Days slip into months. Months slip into years. In the midst of the passing time and in between life’s business, many of us ponder: what is the purpose of life? Is it eating, sleeping, and working while time just passes?
Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar answers, “There is much more to life.” He adds, “The question, ‘what is the purpose of life?’ is very precious. You have to find out for yourself.”
It’s a personal journey which we all have to undertake. However, there are ways which can help you uncover life’s purpose.
Strike out whatever is not the purpose of life
To find life’s purpose, enlist the aspects that are not the purpose of life. Rummage through your day’s moments in your head. How many moments did you spend in anger, frustration, and other negative emotions?
Carrying these in your life is certainly not your purpose in life.
As Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar says, “You are not here to complain, blame, cry, boast, fight, worry or to be angry and miserable.”
A life with less of these is a truly wonderful and happy life. And living happily is a purpose in itself.
What’s special about living like that is that you don’t need to change your jobs or be a millionaire. Just awareness will do.
Use meditation to live wonderfully well
Meditation can help you live the beautiful life that has less of negative emotions and more of happiness. It helps to clear impressions fraught with negative emotions, making way for your innate nature of happiness to shine forth.
Meditation also increases your awareness. With awareness, you can choose to simply observe negative emotions, instead of getting swayed by them.
Finally, meditation gives clarity to your mind. A clear mind gives room for realizations about life’s deeper questions.
Give time to altruism
Gandhiji said, “To find yourself, you must lose yourself in service.” Doing service brings out the best in us. It helps to refine our good qualities, be in touch with values of compassion, kindness, and connection.
You can make your whole life a service when you come from a space of giving and of no expectations. Your attitude can change any activity into service. It doesn’t matter what the work is. As long as you’re doing it without expectations of joy or profit and from the sense of contribution, it is service. This even makes a warm smile sent out to someone in distress without the expectation of getting it returned, a service!
Keep pondering over the question...
Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar says, “Don't be in a hurry to get the answer! This question is a tool by which you can dig deeper so that the answers come from within you.”
Keep asking yourself the question, and be aware of the three aspects above. You are sure to uncover the deepest secrets of your existence!
Based on inputs by Prashant Lalchandani, faculty member, The Art of Living.
FAQ's about purpose of your life
"To know the purpose of your life follow: 1. Strike out whatever is not he purpose of life - This will lead you to a conclusion that living happy is the purpose in itself. 2. Living the life with meditation will help you to have a clarity on such deeper questions. 3. Give valuable time to altruism teaches us how without expectation we can do service for others."
"The human purpose fo life has to be found out yourself. The ways to uncover can be: 1. Make a list of what can't be the purpose of your life to reach out to your purpose. 2. Meditation calms the mind to delve into such deeper questions. 3. Loosing yourself in service without expectations."
The ultimate purpose of your life is to be of service to humanity.
For your purpose of living the life you need to dig deeper into all by yourself. Yes, meditation will help you in calming your mind so that you uncover the answer.
Strike out whatever you think is not the purpose of your life. Perhaps you will be left with living happy is the purpose of life.
Meditation and Altruism gives a deeper meaning to life. As meditation calms your mind from all the unwanted disturbing emotions and altruism gives you a chance to see beyond the 'I'
Yes, life does have a purpose. But only you can unveil the purpose of your life.
Life is to be happy and bring smiles on other faces.
You cannot find meaning of life somewhere externally. For this you have to delve deep into your own peaceful inner self. Meditation and altruism will help you achieve this better.
The journey of finding purpose of your life can be started anywhere and for 'n' number of times. All you require is commitment to do seva or service of humanity in the world.
"You should make your life meaningful by: 1. Meditation - destresses so you have a relaxed mind to be able to ponder on the deeper questions. 2. Strike out the unnecessary elements you think are not the purpose of your life. 3. Service without any expectation will widen the horizon to lead you to the deeper meaning of life."
It is hard to find purpose of your life only until we are not able to come out of the negative emotions like: anger, frustration, jealousy, greed, complain, blames, boast, fights, etc.
