The Importance Of Having A Purpose In Your Life

In your mind and heart you must always have a purpose to keep going. Having a purpose in life is what gives you a reason to get out of bed in the morning. It gives you energy and motivation to believe that today will be better than yesterday. It gives your life the meaning it needs to make it all worth it. There are few things that are as important in mental health and personal growth as having a purpose in life.

When talking to people who have mood swings or even mental illness, this is something that really stands out. Many simply claim to have no goals at all. Their lives seem to be suspended in a total void, without hope and in a meaningless existence from day to day.

It is even possible to have hobbies, but not enjoy them. Others have partners, friends and family and still feel only emptiness.

This condition is devastating and requires a delicate, and often very long, psychotherapeutic process for the person to rediscover the strength. They must also reformulate their thoughts and find an emotional balance to rebuild their lives with and to clarify new goals for the future.

Rewording your purposes

At this point, we should make it clear that it is perfectly normal to go through times where we are forced to reformulate our intentions. We all go through certain transition periods, times where we have to face reality and rewrite our innermost desires, thoughts and feelings.

Ending a relationship, losing or ending a job, or even going through adversity, means that we have to define many aspects of our lives.

However, this is a good thing. Humans are wandering stories, extraordinary stories that are still being rewritten. As long as there is still ink in the pen to compose these purposes, there is always hope.

Intentions to move forward, the pillars of mental health

In 2016, Harvard University started a research project that aimed to deepen the concept of how to flourish as human beings. We can understand this as something that transcends one’s own well-being. It is above all the ability to overcome and be resilient – by using psychological strategies that allow us to face any situation in life and achieve happiness.

This research program has been running for several years, and it is already clear that one of the fundamental factors in achieving these goals is that people should work with them.

Having meaning in our lives, as Viktor Frankl would say, directly affects our mental health. This is confirmed by complementary studies such as the one published in the American Journal of Epidemiology in 2019.

According to this study, led by doctors Ying Chen and Erik Kim, one intention has a direct impact on physical health, psychological balance, self-esteem and emotional processing. These goals, and the significance that each one gives to human existence, act as an internal support that removes burdens, filters fear, and restores balance and hope.

What does it mean to have a purpose?

So now that you know the importance of having a purpose to improve your quality of life, this leads us to the question: H va is really a purpose?

First, we must understand that a purpose is not just a goal. It is not about, for example, wanting a bigger house. It’s not about getting a better job. Nor is it about achieving an ideal weight or consistently going to the gym.

It is far more than that. The purpose of life only exceeds the desire. They lift you up, help you find your position in life and give you goals to strive for, hope in your heart and energy to motivate yourself.

Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi explains in his book, Flow : The Psychology of Optimal Experience , that having a purpose means having a fixed intention in your mind that takes you towards something that is meaningful to you, something that goes beyond yourself.

An example of this would be helping others in some way. Another would be to create something to inspire others: a book, a song or a work of art. It may be something that has to do with learning or gaining greater knowledge about a particular subject or area. Another great purpose would be to bring happiness to the family or take care of those you love.

Always move forward with a purpose

Mark Twain spoke to us about the two most important days of our lives. The first is when you are born. The second is when you finally discover the meaning of your life, the meaning that gives a purpose to your existence.

As you know, it is not always easy. It is not easy to find out what really sets your heart on fire and makes it beat.

However, there always comes a time when it really hits you. When you really feel that passion and meaning. It is important that you clarify them, and that you always have a purpose when you move forward. Why? Because when you have purpose, passion and meaning in your life, it can really help you in times of adversity. In the middle of the storm, you will see opportunities arise. They will give you optimism to face challenges with hope in your heart.

On the other hand, these resolutions to move forward can be changed at any time, as we pointed out earlier. Being 20 is not the same as being 60. You are also not the same person when you close one chapter and start on another, whether it is on an emotional level or a work level. Suddenly new needs, new emotions and new purposes appear on the horizon, and these give birth to hope.

Let’s keep in mind them. You also have an inner flame that can feed all your dreams and every way you go. Keep it alive!