What is your purpose in life?

@iwrite (5034)
Singapore
April 9, 2010 2:22am CST
I am big with self help audios at this moment, now I have been listening to hours of self help. I was a little excited and receptive to most of the audio help. However I was stumped at one single question - What is your purpose? I am still searching, however I would like to as if you have found your purpose.
11 people like this
61 responses
@celticeagle (158680)
• Boise, Idaho
9 Apr 10
My purpose in life used to be to help my daughter in raising her kids since her ex dropped out of sight. She has mental problems and doesn't seem to have what it takes. Now, as of late things have changed, and I may be out of here soon. If this happens I am going to embark on a writing career and if I am able to I would like to travel.
@celticeagle (158680)
• Boise, Idaho
10 Apr 10
Very good food for thought. Helping yourself is actually helping others. Great! Thanks for sharing.
1 person likes this
@iwrite (5034)
• Singapore
9 Apr 10
Well celticeagle I found out something interesting I was listen to all these self help CDs because I wanted to help my daughter, however instead this is what I learnt. Your child is likeyly to model you. so when you want the kid to do something, it is best you do it too and they would model you. So to help them is actually to help yourself. Beside the only thing you are really able to change is yourself. food for thought.
1 person likes this
@iwrite (5034)
• Singapore
11 Apr 10
No problem, we seldom see ourself as the cause of any problem, however I peek into something I saw, actually I cause half of the quarrels in my relationship. Only with this realisation, then would I be able to move on to fix it.
1 person likes this
@indahfth (11161)
• Indonesia
9 Apr 10
The purpose of life? is very terrifying to talk about my life goals. My life was very chaotic. I can only become a human being obedient. should only be a submissive. I can not have a purpose in life. although I have a purpose in life, I will never achieve it. true purpose in life I just want to be yourself, and do not depend on someone. but all I get is difficult, existing debt makes it all just a dream. a dream that will never become a reality.
2 people like this
@iwrite (5034)
• Singapore
9 Apr 10
Well indahfth, Perhaps we can help and motivate each other to reach our goals. I am in the rut too, however I believe I would be able to move out of it. If you are willing perhaps we would be able to work at it and perhaps both move out of it.
1 person likes this
@iwrite (5034)
• Singapore
9 Apr 10
Well it is how you create your wealth for yourself. Now it is true with money would be able to get you out of your rut. However many millionaires were poor once, but they would strong mentally to get where they are today. When I make it I would pull you along ok.
@mipen2006 (5528)
• Australia
9 Apr 10
From my perspective, I think I'm here to be a good person, show respect to others, and to love God. I don't know what others think, but you have started a good discussion here, iwrite, and I will follow it with interest. Thanks.
2 people like this
@mipen2006 (5528)
• Australia
9 Apr 10
I listened to many self-help tapes years ago when I was trying to quit drinking. While, I found some value in them, I never discovered any deeper purpose in life other than what I stated. I am unable to dig any deeper. Does this mean I am missing somethng?
1 person likes this
@iwrite (5034)
• Singapore
9 Apr 10
I think those are goals you want for yourself, go deeper and understand why you are out to seek all this then you might find the strength or motivation to build on what you have and actually achieve what you seek out to do.
1 person likes this
@iwrite (5034)
• Singapore
11 Apr 10
Perhaps you have miss the real reason you want to quit. Was it really your goal to want to quit or someone wanted you to quit. I guess you are not giving you some firm reasons to quit. I grand mother smoking for 20 year with up to 1 pack of 20 sticks per day manage to quit smoking in one week. She had a compelling to quit. That is why she manage.
@kiran8 (15348)
• Mangalore, India
9 Apr 10
Honestly I too have felt the same.If you really think of all that we go through in life it seems so pointless.As you grow older it becomes even more of a puzzle as to why we are here and what is the purpose of life and living?..
@kiran8 (15348)
• Mangalore, India
11 Apr 10
You know what by thinking about it your mind can get into a muddle, so, may be it is better to just carry on with the task of living and life. Sometimes you get the feeling that what does it really matter if you die earlier or later because we are all going to go some day, so why struggle....Anyways lets not bother too much, but it does help you in keeping your feet firmly on the ground, what do you say?
@iwrite (5034)
• Singapore
9 Apr 10
Well kiran, At least you are a step ahead of me, it is only when they ask me this question that is why I started thinking about it. However it is not too late to start thinking about it. It might help gain a better insight of yourself.
@geniustiger (1694)
• Philippines
9 Apr 10
The purpose of my life is to live happily with my family,sisters, relatives, neighbors and friends. Use the resources all of what God give us. Do what is good and write which is just to everyone. Practice and share what is the intelligence and skills given to you as a gift to be used to heal, help, mould and to share whatever blessings to anyone.Always praise God,observe schedules for mass and thanking Him for His glory. He is the one giving our life. Everything we plan we will openit to him and all of this happen in his will. So let us do , act, share and be generous to what we have so that He will be also happy watching His creatures.
