This question is much more practical and manageable than the abstract notion of "life purpose." Instead of contemplating cosmic significance while lounging on the couch with a bag of chips, it's more productive to get active and discover what truly matters to you. I don’t know if someone is passionate about knitting sweaters for kittens or creating content for their social media account. We can’t determine what’s right or meaningful for them.
Before we dive into specifics about discovering what matters to you, let's address some key points: the role of passion, the value of discomfort and pain, and even the concept of mortality.
Let’s start with mortality. Yes, we’re all going to die—every one of us. That moment is inevitable, and once it arrives, we won't be around to care about what we did or didn’t do.
The intriguing question isn't when we’ll die, but how. Will it be from cancer? A heart attack? A freak accident? Personally, I sometimes imagine dramatic scenarios like a parachute failure or a plane crash. Although it's morbidly fascinating to daydream about such scenarios, they are unlikely to happen.
When we think about our end, we often focus on the final moments—hospital beds, grieving loved ones, or emergency vehicles. Yet, we rarely consider the countless choices and habits that lead up to those final moments. Our lives are a series of steps, each contributing to the final chapter of our story.
With the talk of death out of the way, let’s shift focus to life—your life, specifically. Take a moment to think about what you want from life. Is it happiness? More money? A better job? More friends? True love? A stylish new sofa?
Everyone desires what feels good. We all want a carefree, happy life with love, perfect relationships, financial success, and admiration. It's easy to want those things.
However, if I ask you, “What do you want out of life?” and you respond with generic desires like “I want to be happy and have a great family and a job I like,” it's too vague to be meaningful.
A more intriguing question, which you might not have considered before, is: What pain are you willing to endure in your life? What struggles are you prepared to face? This seems to be a more significant determinant of how our lives turn out.
Everyone wants an amazing job and financial independence, but not everyone is willing to endure 60-hour workweeks, long commutes, and navigating corporate hierarchies. People often want to be wealthy without the risk, sacrifice, or delayed gratification required to build real wealth.
Understanding what you’re willing to struggle for might be the key to finding what truly matters and creating a life that feels significant and fulfilling.
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