Have you ever been asked what your true purpose in life is? Or what makes you the happiest, or the saddest? Have you been asked what your true goals in life are? Or whom you are competing with? Is it yourself?
I was asked these questions for the first time a few days ago and was at a complete loss for words.
My answer to this list of questions was simply, “I guess I haven’t really thought that much into it,” and the person who asked me said, “well why not?”
Again, there I stood at a loss for words.
I know that we’ve all been asked where we want to be in 5 years, 10 years, etc. But that’s different, because we all answer what we’re “supposed to” answer; living in a house with my husband/wife and children, with lots of money and the job of my dreams. That may be true, but that is what we are told to want, so try to dig deeper.
Of course I want all of those things, and much more, like to be happy, healthy, in love, and all of that. But although those are important goals for me in the long run, what is my purpose in life right now?
I go to class and work during the week, go out with friends on the weekend, and then do it all over again. Is that all I’m supposed to be doing? More importantly, is that all that I WANT to be doing?
Going back to what I was asked, I started wondering, why don’t I wake up thinking about those questions? Go to bed thinking about them? Talk about them with my roommates or my parents or my friends? Instead, we think and talk about where we’re going on Saturday night and what outfit we’ll wear. We talk about how we tripped up the stairs today walking to class, or how much we’re craving pizza. We talk about how sad we are to be graduating soon, and sometimes being excited for the next steps, but that’s where we stop. We spend our time stressing about when we’ll have time to go to the library and study for exams, and what will happen if we fail.
Well there comes the next question: what needs to happen for you to consider yourself to have failed? Would it really be to get an F on a test? Would it be to raise your children the wrong way, or to give up on your marriage, or to neglect your passion in life? Believe me, I’m not asking these questions thinking that answers will instantly pop into your mind, because I still don’t know what my own answers are.
Also know that I am a big believer in ‘living in the moment,’ and I’m not discouraging you to do so. I don’t think that you should spend your time planning your entire future, and missing out on the present. However, I do encourage you to think about why you do the things that you do, what you want in life beyond the basics, and how you will achieve your absolute happiness.
Food for thought!