@iwrite (5034)
• Singapore
10 Apr 10
geniustiger I like what I am seeing, a lot of people here are family orientated. At the end of the day it is what that is important. While we would not be able to solve all the problems on our own, however if we share our experience, we might find a solution.
@leafsound (348)
• China
9 Apr 10
That is a wide topic. I like your topic,because I think it is very meaningful. Life is hard because of hard work that supports my life and family.Everyone has his purpose in life, for money ,for arts or others. My purpose is for family.Every day, I am busy with work, no time for family. It is not a better lifestyle,and I hope I can earn more money, maybe someday I can travel with my family, don't consider work, only happy with family.
@iwrite (5034)
• Singapore
10 Apr 10
leafsound, Well I guess you want your family to be happy, however are they really happy when you are absent in their life. I hope you would find some time to be with your family. When you purpose is money, you would never get enough of it. So time to set your goals and find your purpose.
@drannhh (15219)
• United States
9 Apr 10
My purpose is to live each day in a way that is both meaningful for me and sets a good example for others. This would include being supportive of others, learning something new, being skillful at something, creating something, Planning ahead, and many other parts of a routine.
2 people like this
@iwrite (5034)
• Singapore
9 Apr 10
hello drannhh, Those are goals you have for yourself. however what is the purpose of having all those that you seek. Like for myself, my goal is to be financially free, however what is the purpose behind all these. I dig deeper and realise all these is not to create a burden for my daughter. Live is getting more expensive, if I am not financially free by the time i am not able to work, she would have to take over the job of taking care of me. I would not like that to happen at all. I am seeking to take care of my family and beyond. I hope that I would not be a burden to her or in the future if I have other offspring.
@dearlot (175)
• Brunei Darussalam
9 Apr 10
Hello there, well to me i think the purpose of my life would be to take good care of my family and my loves one. I think everyone live for a purpose and i think i do have the same thought. My purpose of life now is to do well in what i do now and then always do my best for this moment, after that i would love to contribute help out my mom and dad on their debts. This is probably because i live in a very difficult life then i would set out my purpose in my life instead of living them without any meaning. We live once and i would love to cherish every moment i got living and do the best i could to achieve what i want to do in life. I have heard many people who have not found any purpose of living yet but since i do i really would love to have them achieve and be successful in it. After that i would love to help the earth and save the earth on the environmental issue and i would love to help out people who are suffering. I plan to be rich but i never plan to use it only for my self instead i would love to share it with people i love and help people in need. I think having that purpose in life really gives me strength to live on for another day and treasure life. :)
2 people like this
@iwrite (5034)
• Singapore
9 Apr 10
Well I am glad you found your purpose, it is not so easy for me. I need not just to take care of my family and loves ones. How about build the relationship. I would be able to provide my family with a good life, if I continue to do work overtime and that would leave me very little time with my family. I thought it would be simple, but when I was asked the question a second time, I thought I gave a wrong answer but when I search deeper, I found that I gave a text book answer and it is not really my. My purpose is to leave a legacy that my family and friends would remember me by. The key word would be remember me. If do not want to be so uninvolved in their lives that the would have forgotten me. Providing for my family and physically be there when they need me.
• Philippines
9 Apr 10
i guess that my purpose in life is to be a good mother and a wife. and also a good daughter to my parents. nor i can say i good samaritans. theres a lot of purpose why were here, though we might not find answer coz we tend to just think nor focused on what we really want in life.
2 people like this
@iwrite (5034)
• Singapore
9 Apr 10
Great to hear that you have a golden heart, to first be able to take care of yourself and your love ones before you would be able to take care of the rest. I would like to have to freedom to choose to take time off, to help others around the world, however my commitment to my family made it impossible for me to do that.
• China
9 Apr 10
Hi,there.It's really difficult for me to answer this question.I can only say I am still looking just like you said.Sometimes I really feel upset about this problem cause I can't find the purpose of my life.Maybe I can say the purpose of my life now is to graduate from college and then find a job which I like.As for the rest,I still need time and experience.
1 person likes this
@iwrite (5034)
• Singapore
9 Apr 10
Well langjipingzong, When I was in the course, the speaker mention something interesting. in a graduation class interviewed, they were ask if the have set goals, only 3% write down, the next 13% have goals but did not write it down. The rest did not have goals. Ten years later, the 13% have goals earn twice as much as those did not have goals. However the 3% that have their goals written down earn 10 times as much as all the rest of the 97% put together. So I hope it motivates you.
