The eighth initial mindware tool from STEEP Renaissance - that kick-start you to ‘become the best possible version of you.’
Where are your life, business, and futures heading, right now?
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more. It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.
Do you yearn for them to be rich, purposeful, and full of meaning?
Keywords: purpose, fulfilling life, living with purpose, discover purpose, create purpose, personal growth, mental health, resilience, legacy, leadership, life meaning, intentional living, impact, well-being.
Four big questions around purpose
Four big questions around purpose
There’s ample documentary evidence… that across many generations and cultures… the same four deep, reflective, existential questions have been asked…and answered… multiple times.
These questions touch on universal human concerns about the cosmos, individual existence, and purpose:
- What grand design or purpose, if any, underlies the cosmos?
- Why do I exist in this world, at this time?
- What is my unique purpose for being alive?
- How can I discover, define, or create my purpose – and live it fully?
These same documents reveal a wide range of answers
- Neurologists say: The constant search for meaning and purpose cannot be escaped. It is a key, innate, hard-wired function of each of our restless brains.
- Nihilists and some existentialists claim: Life has no meaning. It is a tale of fury, told by idiots, signifying nothing.
- Biologists point to the obvious fact that: As with all animals, our life purpose is to have lots of sex, procreate, make life better for our offspring, then exit stage left, or right.
- Western religionists know: Life’s purpose is clear – to love God and enjoy her forever, as we head for the eternal afterlife.
- Easter religionists typically focus on spiritual awakening, self-realization, and liberation from cycles of suffering.
- Developmental psychologists say something interesting: Life’s multiple, evolving purposes, are embedded in our pre-programmed developmental tasks, and change every five years or so.
- Humanist psychologists assert strongly: Life’s purpose is to fulfill our innate potential, to become the very best version of us. Then to transcendent our self-actualisation for the good of all.
- Australian First Nation peoples are clear. Our common life purpose is: To be at one with country, and all things.
- Lakota peoples of North America say much the same: To be at one with ‘all our relations’ - human, animal, plant, and even inanimate objects, which are interconnected and have a shared existence within the circle of life.
- Arising from his time in the Nazi camps, holocaust survivor, Viktor Frankl affirms: Our life's purpose is to find meaning in every moment of our existence, even in the face of suffering. It is this pursuit of meaning that ultimately defines us.
- Richard L Leider says something both trite and important: The purpose of life is to create a life of purpose.
Wowee! So many different answers! With the possibility that all, or none, are valid for all, or some, of us! ‘Tis a mystery.
And the varied answers suggest there are both innate and personally created ‘life purposes’ – for each, and every one, of us.
Reflection:
So how do you answer the four core questions?
Where are your life, career, futures heading?
What’s your view of life’s raison d'être? Do you have a compelling life purpose? Would you like one?
Or will you accept there is none, and leave it up to your restless brain to do all the work moment by moment?
Overview of this four-part Insight:
Psychological and biological imperative
The brain is a meaning-making machine. It is wired to search for patterns, to find connections, and to make sense of the world. This search for meaning is not just a psychological drive but a biological imperative that shapes our perceptions, decisions, and behaviours.
So, is this you?
- You know the constant search for purpose and meaning is hardwired into your brain, and you cannot avoid the search?
- You experience the need for meaning and purpose as both a strong psychological drive and a biological imperative?
- You accept life has both innate and personally created purposes? And these change over time?
- You want to live now, and into the foreseeable future, with intention, passion, impact, and a deeper meaning?
That’s you? Then this four-part Insight, Unlock the Power of Your Purpose, is crafted precisely for you.
With these four parts, you’ll…
- explore why purpose matters more than ever
- learn how to uncover your true calling for this point in time
- be guided through the process of discovering and shaping your purpose, and
- discover how to live with purpose every day and create a life that’s not only fulfilling but leaves a lasting legacy as well.
Here’s to celebrating our joyous purpose-filled abundance together,
Neville D Christie