Living a Purposeful Life

My biggest fear is reaching the end of my life and realizing that my existence was dull, predictable, and meaningless. 

And that isn’t such a far-fetched possibility. If you take a look around, it’s easy to see that many people go through life in discontent and boredom. 

The monotony of the 9-5 slog. Growing tension between spouses. High and rising incidences of mental distress. These are all things that have become normalized.

I knew I didn’t want any of that, but what did I want? The antithesis of my feared life was obviously characterized by happiness, adventure, and meaning but figuring out how to achieve that seemed like an impossibly high mountain to climb. 

My first breakthrough out of this “what now?” slump came from Jay Shetty’s Think Like a Monk. If you’re stuck in a my-life-is-meaningless spiral, I highly recommend starting with this read. 

Jay Shetty was the first person to actually help me pinpoint how to achieve that seemingly faraway dream life: finding your purpose. 

Shetty does an excellent job of defining purpose, highlighting its importance, and providing tools to find out what yours is. His teachings helped me figure out what I truly liked to do, what I was good at, and how I could use those skills to help others. 

Ultimately, they led me here — to documenting and sharing my growth journey publicly. I know this is by no means the last stop on my journey to make the best of my time on earth, but for the first time in my life I actually feel like I’m on the right track. I’m living with energy and passion. 

The other must-read that will inspire just about anyone to kickstart their purpose journey is Viktor E. Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning. In Frankl’s account of life in various concentration camps (including Auschwitz), he unveils the idea that prisoners with a purposeful life — those that still felt they had something to live for (a spouse, children, a job, etc.) — were more likely to demonstrate the psychological fortitude necessary to endure those torturous years. 

Frankl also explores the role of purpose in treating a variety of mental health cases he witnessed as a psychiatrist for decades after the war, and his insights are fascinating. 

As an avid reader, I come across a lot of decent books and some really good books — only a handful are truly life-changing. 

Live Like a Monk and Man’s Search for Meaning are in that handful. 

I hope you find as much value in them as I did.