1 person likes this
@iwrite (5034)
• Singapore
9 Apr 10
You are welcome, I wish you every success. I recently got a mentor. She mention the rich help each other while the poor do not trust the others and want to do it on their own. That is why they remain poor. Then I look at where I am today. If I have put my pride aside and begin to ask earlier in my life. I could well be on my way to make a lot more money that what I am doing today.
1 person likes this
• China
9 Apr 10
Yeah,I read this too but I never think I would do just like that before.But now I do want have a try.Thank you so much.
1 person likes this
@jobmoone (442)
• Philippines
9 Apr 10
It is about how will we want each of us see its own value. Asking What do I need to do? What can I really do so both me and the world can go on. What do I have that I can I used for building the goodness of my being? I prefer to start it from where I stand. The basis of my understanding gives a lot for my own disposition which I may call as my principles in life. To develop is a journey in life because we are here to gain experience and go on changing. Its a choice if we want what kind of purposes we want to live by. Just don't do to other if you don't want others do it to you.
2 people like this
@iwrite (5034)
• Singapore
9 Apr 10
I am not going to do what the others do. I have to search and find our purpose, that is what I am living for and want people to remember me by. I am not going to be anyone puppet. But I would live my life to the fullest.
• Philippines
9 Apr 10
I've also learned that one's goals must be aligned with one's purpose in life. I'm having difficulty also finding my life's purpose. When I was still a student, we were taught that our life's purpose is to glorify God and take care of all his creations. But for me that is too general. I want to know exactly my own purpose. I graduated with an accounting degree but I'm not very happy with my present job. I have many children. One of them is a special child. I have a husband who is difficult to deal with. I was not born brave but my circumstances in life made me one. I'd like to be financially free. I want to go around the world. I want to set up a foundation either for the elderly, the special children or for the orphans. But I wonder if these wants are aligned with my real purpose in life.
@iwrite (5034)
• Singapore
10 Apr 10
From what I learn, the purpose is why you set your goals in the first place. Then it would aligned would it. It would be easier if your purpose is aligned. Something your goals you set are not really what you want. then it would be an issue. However it is when you find the purpose behind that goal then you would be easy.
@lady1993 (27225)
• Philippines
9 Apr 10
I have yet to know my purpose in life but I believe that God gives a purpose to all of us- we are here for a reason. So we must look for our purpose to make our lives happy and meaningful.
2 people like this
@iwrite (5034)
• Singapore
10 Apr 10
Well lady you are not alone, in fact we belong to the 97% of the rest of the world. For us to be happy, then perhaps we would like to look for our purpose so we would be able to have direction in our lifes. rather that going round in the rut. Perhaps we can help each other build on this.
• Philippines
24 Nov 10
Hello iwrite, Hmmm. . You let me pause for a while. Well, i do have many goals in life.I am a goal oriented person and i was scolded for being like that. My vital purpose is to take good care of myself be it physical , emotional and mental. For no one could help us from within. I resolved to this purpose for the reasons that since my younger years i was exposed to community services. I saw very diverse life situations but i have chosen to maintain and focus in my mind the beautiful and good ones. hehe. Now, i am about at the stage which they say "Life begins at 40" Oh! am old now but still pretty. . . ouch joke!. Being good to yourself can contaminate others as well. Everybody desires as much as they could to give help to the unfortunate. Simply doing good can radiate a thousand goodness.
1 person likes this
@iwrite (5034)
• Singapore
25 Nov 10
I am not too sure why you are scolded for having goals, I have the understanding that the most successful people in the world have goals. As long as you have a bright outlook in life, why bother about what others think, you are pretty.
• Philippines
25 Nov 10
Hello, My understanding was,though its long ago, i am being scolded because i cant do things without thinking the benefits from it. Why should i do that? My father told me" You don't need to analyze things at all times. You don't need to know the reasons why. You can do things by simply doing it or you just simply like it. Am a kind of secretive and silent type but given the chance to speak am a candid but tactful. Oh! am i getting serious down here? hehehe. The pic lies. I just have a good lens. Thanks anyway! hehe
@tessah (6617)
• United States
9 Apr 10
whther it is my actual "purpose" or not.. it seems to be very prevalent and follows me around where ever i go. i seem to quite simply be.. a catalyst for change. either in life, habits, mindset, associations, spiritual direction or otherwise.
1 person likes this
@tessah (6617)
• United States
14 Apr 10
i think as with most things of importance in yer life.. searching for them doesnt work very well. they come to you and just sorta fall into yer lap most unexpectedly
@iwrite (5034)
• Singapore
10 Apr 10
Profound as it is tessah, I think you get the idea, I hear a lot of big words being used, like change, mindset and direct which are all the ingredients of purpose. I guess you would do well. I am still searching for my purpose.
