Ever spend much time thinking about that? What’s your purpose?

What does that have to do with your career? Everything!

Do you find your purpose in your job, or in something outside of your career?
What animates you from day-to-day?

- Advancement in your career?
- More money?
- Ability to have more toys, nicer houses, cars, jewelry, or ‘stuff’?
- Provide better for your family?
- Provide value or serve your customers?
- Be a better spouse, parent, child, friend, or neighbor?
- Have more fun?
- Serving God, or reflecting Him in the culture around you?
- Achieve happiness?
- Gain authority, titles, recognition, or power?
- Become the ‘Best’ at something?
- Live a ‘good’ life?
- ???

There are dozens, or hundreds, or thousands of things that can give someone purpose for their life. Certainly some purposes are more worthy or more noble than others, however, it’s important to know what yours is. Without purpose you go through the motions each day to do what you think you’re ‘supposed’ to do, but nothing drives you to do or be more or to be enthusiastic about getting out of bed in the morning. Lack of purpose can lead to depression, while having a clear purpose in your life gives you hope and encouragement.

Too often I see people who have no idea what their purpose is. They drift from day to day and their priorities change constantly. They feel empty and often try to fill that emptiness with drugs, alcohol, sex, or some other vice. They may even appear ‘successful’ on the outside, however, constantly feel discouraged or aimless on the inside.

People with purpose are more directed in all areas of their life. Even if their purpose has nothing to do with their career, they tend to perform better on the job because they know what it’s all for.

Our culture makes it easy to be distracted from thinking about our purpose. There are endless ways to fill our time and our minds with other things. TV, Radio, iPods, Video Games, Restaurants, Bars, Work, School, or anything else you can think of. The thought may come to mind that “it might be a good idea to figure this out”, but something else comes up and things get postponed again, and again, and again.

Taking the time to really think through what’s important to you, why you’re here, what you want to accomplish in life, and how do you get there can be an absolutely life altering experience. I would suggest that finding a purpose in something that’s transcendent, something outside of your personal achievement or worldly ‘success’ will ultimately be far more satisfying to you. However, whatever you decide your purpose is, it will make you far more effective in your life that not having one at all.

What’s your purpose? Take the time to figure it out!