10 Benefits of Knowing Your Purpose

“To love what you do and feel that it matters—how could anything be more fun?” ~ Katharine Graham

What is so important about having a purpose in life? Increasingly, people are looking for something more than just “making a living.” They’re realizing that there seems to be something missing in their lives and they’re experiencing an inner sense of dissatisfaction. Many outwardly successful people describe feeling “off-track” in some way or a sense of being incomplete. That missing something is a sense of purpose.

Without purpose, we may drift through life directionless and unfulfilled. According to business psychologist and psychotherapist Douglas La Bier, “The consequences of not finding your purpose include chronic, lingering dissatisfaction; an absence of inner peace and a sense of not being fully in sync with your inner self.”

Here are some of the benefits of connecting with and pursuing your purpose:

1. It gives you control over your own direction in life. You stop following the “shoulds” of family and society and set your own course for what you want to do with your life.

2. You’re more likely to have a healthier outlook on life and be more resistant to stress.

3. You have more focus in life, making choices based on what’s meaningful to you.

4. You have a greater sense of inner peace and satisfaction as you align with what you were “made for.”

5. You live more in the flow of life, rather than in struggle. This isn’t to say there aren’t challenges but when you have a sense of meaning and purpose the challenges don’t seem as large and you get through them more quickly and easily. You’re better able to handle the ups and downs of life. *

6. You enjoy more satisfying relationships. A 2009 study of over 1,000 adults found that those with a high sense of meaning in their lives spent more time and attention on their loved ones and communities. They were more engaged with their families, neighbors and colleagues.

7. It redefines what success means to you. It’s not about climbing the corporate ladder, a particular title or how much money you make. This isn’t to say you can’t make good money. When you’re doing what you love you are actually more aligned to everything you want, including financial abundance. It simply means that the usual markers of success in our society are not as important as the inner satisfaction of how you’re spending your time. Success is defined by what brings you joy.

8. You’ll love knowing what you’re doing is making a contribution to the larger whole. When you’re “on purpose” you’ll be doing what you love and utilizing your talents in a way that adds more positive energy to the world. Serving more than your own self-interest connects you to your higher self. It opens your heart and summons your spirit.

9. Your overall happiness increases and you have more of a zest for life!

10. Having a sense of purpose can help you live longer! **

If you’ve connected with your purpose, congratulations! You’re already reaping the rewards of “doing what you love and feeling that it matters.” Whatever it is that you’ve found, if it is your passion and has meaning for you, it does matter.

* From Ed Diener’s research on the science of wellbeing.

** From researcher Patrick Hill of Carleton University, Canada. Published in “Psychological Science,” a journal of the Association for Psychological Science