@nonersays (3329)
• United States
9 Apr 10
To me my life feels purposeless. I get up, go to work all day to make barely enough money to pay my bills. Go home, go to bed, get up and do it all again. My entire existence seems to be making other people rich by 1. Working for them and 2. giving them the money I've been working for.
1 person likes this
@patgalca (18174)
• Orangeville, Ontario
9 Apr 10
I know how you feel. I guess we have to find the answers within ourselves.
1 person likes this
@iwrite (5034)
• Singapore
10 Apr 10
nonersays, What I have learnt, if you are powerless in your life, no one have the power to make it better. If you want a change then you set aside a little time in your life so it could make it better. maybe 30 min a day to set a direction for yourself. Set a goal, even if you do not reach it at least you have some fun trying to reach it. patgalca, many time we try to change the others, however most of the time it is ourselves that we could change.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
10 Nov 10
The purpose that I've come up with in my life is that I am supposed to be a mother in my life. My purpose in life is to be able to provide the best of everything that I can for my two wonderful children. This means that I have had to put my one time dream of having a career on hold because of the fact that I want to be able to provide everything that I can to them. There is actually nothing about this purpose in life that disappoints me, however.
1 person likes this
@iwrite (5034)
• Singapore
25 Nov 10
Being a mother is a big purpose, without which life would not be able to move on. we need more babies on earth.
• Malaysia
10 Apr 10
hie, iwrite, this is a serious question. i have to really assess my purpose in life. when i was young my purpose in life was to please my parents and learnt as much as i can from them. i wanted to learn as much cooking and needlework from my mum. from my dad, i wanted to learn things like fixing a leak from the tap, changing a bicycle wheel, cutting down a banana tree when its fruits were ripe and how to cut coconut to get coconut water. then when i was schooling my purpose in life was to excell well and to enter the universities. i graduated and worked and i wanted and strived to be the best in my field. when i got married, to be the best wife i can be and the best daughter in law. i raised my family and tried to be the best mother i can be to my children. i was there for them in their growing up years and now they are all working and earning their living. now i am in the sunset years, my purpose in life is to worship God . i spent many hours with God at his feet and learn as much as i can from Him. i know that someday i am going to leave my earthly tent and go away from planet earth. i need a home to go back to,. yes to Ffather God in heaven. for that i am preparing myself. thus my present purpose in life now is focus on HIM and other things be added to me. i pray for God's blessing, mercy, grace and forgiveness and i be a blessing to others. that is my thoughts on this serious and thought provoking subject.
1 person likes this
@iwrite (5034)
• Singapore
12 Apr 10
gracefuldove, Yes it is serious question, in fact I am trying to change my mindset and asking this question is also trying to answer my resolve and focus. I am glad you really found you purpose, I hope it would help you along with your life.
• Malaysia
12 Apr 10
hie iwrite, thanks for your comments. i pray that you will be able to change or renew your mindset to help you answer your resolve and focus of life. you can surely find the answer as your inner man will reveal the answer to you. havw a good day.
• Australia
10 Apr 10
My purpose in life is to be a voice of animals, in anyway I know how, either by writing books about endangered species, or signing petitions for them online, or making others away of the abuse that goes on around the world. I'm here for them, and them only.
1 person likes this
@iwrite (5034)
• Singapore
12 Apr 10
Hello TigerSpirit, Well that is your goal in life it is good, I think it is an noble act. I hope you would be able to achieve what you want in life.
• Australia
12 Apr 10
Thanks much. I'd love to take a more active role in my goal, but due to physical and financial limitations, I have to make do with the best way I know how :)
• Philippines
13 Nov 10
I believe every one of us has a purpose n life maybe others don't know yet but soon you'll find why you are here.God is very intelligent each of us has a role to make and that is for us to find out... when I was young around 13 or 14 years old..I am looking for myself because I was alone.the people who raised me are gone then asking myself where am I going now..then ask myself again why am I still here on earth?why didn't take me where they are now..an hour of thinking and praying i found an answer maybe I still have mission here why I am still here and have to continue living...my purpose in life was already had an answered..God is always there to guide us every second of our life mostly when we don't know what to do...then at that time i thought my purpose in life is to be a good citizen and to study hard and to have a good job that is what I thought before but now that I have my own family it's in different stage and become more meaningful...My Family... To raise my kids, to guide them in good and feed them together with my husband I know that is my role in this earth to help people who are in need as long as I can and to take care of them...that is my purpose in life...My family...Hope you find yours too...
@iwrite (5034)
• Singapore
25 Nov 10
I believe everyone has a purpose, it is if they have found that purpose. I think many people get lost.