Purpose

Having a purpose gives us meaning in life. On March 29th I wrote "What Makes Life Meaningful?" based on the book that Viktor Frankl wrote, entitled Man's Search for Meaning. His premise was that man's greatest need was to  have meaning in his life. Basically meaning and having a purpose mean the same thing. Meaning, however, leans more toward our intangible qualities such as working toward personal growth, being a good person, and helping others. In writing about purpose, I am writing about something, or things, that are productive or substantial that we can leave behind, often for the good of mankind. It may be a painting good enough to be hung in the Museum of Modern Art, or our nonprofit organizations that have as their purpose to find a cure for cancer or other debilitating diseases. But purposes don't have to be as lofty as these, it  may be a goal of a human resources director to help employees with insurance benefit questions. Usually when you think of someone's purpose in life, you think of good things. If people do not have any purpose(s), they tend to drift through life wondering what the point of living is. They may even become hopeless, because not only don't they have anything to work for, they aren't validated. Supposedly we all  have a purpose in life, but that's not to say that we all find it, or perhaps our ambitions fail. To have a purpose is to aim for something, to set an intention, to attempt to achieve a goal: a purpose is established with ideas from our environment or our imagination, talents are recognized, and a decision is made to move forward. There is a firmness of resolve. We become enthusiastic, energized, motivated, and most often passionate about what we want to achieve. Hopefully we have validation on our journey; however, sometimes we just have to go it alone, and do so because of our belief in our purpose. On the side of optimism, Henry David Thoreau wrote, "I have learned that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams and endeavors to live the life he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours." So go for it!