21 Jun Purpose Is Your Guide To Meaning

Few other things in life have been explored more than purpose and meaning, and they are still existential questions that humans seek today. Some are born with a purpose dictated by family or culture, some are provided direction by religion, and some have to search their souls to find the answers within in order to guide themselves. I want to dive into what are purpose and meaning, how to find yours, and how that purpose can provide you with lasting meaning in your life.

Purpose Is Your Why

Your purpose is your why. It is why you live, why you are here, what drives you. It is the thing that motivates you to get up and do what you have to, and sometimes what you want to do. It is the spirit in your heart that guides you to do more than yesterday because it provides meaning in your life. Yet so many people are moving through life without purpose. Trudging through each day from one meaningless task to the next. In a world where we have such luxuries, people seem to find it harder than ever to find the purpose in their lives that provides meaning to it all. It’s not surprising that people today are so dissatisfied with life; with everything at their fingertips, they don’t know what to do.

Purpose provides a challenge, something to focus on and a reason to push through struggle. Without that challenge, we psychologically just sit on our hands wondering what to do next. I know this feeling all too well when my life purpose dramatically shifted. I worked in the music industry since I was 14 and with the advent of new technology in music, almost overnight my role was replaced. This happened multiple times, in DJing, in studio work, and later in mixing and mastering. Technology made it easier for the consumer to do these tasks themselves, which in turn made it much harder to make a living. I was forced to move into a new field or fight for scraps. Enter my very painful journey toward finding a new purpose.

Temporary Fixes

I explored MANY different topics, fields, and social causes. Each providing temporary purpose, but all eventually faded away as they didn’t provide meaning to my life. For a while I got really into survival stuff (long story). For a time I was doing horticulture in the mountains. I even settled into doing marketing strategy for businesses. All provided temporary joy or at least busy work, but they couldn’t provide lasting meaning. They were things that I did, but they were not my purpose or who I was.

Your Values Guide Purpose

It wasn’t until I explored my values that I began understanding my path. Your values will dictate your lane and purpose. They provide the foundation for it to form, grow, and give fruit. My values centered around helping others with what I have to give, and the thing I have most of to give is perspective and advice. For no good reason at all, I spend hours (like 4-6hrs) a day researching, gaining knowledge, and listening to elders with more experience than me so I can gain wisdom. I don’t do this solely for myself as that is not my mode of operation, but I do this so I can share that knowledge and wisdom with my tribe. I feel fulfilled when providing perspective or advice to my tribe that helps solve their problems or allows them to progress and grow. This provides me meaning.

Realizing this by evaluating my main values, I began to see a path form. But how would I walk this journey? What vehicle would I use to reach the destination of purpose? That’s when I remembered a podcast I had done in the past. I wondered if I had deleted it or of it was still published. I checked, and sure enough, it was up and still live. This podcast, GI SAID IT Podcast, became the basis for this entire site and all its content. What started as a passion to share knowledge and perspective with others turned into a whole brand in which I now use to fulfill my purpose of sharing my perspective with my tribe.

Keep It Simple

Purpose doesn’t need to be this crazy elaborate thing or even make any money; as long as it fulfills your soul and hopefully help others, you’re on the right track. It could be counseling youth or providing support to people who struggle with mental health. It could be ecosystem restoration or gardening for the elderly in your community. It could be raising a family or caring for injured animals. What ever your purpose, it just has to provide your life with meaning. It is your guiding light when things get dark and provides a way out, back to the realm of living.

Oh, and one more thing. Your purpose should be for someone or something other than yourself. Purposes built in selfishness rarely last. Lasting purpose is almost always born in wanting to help others. It lifts the spirit in a way that selfish endeavors never could, and builds a stronger community which in turn provides you ROI (return on investment). What you give, you get back which is why I give what I have to offer at any chance that I get. Explore your values, find who you’d like to help, and discover how what you have to offer those people or things can lead you right to the purpose you’ve been looking for.

The Challenge For Purpose

Still struggling to find your purpose? I give you this challenge. Think about what would you die for, think about your beliefs, think about what you would do for free. Think about the fact that when things get horribly tough, what could you still deal with and be content. These questions provide an understanding that even with your purpose, everything won’t be perfect. But if it is your true purpose, no matter how tough it gets, you’ll still get up and do it because it is who you are. It is you. May this seeking journey provide your purpose, and may that purpose provide you joy and meaning.

The purpose of this GI SAID IT blog is simple, to provide perspective. GI delivers this unique perspective in a style that is unapologetically honest, straight to the point, and at times a bit brutal. GI SAID IT: Brutally honest, no BS. Click for more GI SAID IT shows and articles.