Feeling a lack of purpose...

I realized that there are a lot of times that I feel without purpose. This is one of those things where my mind and heart don’t align. In my head I know that I have a purpose, but I don’t feel it in my heart. How do I reignite that purpose and restore balance to my heart and mind? Any thoughts, suggestions, or neighborly love would be much appreciated.

[JLHwho]

Hi! This is a difficult question to answer because everyone’s situation is different BUT I’ll try my best 🙂

Not sure if you’ve seen it but the Disney movie Soul is all about finding ones purpose (highly recommend it btw) and they explain it in a way that’s very easily relatable, at least it was for me.

This is one of those things where you shouldn’t be so worried about the destination as much as the journey. If you feel like you know what your purpose is, I commend you. Hardly anyone is ever able to figure that out. Sometimes the way you live your life day by day will lead to you finding your purpose and that heart/mind connection. Use what you know about yourself and what you are passionate about and use that! Stay committed but more importantly, try your best to STAY motivated. That was and is still a huge problem for me.

I’ve learned that if you genuinely love and feel a sense of accomplishment regardless of how much progress is made, things just seem to fall into place. I could say I was put through hell just so I could share my experiences with others and maybe they could learn something from it. I also know that I lacked the motivation to stay committed to any hobby in particular, until I genuinely started practicing on my singing and it just clicked. I still suck at it but I am content and I am happy with my progress, no matter how slow it is. Both of these things give me purpose, one for myself and one for others but I know that I am genuinely happy doing both.

[Hidden in reply to JLHwho]

Thank you for your response, JLHwho. I have seen Soul, and I think that embracing and utilizing my passions could be very helpful for me. Thank you 🙏

[JLHwho in reply to Hidden]

These aren’t things that should require too much conscious thought, if you know what I mean? Horrible metaphor but your purpose should be what drives you and not the other way around.

[Hidden]

The thing that I have learned is that people often say purpose but really mean plan. I am not sure if this is you or not but most when they talk about purpose are saying that they were put on the planet to do one thing. This is just false. It is not true and can never be true. What purpose is, what meaning is, comes from the heart. The head lies. You can believe all you want that money will bring you happiness but at the end of the day it never will. You can believe all you want that status and power are what is necessary for a good life but that will never be true. Now as far as the plan thinking goes look at it this way. If a person loves to paint and they become an artist and make a living off of that, they find meaning in that and truly express themselves through this medium. That is great. But what happens if they lose both of their arms and can no longer make the art the used to? Has their purpose ended? Do they no longer have a reason to continue? Or can they find meaning and purpose in other things? The answer is obviously they will find meaning in other things. There is not one set thing people are meant to do. We all have a vast array of skills talents and virtues that allow us to do a great many tasks. We get to figure out what we love and get meaning through that So to answer your question. You cannot logic yourself into having meaning. It will simply never work. If you are not happy doing what you are doing then maybe it really isn't your purpose. The other side of this is that if you are looking for your purpose then find what you enjoy doing. It's not a matter of meshing the two worlds together. It's not about forcing a plan and meaning together. It's about finding what is truly meaningful to you and then doing that or experiencing that. You can find just as much meaning in drinking a warm cup of coffee every day as you do from work that you love. Meaning is not restricted to a plan, it's an experience of our own fulfillment.

[Marshall64]

There is a book called "Man's Search for Meaning". It is usually required in college Psychology classes. I own the book and read it many times. It is written my a Holocaust survivor that happened to be a psychiatrist. If I ever feel bad about my life, I'll read his and realize that mine could be worse.

[cbgrace1980]

There is joy along the journey. Just take things day by day and it's okay that your heart doesn't feel it. Your mind understands it. You can make steps towards figuring out your purpose. Have you ever talked with a counselor? My counselor helped me figure out wonderful things about myself that I never realized. We are here for you!