Instead of seeking your purpose, live on purpose

Purpose is a state of being, not a destination.

There are 208,000 monthly related searches for “what is my purpose” and “how to find my purpose”, according to my quick Spyfu search. That’s a lot of people looking for direction in life.

And honestly, I’m one of them. It’s intoxicating to think that somewhere out there my purpose is waiting for me, like a ripe peach on a tree. But recently I noticed that when I seek outwardly for my purpose, I’m not present. I overlook the possibilities right in front of me — and the sense of purpose within me.

What if our true purpose is to live on purpose? What if it’s about showing up for the moment, every day, and having the discipline and courage to forget about the outcome?

Finding your purpose is an inside job

To be fair, it’s borderline habitual to search outside ourselves for a purpose because our society trains us to do so. We live in a capitalistic, achievement-oriented culture where “find your purpose” has become synonymous with “find a way to commoditize yourself”.

We confuse our purpose with a career path, a childhood dream, or a personality type. But those are just expressions of purpose — and thank the skies. Would you really want to be limited to a single purpose…