Thoughts on Purpose In Life
What will my sense of purpose be when I’m retired? What will my main theme in life be?
This is something that I haven’t actually thought much about and haven’t quite put my finger on a solid answer. However, it seems that this will be something I’ll need to contemplate a bit more as I get older.
Looking back at my post on the article from Kiplinger “Eight Habits For A Happy Retirement” by Jacob Schroeder, number 3 is Happy retirees find a clear sense of purpose. I’m sure that my thoughts on purpose will change quite a bit over time as I think and read more about the topic, but here are some current thoughts that come to mind.
Why does purpose matter?
I think I get the concept. If there is no reason to do anything and no focus on life, the average person will just sit around watching their television, scrolling through social media, and eat too much. There won’t be a good reason to live, so they die early. Yeah, this is probably a bit simplified, but I suppose it kind of makes sense. Perhaps there has to be more to life than just having fun.
So where do people go about finding purpose?
Job-related Purpose
I suppose that some people might define their purpose as their job description. A nurse or fitness instructor may say that their purpose in life is to help people live a better, longer, healthier life. A farm worker might say their purpose is to help feed people. A construction worker might say their purpose is to help provide shelter. People whose purpose is defined as their job may be some of those who work well into their 70s and 80s because of their job, not necessarily for the money. I commend these people.
I personally try not to associate my purpose with my paid job. Sure, I do currently find my job fulfilling and I feel that I do help others in some capacity. However, if my purpose in life was tied solely to my job, I would be under much more stress.
Every time I worked on a different project or my job description or role changed, my purpose would change too. At each of my annual evaluations I would learn about how my supervisor judges my purpose in life. Would my pay define how good of a purpose I have and how I’m doing at it? Yikes, I would need a new purpose fast! If I lost my job, or if I retired, I suppose my purpose in life would be gone. I can see how that could be problematic for those who feel that way.
Goal-related Purpose
Some people may find purpose through goal setting. For example, someone might feel like their purpose is to have visited every national park in the United States. Maybe a purpose could be to donate 1 million dollars to Alzheimer’s research throughout their lifetime.
Having one’s purpose centered around running a marathon could bring about improved nutrition, exercise, and could include community if they joined a group with others with this same type of goal. It might be tough if a torn ligament or broken ankle pushed off the goal to a much later date, or didn’t allow them to reach their actual goal. But maybe not being able to reach a goal-driven purpose wouldn’t matter as long as it brought some extra meaning and hard work toward their life.
Impactful Purpose
Another type of purpose could be geared toward being impactful. Someone’s purpose might be to help the world to become more educated about Alzheimer’s disease. They might want to join local groups and share information and be a resource for those with questions.
Or maybe someone is interested in becoming an advocate for pickleball in their town. They may want to start up camps and leagues, and encourage the building of more courts, and share the benefits of exercise and community.
What will my purpose be when I’m retired?
As my kids grow older, my relationship with them and a part of my purpose will change as well. My relationship with my wife will be different when we are both retired, as will relationships with friends. I think that whatever especially excites me at this point in life may be one of my drivers of purpose, whatever that may be.
I suppose I might set a goal to force myself out into a community more to partake in conversing with, and maybe even helping others in some way. Although, much like my job, I don’t know if I will want to consider part of my purpose to be based on specific goals or depend on other people. Or maybe part of my purpose will be as general as to try finding ways to help others in some way.
What is my purpose now?
It seems that purpose is pretty important to consider when you’re retired. But shouldn’t purpose be something that you don’t want to wait until retirement to have?
Hmm, this seems like kind of a deep question that I should have an obvious and quick response to. But I don’t think my current purpose is short and sweet. I think it’s woven between several ideas, and maybe even always evolving. It’s too personal to be associated with my current job, or hanging on the balance of how my kids do in school or how much money we’ve saved up.
I think my current purpose does include providing a safe space for my kids, and even helping to guide them toward adulthood. But I also think that my purpose does include learning about life, interacting with others (though I’m not necessarily often in the mood for this), and sharing things I’m passionate about with others. I also think that my purpose entails experiencing life and being happy with who I am. Yeah I’m not super clear I suppose on my own purpose, but I’m sure that my passions and experiences from my past and future will help guide me forward.
Current thoughts
I feel like someone’s purpose is very personal and related to their identity. Will I try to spend more time before and when I’m retired geared toward my purpose or trying to find purpose? I don’t know. I don’t think that I’m going to set a goal of spending X number of hours a week toward an always evolving purpose. I also would not want my purpose to be so specific that I could “achieve” it. I’d like more general purposes that I can work toward.
Do I think considering a purpose and reminding myself of purpose is helpful? Yes, probably. It would make sense for me to check in with myself regarding who I am and what I’m trying to do with my life fairly often throughout my life. Maybe I’m a bit too easy on myself, but I’m good for now.
I’m sure my thoughts and clarity on purpose will change in the months and years to come. We shall see.
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Reader Questions
- What is your purpose in life? Has it changed over time?
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