A recent article at Medium.com asked an important question regarding the importance of finding purpose for your life. Although difficult to answer, the author agreed it is infinitely better to have a sense of purpose than not to have one.
“When we find our purpose, it transforms everything in terms of what we do and how we do it. It gives us clarity, drive and ambition. It dramatically reduces procrastination, stress and worry,” wrote Gill Tiney, the founder of Collaboration Global. “It increases our capacity to love, both in terms of others — and yourself.”
Although she was addressing people who were still working, the article certainly applies to anyone over 50, even if they are retired.
Gill explained that having a purpose can make all the difference in life. So, for that reason alone, it is essential to be driven by purpose at any age.
Yet, she noted, many people make their way through life without identifying a specific purpose and still seem to do well without it. For them, having a sense of purpose would not be classified as being “essential.”
Furthermore, when people think they absolutely must find a purpose, it can be stressful by creating pressure to identify one. Then, zeroing in on a purpose can become even more elusive, Gill explained.
“I had to go and find out more about me, what I was made of and how I could weave that in with where I was going. It wasn’t something I felt pressure to do. It was something I WANTED to do,” she explained. “As a consequence, the hunt was fun. Yes, it was challenging but, ultimately, enjoyable.”
Like so many other people who feel they need purpose in their lives, once Gill found hers, everything about her life changed and she could not go back to being the person she was before.
She equated finding purpose for your life to discovering how adding clotted cream can take a favorite cheesecake desert to the next level. Purpose works to improve an otherwise excellent life to make it the crowning jewel of destiny.
So rather than asking if you need purpose in your life, Gill suggests asking whether you are open to embracing purpose as a way to improve upon your life?
“You absolutely don’t NEED to find out for yourself. If life is great for you now, then that is fantastic. All I would say is to BE OPEN to exploring and looking for (a greater purpose),” she explained.
Jill’s entire article can be found at Medium.com.
After closing his business and enduring several painful years of uncertainty regarding what to do with his life, Greg founded Forward From 50 to help men and women over 50 to live more purposeful lives by pursuing things they are passionate about. A Wisconsin native, Greg currently lives in Arizona.