Every living being has a purpose in life and it is the knowing of that purpose
which enables every soul to fulfill it. However unhappy a person may be,
once he or she knows the purpose of his or her life,
a switch is turned and the light is on.
– HIK, The Alchemy of Happiness
I find it comforting to know a spiritual master like Hazrat Inayat Khan believes everyone has a life purpose. He says there are two facets to this purpose—one outer or individual and the other inner or ultimate. The outer is your contribution to the world and the inner is your spiritual awakening or union with the divine. It doesn’t matter what you pursue in the world as long as it aligns with your deepest desires and you do it with integrity, patience, commitment, concentration and sacrifice.
HIK once spoke with a prosperous business man who never believed in any religion nor did he study any philosophy. Yet, in developing these positive qualities, HIK realized the man “had reached that truth which is studied by the philosopher and which is attained by the mystic through meditation” (The Path of Initiation).
Do you believe there is an outer purpose to your life? If so, how do you find it, if you don’t already know? You can’t rely on what people tell you or what culture deems you should do. It’s so easy to succumb to what others think best for you. Nor can you believe something you’re good at is necessarily your outer purpose. You need to dig deeper than that.
Childhood Clues
The first clue is often found in childhood or early adolescence. One of my sons at age five started to sell the pictures he drew. He’d put 5¢ in a circle on the upper right corner of each picture. Grandmas were excellent targets for sales. We just smiled at his entrepreneurship, but years later, he graduated from Harvard Business School and is presently working on a start-up company. My other son would meticulously draw running shoes in many different colors and styles. I thought this very odd, but it was showing him his life path. He eventually become a designer for Nike.
General vs Specific
What are other ways to discern your life purpose? Perhaps you have a general idea, such as to love, serve, write, teach, create, save the planet or engage in some other worthy endeavor. If not, you could listen to my free guided mediation, Life Purpose, at alicemcdowellauthor.com which leads you through a process to help you discern yours. If you do have a general or basic idea but aren’t clear on what area of your life best suits the application of your overall purpose, you could ponder the following questions: What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail? What gives you joy? Who inspires you and what qualities do they have? If you could spend a week doing anything you wanted, what would you do? What are your unconscious beliefs that block you from success? Are you open to unseen forces that help you fulfill your life purpose?
Ironically, most people know their life purpose, but believe it’s unrealistic or unattainable. They think they won’t be able to make enough money to support themselves or they don’t know the right ways to pursue their goal. When making career decisions, college students often feel pressured by parents and others to be practical rather than pursue their real desires. How sad. In doing so, they may easily end up disappointed later in life. As adults, there are similar pressures to prioritize practicalities at the expense of dreams and aspirations. “There is perhaps nothing worse than reaching the top of the success ladder and discovering you’re on the wrong wall,” Joseph Campbell reminds us.
You may need to have a job to pay the bills, but this doesn’t mean you should give up on your aspirations. Why not take courses, attend workshops or read relevant material in preparation for pursuing your life purpose? The key is not to give up.
A Circuitous Route
Sometimes your life purpose takes a circuitous route. You might be engaged in activities that seem far from your outer purpose but in the end get incorporated into it. I call this the divine economy. Nothing gets wasted.
In ninth grade, I wanted to be an interior decorator but ruled it out when learning what it entailed. In college I majored in math because it was practical and I was good at it. I took courses in religious studies but everyone told me I wouldn’t find any jobs in that field. I accepted a job as a statistical analyst in the NYC financial district and didn’t even try to find a career in religious studies, my real love. How did math and interior design have anything to do with my life purpose as a spiritual guide? I used these skills when decorating the eight structures we built for the retreat center and served as its accountant. Those earlier interests and careers were not wasted.
Another way to discern your life purpose is to look for clues coming from outside you. A friend might recommend a book or convey something in the news that sparked your interest. Watch your dreams. If you’re spiritually oriented, you could say, “I’m here to serve you; show me the way.” Finally, simply listen to your guidance as outlined in the September, 2023 essay, “Discerning True Guidance.” See below.
Inner Purpose
Unlike the outer purpose, the inner, ultimate purpose is the same for everyone, although it may take many guises and forms. If you think about it, everyone strives for happiness, peace, love, wisdom and strength to tackle life’s challenges. The good news is you don’t have to go far to find what you truly seek because it already exists within you. Yes, you might be unhappy or agitated at times, you might be disappointed in love, you might not be able to understand all you want to know. But if you sink down deeper, you’ll discover you are love, peace, wisdom, and strength at your divine core. At first, you’ll touch this place intermittently and later more permanently. In either case you’ve glimpsed or awakened to your true royal nature and are now able to radiate these qualities to all. I can’t think of no greater life purpose.
