Why finding life purpose is necessary to living an inspiring life?
In finding life purpose, consider that a life purpose is a raison d'être, a reason for living, an aim, a direction. It's not the same as a goal, which is a destination.
An example... my own purpose in life is to inspire adults - both young and not so young - to learn and to improve themselves. Setting a goal could be that all the students I teach for the current class enter university. A goal for you in using this website could be for you to take action in finding your life purpose and transforming your life.
Without a raison d'être, without finding life purpose, what kind of meaning, joy or energy would that provide for my life?
An Inspirational Life
When I reflect on the concept of finding life purpose, I think immediately of an inspiring educational leader named Aurele Daoust. Successful author, lifelong educator, savvy business man, he personified a life of passion and purpose devoted to educating young people.
In finding life purpose, he achieved his goal of founding a private school - College Ville Marie - for lower and middle class students. I had the honour of working for over ten years at the private school that Mr. Daoust founded and where he served as principal. When I first met Mr. Daoust for a job interview, I saw a husky man with a large white moustache sitting in a wheelchair. I felt I was in the company of someone special, a man of wisdom and sagacity. He taught me the importance of selling my subject matter to the students. The good teacher must be passionate about teaching. The great teacher never loses that passion.
In his novel Dune, Frank Herbert wrote that the meaning of life is “not a question to be answered, but a reality to be experienced.” Mr. Daoust succeeded in finding life purpose early in life and lived it in everything he said and did. • He knew exactly who he was – the consummate educator and inspiring leader. • He knew what he loved to do – teach young learners and serve as guide and resource for his team of teachers. • He wrote a best-selling French-language grammar book and earned enough
residual income
to start a private school. He worked for one dollar in salary. • He was struck by polio as a young man but persevered in his dream of having his own school. • He carried on being an inspiring leader until he died.
Finding life purpose: a personal matter
Related to the issue of finding life purpose, there is the fundamental question “What is the meaning of life?” There are probably as many answers to this question as there are individuals. In your own search for meaning in life, consider whether it is to: • realize your potential and your ideals • live as long as possible • seek wisdom and knowledge • do good deeds and be a better purpose • attain spiritual enlightenment • love, feel and enjoy the act of living • have power and superiority • seek to not answer the question at all.
Here are some suggestions for finding life purpose and setting new goals: • Make a list of things you really enjoy doing. For me it’s teaching, writing and learning. It's also creating this website in partnership with Dr. Fred. For ideas and suggestions for creating your own website (with the invaluable web-building tool, Site Build It, I might add) see
About Us. • Write down the names of people you admire and why you admire them, just as I did in remembering Aurele Daoust. • Think of things you do naturally without really thinking about it. For me it’s learning new things and sharing them with others. • Do something you are passionate about everyday. • Share your passions with others. • Be true to yourself. Ask yourself continually if any action or decision you take corresponds to your life’s purpose.
Questions to ask yourself
Dr. Fred offers these questions in his coaching sessions:
1. If you only had one year to live, what would you do? 2. If you had 10 million dollars, what would you do with your life? 3. On your deathbed, what’s the one thing you'd want to be remembered for? 4. On your epitaph, write 4 adjectives you would like the people to remember you? (not necessarily what you are now) 5. I give you a magic wand, and I invite you to make one wish with it. That opportunity will never come again, and that wish will come true (and it can't be to have another magic wand). What would the wish be?
In answering these questions notice what you felt in your body, your energy level, your mood, emotions and attitudes?
What opened up for you in doing the exercise? What did you learn?
How could speaking in this way of creating the future from nothing, impact you and others?
What actions could you take on from the exercise?
Listen to this
lively conversation between Dr. Fred and myself about finding life purpose. To hear other interviews and to subscribe to our podcast visit our midlife crisis coping podcast page.
