Finding Purpose and Meaning

Purpose is a powerful driver for mental well-being because it tells us the meaning of our life: "why?" Some people's purpose is to help others; for some, it is to achieve their dreams. Purpose is about contribution and direction because it gives us resilience, motivation, and a sense of fulfillment.

You can find your purpose through self-awareness—what matters more to you, what brings you more happiness, and what is meaningful to you. You can do journaling about this and ask yourself in which moments you feel most alive and engaged.

You can find purpose in small daily tasks, such as acts of kindness or finding joy in your routine. Identify your core values and then take actions and make decisions based on what matters more to you.

You can also find meaning in suffering—how you grew during those difficult times and how those difficulties shaped your purpose. Connect with a community and share your goals and experiences within it. You can take imagination as a source of purpose and view art, writing, and music as meaning making.

And another important thing is that purpose keeps changing through life stages, so remain open to new sources of meaning and let go of purposes that no longer matter to you. Purpose is not something you find once and it stays that way forever; purpose is something you discover, build, and then rediscover throughout your life.