Why People With A Life Purpose Have Higher Self-Esteem

By Lilian Wamaitha
Just think back to that time when you felt lost. You were probably at a cross road, unsure of where to go or even turn.
You felt stagnant and completely lost; “What am I even doing with my life?” “Where am I supposed to go from here?”
There is no doubt that this can be the most unsettling thing that you will ever experience in life.
It’s why people with the highest self-esteem are those who have established a sense of direction in their lives.
It’s normal as humans to desire a sense of purpose
Not all of us are extremely lucky to define our paths in life early on.
Probably around you, there are those people who seem like they have their whole lives curved out for them. They have the perfect careers or are doing what they want and seem at peace with their life.
But for the rest of us, it’s sort of guessing game trying to figure out our purpose in life. And until you do, you will feel lost once in a while which is okay.
Don’t beat yourself up because of this.
Consider this, your purpose doesn’t always have to be your passion
When you think about it, at times life is just better off that way. I know you know some people who have successfully transformed their passions into a source of income while you are still trying to figure out how you can do that for yourself.
This feeling can destroy your perception of passion and make you even question or hate to pursue that.
But trust me, you can still build a career on that that you are passionate about as long as your welfare does not hang in the balance.
Is it possible to exist without a purpose?
Technically it is possible. But when you think about it, no matter what you do, there is always an intention behind it. Even if what you are doing is just breathing to stay alive.
Your purpose does not have to be a profitable venture; in fact, it can just be the complete opposite of that.
Consider these two people. One takes off, and abandons everything, a job or a career to live off the grind for a few years. Their purpose is not recognition or fame but to just experience a sense of independence.
The other one finds a way of franchising that solitude into something of an off grid blog where they share all their experiences disconnected from the world in a way that even makes them money.
Now these are two different intentions although they all stem from the same thing.
Point is, we all have a purpose whether recognized or completely irrelevant to others.
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How to find your sense of purpose
You are probably thinking that you have no idea what your sense of purpose is. Don’t be too hard on yourself.
Outside forces and probably your past has played a role in hindering your passions and a sense of self-worth. Here are a few suggestions of how to discover your life’s purpose;
1. Take a break
Take a break from that path you have been on. Clearly if you are still questioning where you are headed in life, it means that that path is taking you nowhere and until you see the broader picture that is not going to happen.
Make a point of stepping out of that comfort zone because that is the only way you can get a sense of who you really are.
Because you are following guidelines that have been set before you by society or others, you are living out someone else’s ideas basically.
What you need to do is separate yourself from that and discover who you are.
Take a solo trip for instance, it may sound terrifying but it’s the best thing that you can do for yourself at this point.
If that will drain your account, just force yourself to do something that you would never have done in your life.
You will find that it’s very empowering when you do things on your own once in a while.
2. Re-live your childhood ambitions
Remember when you were a kid, all the things you wanted to become? Some wanted to be astronauts, some doctors, teachers and other professions.
How often do those childhood fantasies come true? Probably in one out of ten people, right? But do any of those dreams resonant with you now?
If they still do, you still have a chance of making them come true. But most of the time you will find that time holds us back.
You probably think that you are too far along in that career to become the accountant you wanted to be. But it can still happen as long as you are willing to take that step.
Who knows, in that crazy moment you might just find your life’s calling.
3. Take note of new things that you are trying
Does the idea to take a leap of faith and pursue something new still feel inspiring or draining? If you find yourself withdrawing early on, you need to ask yourself a couple of questions?
Are you withdrawing because it’s not important enough to put in the effort and sacrifice your time to pursue it? Or are you withdrawing because you fear to fail? Or maybe you are just withdrawing because you know that if you succeed you will be forced to devote yourself to it.
At the end of the day
Finding a life purpose just lies in discovering who you are. Whether it’s going back to your childhood and rediscovering what made everything make sense back then or simply stepping out of the comfort zone and trying something that scares you to your core.
Lilian is a Communication Officer at Career Point Kenya and has a passion of improving other people’s lives through everyday inspiration. Leave a comment below if you agree with this article.