Hi
Life purpose is defined as having set goals and a direction for one's life (Hill et al., 2010). Many of us think of life purpose and meaning in life as the same thing, but they are slightly different. More specifically, it's thought that life purpose, or engaging in purpose-driven behaviors, is just one thing that contributes to a meaningful life.
When you have purpose in your life, you likely feel good about the way you are living your life. You might feel that there is some ultimate reason for your actions and that you are contributing to the world in some important way. This gives you a sense of satisfaction and connectedness which can help you reach higher levels of well-being.
Life purpose means different things to different people. They are:
Prosocial- Defined as a propensity to help others and influence the societal structure.
Creative- Defined as artistic goals and a propensity for originality
Financial- Defined as goals of financial well-being and administrative success
Personal recognition- Defined as one's desire for recognition and respect from colleagues
Next Steps
Although life purpose and life meaning are not quite the same things, it seems helpful to talk about meaning in life here as well. The factors that are thought to make up a meaningful life include values, principles, purpose, accomplishment, and excitement.
Health Tips
Each of these things individually contributes to a greater sense of meaning in life. So ask yourself, how strong do you feel in each of these areas and what could you do to focus more on each of these things?