Most of us don't think about the big picture often enough. We get caught up in all the little moments and tasks and actions of the day, and we focus so hard on them, or they distract us so much, that by the end of the day we have a pretty myopic view of the world and of our lives. How often do you stay up at night thinking about your life's purpose, and how often are you kept up at night thinking about the little dramas of the day? Living with purpose is a skill, a habit- it's something that can be cultivated and developed. Of course, to live with purpose you must have some idea of what your purpose in life is. I usually like to think about this on a couple of levels. First, I think about what the general purpose of all of this is, what the general purpose of life as a whole is. I have not come up with a definite answer, but I find that thinking about this regularly and constantly evaluating how I feel about life and existence and the world at large helps to keep life in perspective, and it keeps me thinking big.
From the biggest of pictures, I start to think about the purpose of an individual within the greater purpose and meaning of the world. As you can tell, I like to start general and start working my way down. After all, if there's a general purpose to the world, then the individual is intended to contribute to this greater purpose. If each individual is intended to contribute to the greater purpose, then I need to find a way as an individual to fulfill that role.
I only then start to think about what my personal purpose in this world is, after I come to some sort of terms with a purpose of life and a purpose of an individual within the world. Now, my answers to these questions constantly change in their specifics, but in general my life's purpose stays the same.
Since I usually have a good sense of what my life's purpose is at any given moment due to regular evaluation, I'm then ready to live with that purpose. I like to start the day and remind myself of why I am here and what I am here to do and what I need to do today to move towards those goals. I make sure that my daily actions are aligned with my purpose in this world, and I do my best to align myself with the world's greater purpose.
At the end of the day I like to sit back and reflect on the day. I like to think about what went well, where I lost my way. I like to think about how to stay on purpose, and I like to think about how I'm going to live closer to my purpose the next day. Nights before bed are also the times when I'm most likely to start to evaluate and re-evaluate in the manner I previously mentioned.
Living with purpose all starts with having a purpose. You need to deeply understand and rigorously critique this purpose and eternally re-write it. You need to live in the closest alignment you can with this purpose on a day to day level, and forgive yourself when you mess up. It's not easy, but it's the only way to live.
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