Having spent rather a lot of years in and around the self-development and self-improvement industry, it's a pretty common workshop buzzword that people need to *"find their life purpose,"* in order to be truly happy in life.

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Of course, we could easily sidetrack into a whole different discussion as to whether or *"the pursuit of happiness"* is even a worthwhile proposition, but let's skip that for another time.

*Life Purpose...*

Of course there are lots of different interpretations of this term, but there's somewhat of a consensus that it's essentially what *motivates* you to get up every morning, and what guides your choices in life. It doesn't necessarily have to be about *work,* although it certainly *can* be.

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Personally, I have always struggled a bit with the whole *Life Purpose* concept... because it presupposes that there is *one* specific thing that drives us.

I suppose that *can* be true... some people I've met insist they were drawn to helping animals *(for example)* and their entire life — from childhood — is dedicated to eventually become a veterinarian, and they spend the rest of their lives healing unwell pets. 

That would certainly be a *"Life Purpose."*

But the number of people who have such a crystal clear vision and *"knowing"* seem to be greatly outnumbered by those *(like myself)* who feel more like they have been *muddling about in the fog* for most of their lives.

For a number of years, I was told that my ambivalence was merely happening because *"I hadn't yet found my life purpose."*

At the *"tender"* age of 62, I'm not convinced that I am going to suddenly find a life purpose!

Which is not to say that I am *UN*-happy with my existence. Or perhaps I am *missing* my life purpose because it is already *here* and I am in the middle of it. Let's face it, a life of basically playing with my hobbies, writing, growing a garden and painting on rocks isn't so bad, right?

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Which brings me back to a quote from His Holiness the Dalai Lama:

> #### *“The purpose of our lives is to be happy.”*

By *that* metric, I suppose my Life Purpose is already here, and it's also a blessing that Mrs. Denmarkguy's life purpose is here, because she's *also* fundamentally happy, most of the time.

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One of the things that substantially contributed to me eventually turning my back somewhat on the whole *"enlightenment seeking"* crowd was the tendency to become so focused on *looking for* these things in life — happiness, purpose, enlightenment, inner peace — that we end up completely forgetting to actually *life* the life that is here, right in front of us.

I thought about that, earlier today, as I stressed over finding enough time to pack up all my packages that needed to be mailed. *"packing and shipping"* is possibly my *least* favorite part of having a home business.

There *is* no version of life — as far as I can tell — that leaves people in a perpetual state of bliss and happiness. Besides, if we *had* that, we'd have nothing to balance out our experience against, so we'd be able to *recognize* our moments of happiness!

I'm just grateful that I don't have to show up at some office somewhere, to do work for a soulless corporation while being chewed on by an ornery boss whose head is on the line to improve productivity, so he/she takes it out on the employees!

Sure, I may complain about having to pay property taxes, or the sky high price of eggs, or the slowness of my 12-year old computer... but again, that doesn't really detract from the overall picture.

Is that picture my *"life Purpose?"* Is it *yours?* Does it even *matter?*

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great remainder of your week!

***Thanks for visiting! Comments, feedback and other interaction is invited and welcomed! Because — after all — SOCIAL content is about interacting, right? Leave a comment — share your experiences — be part of the conversation! I do my best to answer comments, even if it sometimes takes a few days!***

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