One Purpose, One Life — Who Invented That Rule?
For years, I couldn’t figure out my life purpose. Everyone seemed to have one. I didn’t. That bothered me.
When I was growing up, there was an assumption that everyone had a specific life purpose to discover and follow. According to this viewpoint, you were expected to discover whether you were designed to be a doctor, a lawyer, a plumber, a secretary, or whatever.
I never really felt that way, and it was frustrating that I couldn’t seem to identify my life purpose.
Although I now believe in having a life purpose, it is general rather than specific. It’s more of a life philosophy than it is a life purpose.
For instance, my life purpose is to live a good life guided by the four classic virtues of Wisdom, Courage, Justice, and Moderation. There are many specific careers that fit under this purpose.
What My Résumé Actually Tells Me About Myself
I have had a sense of a more specific purpose and mission at times, but those have changed over my life. I’ve been a minister at a local church and a civilian attorney with two very different practices (family law and later estate planning). In the Air Force, I’ve served as a medical administrative specialist, a Chaplain, and a JAG (military lawyer).
Now, as a retiree, I write blogs on two topics: retirement and health productivity. I also do part-time work for a creator friend.
I’m the kind of person who gets curious about an area. If there’s sufficient interest, I learn about it. If my interest continues, I’ll really delve into it. I’ll work on it for some time.
After reaching a higher level of competency at it, it will become somewhat routine and boring to me. I’ll start looking at other curiosities to pursue.
Where Do You See Yourself in Five Years? (I Have No Idea)
I’ve never seen the sense in questions like “Where do you see yourself in five years?” How should I know what I’ll be doing in five years? When my mission in life regularly changes, how can I answer that question?
As Anne-Laure Le Cunff wrote in her Ness Labs newsletter article, The Liberating Effect of Uncertainty
“The next time someone asks you where you see yourself in five years, the most honest answer might be: “I don’t know yet – and that’s exactly as it should be.”
What to Do When the Mission Ends and Nothing Has Replaced It
Often, there’s a gap between one purpose and discovering the next. And it’s not just uncomfortable — it’s disorienting. I’ve sat at my desk with nothing calling my name, wondering if that drive was just gone. Like a radio that’s lost the signal but keeps scanning.
I feel lost with no purpose or meaning to focus on.
Many see this as a common masculine energy trait: the primacy men place in having a mission. Not having a mission feels like something is seriously wrong. However, it’s normal to experience these gaps.
As David Deida wrote in The Way of the Superior Man: A Spiritual Guide to Mastering the Challenges of Women, Work, and Sexual Desire,
“The next layer of your unfolding purpose may make itself clear immediately. More often, however, it does not. After completing one layer of purpose, you might not know what to do with your life. You know that the old project is over for you, but you are not sure of what is next.”
How to Find Your Next Purpose (Without Forcing It)
To address these gaps in purpose in our lives, we need to be patient and open to new curiosities. Eventually, a new purpose and meaning will be revealed.
The new purpose doesn’t have to be a total change in direction; it can be deciding which new projects or areas you’ll focus on within a certain field.
But keep in mind the new purpose or mission isn’t always clear when you first become aware of it. It can take time and some experimenting to reveal the details and feel confident about which direction to go in.
As David Deida wrote in The Way of the Superior Man,
“When it comes, it usually won’t be a detailed vision. You will probably have a sense of what direction to move in, but the practical steps might not make themselves clear. When the impulse begins to arise, act on it. Don’t wait for the details. Learn by trial and error what it is you are to do.”
When the impulse begins to rise, act on it. Don’t wait for the details. You’ll figure it out as you try different activities.
Where are you right now — mid-mission, between missions, or still looking for the first one?”
AI Note: I wrote this blog post myself, using my own words and thoughts for the initial draft. I used AI only to suggest headlines, section headings, images, and text improvements.
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