Your Purpose in Life

Gannex is fortunate to have chosen a profession that creates it's own need.

"If it wasn't for attornies, we wouldn't need attornies."

Most elected lawmakers are....attornies! Go figure.

Can't say I've ever been into all the deep and meaningful self-analysis. I was born, grew up, found a job, formed a relationship, had a child and watched it grow, and will die at some point. Why would anyone need to go any deeper than that?

Then your purpose in life is to produce CO2. :)

My purpose in life is to compete in as many motorsport events as possible per year. 2006 I competed in 24, aiming higher this year and in different countries.

Ray

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Originally Posted by janneppi

Then your purpose in life is to produce CO2. :)

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and methane eh carl ? ;) :p :

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Originally Posted by donKey jote

and methane eh carl ? ;) :p :

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Oh yeah, plenty of that :p :

I don't think there's any specific reason why everyone should do a deeper self-analysis. If one doesn't feel like this then it's all OK by me. :up: But I personally want my life to have some deeper meaning and producing methane just doesn't cut it for me.

my purpose in life is to not have a purpose... why stress out about purposes when you just take life day by day and have fun

I think it has a lot to do with one's interest in live. Pursue your interests as long as they make you happy, but at the same time to be able to make others happy as well. In other words help yourself first in live so you can help others as well.
Whatever that may suggest. :D

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Originally Posted by studiose

I find myself at a sort of cross-roads. After having wasted a number of years on "wine, women and amateur dramatics" (in a manner of speaking), I want to start doing something meaningful in life.

How else to start the quest than struggling with the most basic question - what is my purpose? What pursuit is it that would be meaningful for me?

I don't believe in any God-given or mystical purpose - the purpose I'm looking for is really just a very deep wish that, I'm convinced, lodges itself in some dark corner of my sub-conscious mind. The wish to become - (blank). The question is - how do I get this wish to surface?

Have you been through this yourself? Have you found your purpose in life? Have you any suggestions or advice for me? Any psychological techniques I could try? Is it worthwhile to bark at that tree at all, do you think?

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I have known people who somehow "knew" at a very early age that they would become a physician, an artist, etc. Most people do not have this gift and end up in their careers more by accident than by plan. I can recall hiring a programmer who was a graduate of the Julliard Academy. He turned out to be a good programmer, but nothing in his education had prepared him for that path. Sometimes -- as in his case -- it was necessity that steered him.

Having said that, I believe we should have life plans. Nothing terribly rigid, but something that allows us to focus. I have used and enjoyed the work of Steven Covey. He stated that his goals in life were "to live, to love, and to leave a legacy." Good words, but not very specific.

There are career counselors available. Some are private, and some are associated with schools and universities. If you're not in school, I would go for a private counselor to avoid their having a conflict of interest. There are also a number of useful personality scales and tests. Check out the Jungian variations of the Meyers-Briggs. Many organizations have success with the Wonderlic. Probably the hardest thing to do is make an accurate self-assessment, so I would favor seeking an indepenent counselor.

One last thought. You should enjoy what you do, as well as the people you work with. (Working alone is challenging) One of the most important things in building and maintaining self-esteem is peer recognition. Don't put too much pressure on yourself while you go through this phase. However, to focus upon the product rather than the result, I suggest selecting an end date -- give yourself x months to go through this process and monitor your progress.

Good luck.