“A sense of purpose is one of the core parts of wellbeing. It’s the feeling that the things you do in your life are worthwhile. It’s what gets you out of bed in the morning and it can be really different for different people.”—Dr Kate Lycett, lead researcher, Australian Unity Wellbeing Index
Key points
- A sense of purpose is vital to our wellbeing. Without purpose, we can feel lost, stuck, directionless or even just a bit indifferent.
- The source of our purpose can be very different for different people. It can come from anything in life, from religion or volunteering to hugging your child or watching your garden grow.
- When trying to identify your sense of purpose, start by considering your strengths, passions, interests and values as it will often be derived from one of these things.
A sense of purpose is the feeling that your life is meaningful. It’s what drives you and connects your everyday actions to your personal values. It can also be a guiding force and source of resilience when times are difficult.
The Australian Unity Wellbeing Index has even found that it’s vital to our wellbeing. A sense of purpose, or “achieving in life”, is one of three life areas that make up the “golden triangle of happiness” along with relationships and standard of living.
“A sense of purpose is one of the core parts of wellbeing. It’s the feeling that the things you do in your life are worthwhile. It’s what gets you out of bed in the morning and it can be really different for different people,” says Dr Kate Lycett, lead researcher of the Australian Unity Wellbeing Index.
Without a sense of purpose, it’s easy to feel lost, stuck, directionless or even just a bit indifferent. If you’ve found yourself asking “what is the meaning of life?”, you might be missing that vital sense of purpose. While some people know exactly what their life purpose is, for others it can take some investigation.
So, here’s how you can go about finding a sense of “achieving in life”, so that you can live a full, purpose-driven life in which you and your wellbeing flourish.
Where you might find a sense of purpose
“There’s a strong correlation between a sense of purpose and positive wellbeing,” says James Elmani, Mental Health Counsellor at Australian Unity. “People with a strong sense of purpose are often in alignment with their values, they know who they are and they’ve got a clear notion of how they’re contributing to the world.”
A lot of people derive a sense of purpose from their work, but this doesn’t need to be the case.
You can feel a sense of purpose from big things like providing for your family or your religion or supporting a cause that you’re passionate about. And it can also come from the little things in life like watching your garden grow or a daily jog in the park.
James says it’s common for people to feel as though their life appears full and yet struggle to find a sense of meaning.
“You might have a successful life, a nice house, loving spouse and kids, but still feel like you don’t have any purpose. This can be due to a misunderstanding of what ‘successful’ means for you. It comes down to knowing who you really are and what your values are, so you can live a life in alignment with that,” he says.
The ever-changing aspect of meaning
It’s normal for your purpose to change across different stages of life.
“When you look at children, their purpose is to have fun, be spontaneous and creative, and to enjoy being children. Then that changes as we grow and mature and develop,” says James.
In adolescence and in our early to mid 30s, we experience shifts in brain development and emotional awareness. These are times when you might experience shifts in your sense of purpose as well.
“Sometimes it takes people until they’re 60 or 70 after they hit retirement age to know what they really want to do, so there’s often a shift in purpose at that stage as well,” says James.
For this reason, it’s important to continually check in and remember that the source of your purpose can be easily changed. Ask yourself, ‘Is this still important to me and is it still giving my life meaning?’
James says it’s about having flexibility. “If you’re a football player and you get injured, you may feel like you suddenly no longer have a purpose and this can create suffering. So it can be wise to know that your purpose will shift and change over time.”
How to find out your purpose in life
For those who are ready to start exploring what gives them meaning without feeling overwhelmed, James has this advice: “The 10,000 mile foot journey begins with the first step. Choose one area or one thing and go gradually from there.”
“It’s really helpful to know what your values are. Learn what they are, do a values test, explore them, write them down and get really clear on that.”
You might like to start by asking yourself: ‘What are my strengths? What am I good at? What am I interested in?’
Naturally, we're going to give more time and energy to the things we’re interested in. So it makes sense to channel these things into our sense of purpose and what we do in our day to day.
According to Kate, volunteering is one of the key things that can give people a sense of purpose.
“I think it's those feelings of giving, social connectedness, community connectedness and sense of purpose all intertwined which can really boost people’s wellbeing. All of those things are really important,” she says.
James agrees, adding that it can be an especially great starting point for people who aren’t sure where they’ll find a sense of purpose.
But no matter where you start, action is vital.
“There’s correlation between action and a sense of purpose. Doing nothing isn’t going to provide much meaning,” says James.
For those struggling to find purpose
If you’re feeling unsure about what gives your life meaning, James suggests getting to the root cause of why you feel disconnected.
“Is it your relationships? Is it your work? Is it your environment? Meaning can be found in relationships, faith, religion, nature, doing work that feels fulfilling, contributing to other people’s wellbeing and in many other things. So getting clear on what meaning means to you is really important,” he says.
“Put yourself in challenging situations, step outside your comfort zone, take risks. Don’t let fear stop you from doing what you want to do or being who you want to be. Put yourself out there and it will come.”
Looking to others’ whose lives you admire is another useful strategy. Find out what they do and how they show up in the world, because we can always learn from other people.
And always remember, it can be helpful to speak to a therapist or mental health professional if you’re still struggling, because having a sense of purpose really is a vital aspect of a well-rounded life.
“It provides a foundation and a strength even when times are tough. If you have direction, even when things are challenging or stressful or there’s chaos in the world, you have a vision and you know what you’re doing,” says James.
By finding a sense of purpose that aligns with your values and continually checking in on that purpose, you’re setting yourself up for a meaningful life that supports your wellbeing.
