find your passions. Don’t let purpose anxiety keep you from putting in the work for self-improvement.
Here are some other signs that you might be lacking a sense of purpose:
- You have little energy
- You don’t feel enthusiastic about the future
- You don’t think you’re making a difference
- You feel a lack of passion and enthusiasm around a certain cause
- You’re not able to recognize the things you are accomplishing
- You feel like you aren't a part of something
- You don’t feel like doing activities you normally enjoy
How to answer "what is my purpose?"
If you feel discouraged about finding your purpose, there are some mental exercises and steps you can take to come closer to your true calling. Try thinking through these steps and writing down your initial thoughts as you go.
Identify your life values
You can’t answer the question “What is my purpose in life?” without answering, “What do I value?” Your core values are the beliefs that guide the way you live and what you prioritize.
Examples of personal values include the following:
- Honesty
- Integrity
- Gratitude
- Generosity
- Flexibility
- Family values
To uncover your personal values, answer the following questions:
- What has been the most meaningful moment in your life? Why was it meaningful?
- When have you felt least satisfied?
- What accomplishments do you take the most pride in?
- What’s your ideal environment?
- What makes you angry?
- Take the time to self-reflect on specific moments and the emotions you felt to help you discover patterns in the things you care about.
Set meaningful goals
Once you have a solid list of core values, brainstorm meaningful life goals that align with them. And remember–your purpose in life does not have to be career-driven.
For example, if you value generosity, set goals to volunteer time, money, or resources to a cause. If you value sustainability, for example, make it a goal to begin composting at home. Once you achieve that, you can set a goal to use the compost in an herb and vegetable garden and complete the cycle.
Address your fears
If some of your goals feel unattainable, what’s holding you back? Is fear standing in the way of you living your life the way you want to? What do you fear might happen if you take action?
It’s not uncommon for there to be logistical or emotional barriers to investing more in your goals and values. You might fear failure, rejection, or not being good enough at something to go after it.
When considering your goals, make a list of any fears that come to mind. Be your own devil’s advocate. Are your fears logical? Are there any ways you can work around them? If you’re struggling to overcome your fears, ask a trusted friend or coach for their input on breaking down these walls.
Explore your passions
Your passions and interests can indicate the area(s) in which your life purpose might lie, but they can be hard to identify. There are near-infinite options of activities you might desire more of. They can be so ingrained in your way of thinking that you become blind to them.
If you’re unsure what your passions are, ask the people who know you best. You may already be pursuing them without realizing it. Perhaps you’re an unofficial mentor to young people in your community. If so, being a coach or mentor could be your passion.
Another way to find your passion is to think about what you’re good at. If you’re great at helping others handle relationship issues or problems with their boss, consider a career as a personal coach. You could even create purpose in your work by pursuing coaching classes or certificates. Or, you might prefer to keep your passion as a hobby or turn it into a side hustle instead of a full-time source of income.
Start small to build momentum
Determining your life’s purpose may feel daunting, and setting goals that are too big can quickly become overwhelming. You don't have to uncover the meaning of life right away. It is more of a constant state of exploration. Thinking too big might deter you from taking any steps at all.
If you’re interested in changing careers to better align with your life purpose, for example, don’t immediately jump ship and apply for other roles. Start with a goal of researching the industry and position. Taking a step back and asking questions like these can help inspire and clarify your goals.
- What are the day-to-day responsibilities?
- What do people like and dislike about this line of work?
- What qualifications or skills do you need to succeed?
- What sparks inner joy and how can you leverage that?
Begin with a discovery process that feels more attainable but is still driving you toward your mission.
Build your community
Purpose often involves connecting with others who share similar interests, so being an active community member can contribute to a greater sense of purpose in life.
When you find your purpose, you’ll discover that many others share your passions and values. Joining or creating a community allows you to find that sense of connection with others as you work together toward a common goal. It can also be a great way to hold yourself accountable.
Practice gratitude and self-acceptance
Practicing self-acceptance and mindfulness can help you be kinder to yourself when things go wrong. We all make mistakes, but instead of self-criticism, try cultivating a growth mindset and see each setback as an opportunity to grow.
Practice self-compassion to help you develop self-awareness. When you accept all of yourself, you’re more likely to give the best of yourself in every situation. This might be at work, with your family, or while doing the things you love.
Never stop experimenting
Personal goals and values can change over time, and that’s OK. Your life’s purpose doesn’t need to remain stagnant. Stay curious about the world around you, and watch out for situations that may uncover emotions you weren’t expecting.
This concept of continued curiosity can be especially important when finding your purpose after college. This is a time to explore new career paths and try new things with a growth mindset. You never know what unexpected passions you may stumble upon.
Advanced tools for finding purpose
Some of the above steps may feel vague to you. If that’s the case, explore using various tools for a more defined head start.
Personality assessments
Personality tests are great for helping you find your core values and identifying your true self. Many personality assessments also provide results that share the following:
- Intrinsic motivators
- Insight into your emotional makeup
- Your communication style
- Personal preferences
- Here’s a list of free personality assessments you can take right now.
Purpose coaching
Sometimes, you need an outside perspective and sounding board to find your purpose. Consider signing up for purpose-driven life coaching if you’re having trouble finding it alone.
A life coach can help you visualize your ideal life, identify your passions, and create a roadmap to get you there. Answering a set of questions can help you match with a coach who fits your needs.
Mindfulness and meditation
Finding your purpose requires awareness, which you can elicit from cognitive exercises like mindfulness and meditation. Mindfulness can lead to a positive change in attitude, improve mental fitness, and create greater resiliency for stress and depression.
Additionally, meditation can make you more self-aware, keep you centered, and help you think more creatively.
Kickstart your search for meaning in life
Asking yourself, “What is my purpose in life?” is a profound question that requires deep self-reflection and exploration. Finding your life purpose isn’t always immediate—it’s a journey of discovery, growth, and alignment with what truly matters to you.
If you're struggling to gain clarity, consider working with a 1:1 expert coach who can help you reflect, set meaningful life goals, and uncover a sense of purpose that brings you fulfillment and happiness every day.
Learn how you can benefit from a personal coach, or find your BetterUp Coach now.
Unlock your purpose with expert guidance
Explore personalized coaching to discover and engage with your life’s purpose more deeply.
Unlock your purpose with expert guidance
Explore personalized coaching to discover and engage with your life’s purpose more deeply.