Five Keys to Living A Life of Purpose

Last updated on March 12th, 2024 at 12:02 pm

I don’t know about you, but for years, as I went about my daily life and manifested all the fun dreams I have lived so far, I still found myself asking the bigger picture questions: What am I here? What is my purpose?

I’m thankful that my travels, teachers, and experiences have helped me to feel like I am living “on purpose” and to understand what that means for me. So, I wanted to share my five keys to living a life of purpose.

The Big Picture

For me, purpose is the umbrella under which all of my actions can fit. It unifies everything I do.

How does one pick a purpose? What is so big and meaningful that it can encompass anything you do? For me, the exercise I give clients when “picking a purpose” is to start by thinking about who they want to be in this lifetime. What qualities do you want to embody and be known for?

Is it love? Compassion? Grace? Beauty? Fun? I ask clients to pick up to three that resonate most for them. If you can narrow it down to one that really speaks to you, go with that!

For me, the two that resonate most are joy. And being loved. I figure anything I do that brings true joy to me and others is a win. Any action made in the spirit of love enhances my life and the lives of those around me. If this were the sole measure of my life, and I succeed in doing these two things more often than not, I would feel like I am winning at living a life on purpose!

A Mission Statement! 

I love crafting a mission statement for life, too, and I challenge my coaching clients to do this in 10 words or less. I have used it for myself for years: “To live a joyful, abundant life of service and adventure.” If I am serving and having fun, what more can I ask?

Learning, growing, loving, and giving… It is why I am here!

Daily Check-In

Living on purpose is all about intentionality. It is about creating what we set out to create by holding a vision. I love to envision success during my morning meditation practice, spending five minutes just seeing myself doing whatever I want to do next to make my dreams come true.

And I love creating intentions for the day, which are often more about qualities than just a to-do list. So, asking the universe to have a fun-filled, magical, adventurous, happy, loving, beautiful day, for example.

Quarterly Check-In

At least four times a year, and preferably more often, I like to check in on my annual goals just to see how far I’ve come and what I need to focus on next to bring those dreams to life.

Right now, that means this summer is about finishing my book proposal and dancing as much as possible!

My emotional, spiritual, and physical health are always priorities, which means that I keep up with my meditation, exercise, healthy eating, drinking plenty of water, and getting plenty of rest.

Being Playful

I like to believe that if you are living on purpose, it’s possible to do so playfully. I think we are meant to create in ways that are joyful for us and to laugh. To have fun in this lifetime!

For me, it’s a good test of purpose to be sure that I can still have fun with it and that I am not taking myself too seriously. The world’s fate does not rest on our shoulders alone, so Atlas is unnecessary.

Play is important, and if my purpose includes play and being joyful, then I feel like I’m doing something right in this life!

The Five Keys

Those five keys to living on purpose for me again are:

1. Start with the big picture: Decide who you want to be in this lifetime. Let that quality or qualities guide you as an all-encompassing purpose. For some, creativity might be their biggest purpose. For others, it might be joy or peace.

2. Write a mission statement: Have fun crafting a mission statement for your life, in ten words or less preferably, that summarizes the fun stuff you do. I like to think that purpose statements are about who you are, and mission statements are about what you do. Are you a creative artist designing a beautiful life? Are you a lover who touches every life around you? Are you a candle lighting a spark in the hearts of others? What fun statement could encompass much of what you do?

3. Commit to a daily check-in: Even if it’s just three minutes while brushing your teeth in the morning or five minutes before you pop out of bed, remind yourself of your purpose daily. Envision success. Think about the qualities you want to bring into the coming day! Just this much, I find, can shift the quality of a day immeasurably.

4. Commit to doing check-ins at least quarterly around your big picture goals: Writing down your goals for the year and checking in at least quarterly can help you ascertain if you are making as much progress as you like in living “on purpose” and discern where you need to adjust your sails to shift direction or where you might need to take more action.

5. Be playful, i.e., remember to enjoy living on purpose and to have fun with whatever you create. We are here to enjoy this life while we learn and grow – it’s such a gift! One of the big tests of whether my “purpose” is big enough is whether it includes play and fun. Can I incorporate these into my daily life, relationships, and work? I know that sometimes in my life, I have gotten stuck when I dove too deeply into analyzing what the “perfect” path for me might be regarding what work to do, where to live, or who to love. In the end, I think what matters most is that we just enjoy whatever path we pick and find ways to enjoy even the difficult times by finding something to love every day.

Finally, I love thinking of purpose as an acronym, standing for:

P = PASSION (so choose a purpose you are passionate about!)

U = UMBRELLA for all that you do

R = REACH (that living your purpose makes you stretch and grow and challenges you to be your best!)

P = PEACE (that you feel peace in your heart when you think about living this purpose)

O = ONENESS (that your purpose helps you feel “one” with others and helps humanity!)

S = SOUL (that you feel your purpose has a soul and is part of your soul’s joyful path!).

E = ETERNAL (you could live with your purpose forever and be happy with it!)