Purpose – The Center Of Life

The first question comes from the topic itself.

What do you mean, when you say that purpose is the center of life?

When I say “Purpose is the center of life”, I mean that the purpose of life is the running force of a fulfilling and joyous life. It is the life purpose that drives an individual to strive for more than just enough.

Some people believe that purpose is something predestined and we don’t have a say in it. Others feel that we define our own purposes. What do you think?

I think that the issue is irrelevant. We live in this world where there is great diversity in culture and religion. Whether you think you are born with a purpose and you need to find it, or you feel that you create your own purpose, eventually you shall have one.

The most important thing to me is how we go on to live that purpose, irrespective of the fact that it was something we realized or decided. And when we start to live with our life’s purpose, we lead a “congruent life”.

You say that purpose makes life “congruent”. Please elaborate the idea of congruency.

You may think of life as consisting of different areas. Career. Health. Money or Finance. Family, and many more. This categorization helps us to think systematically about one area at a time. A person may focus on creating a good career, take good care of his health, practice loving his/her family more, so on and so forth.

But it is essential to remember that all these areas of life are interconnected. One area affects others as well. Lagging behind in your career may affect finance. Family issues affect personal productivity. Hence, it is very important to have compatibility in these areas i.e., they should be congruent.

When all the areas of life fit in well with each other, and there is no conflict from within, we have a congruent life.

How does a life purpose help in attaining congruency?

When you understand your life’s purpose, you can make the right decisions to live that purpose. You can make the right career choices. You can take care of the different areas of your life accordingly. If you know that your purpose in life is to help people grow conscious in life, you shall avoid taking up a job of writing computer software.

When all the decisions you make are in respect to your life’s purpose, you are on the path of creating a wonderful life. Every bit of it will propel you towards your goals. Nothing will stand in your way.

So basically what you’re saying is that purpose will guide us to lead great lives?

Your purpose is what you are here to do.

But purpose also helps you to lead a life which in turn supports the purpose. It is a self-sustaining cycle.

Could you please give us an example to put this whole thing into proper perspective?

Say there is a John. Having not realized or defined his life purpose, John may take up some boring job. He pays no specific attention to his diet. As a result, his health isn’t in great shape. John never reads any positive, inspiring books or articles. As a result, he finds it hard to motivate himself, and often finds himself exhausted and burned out. John has no idea where his life is headed.

 Then on the other hand, there is a Sam. Sam has taken the time to clearly define and find his purpose in life. He wants to help himself and people grow conscious of their lives and become better at it. In the light of this purpose, Sam decided that it would be best to start a motivational blog which will give him the opportunity to write about his ideas and spread the positive word. Sam is very conscious of his diet and ensures that he maintains his heath. Because of his purpose, Sam also finds ways to help people and that will earn him money, perhaps a lot of money. He has taken up speaking as well and constantly speaks at meetings and conferences about the positivity and vitality of life. Sam regularly dives into positive books, articles and blogs to ensure that he is constantly growing and enhancing his knowledge as a blogger. He lives a congruent life. Everything in his life flows out of his purpose. Naturally, he feels happy and has fulfilled living his dream.