Insights About the Nature of Purpose

In my previous post, I shared some of my own personal thoughts on finding purpose along with some of my own journey gaining understanding of my purpose.

Today, I want to share some ideas from Pastor Rick Warren about the nature of purpose. Even if you are not religious, the ideas he shares regarding purpose come from an intuitive understanding of people and their relationship with personal purpose. I ask you to try and put aside any biases you might have and listen to the ideas behind the words.

Ideas from Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church

1. The struggle for purpose is an innately human struggle that every person goes through.
   • “spiritual emptiness is a universal disease”
   • ”I think inside at some point, we put our heads down on the pillow and we go, “There’s got to be more to life than this.” Get up in the morning, go to work, come home and watch TV, go to bed, get up in the morning, go to work, come home, watch TV, go to bed, go to parties on weekends. A lot of people say, “I’m living.” No, you’re not living — that’s just existing.”
   • “I think that comes down to this issue of meaning, of significance, of purpose. I think it comes down to this issue of: “Why am I here? What am I here for? Where am I going?” These are not religious issues. They’re human issues.”
2. We find personal purpose when we share what we love to do with those around us. We find fulfillment and purpose when we contribute to others.
   • “It’s not about you.”
   • “So, the good life is not about looking good, feeling good or having the goods, it’s about being good and doing good. Giving your life away. Significance in life doesn’t come from status, because you can always find somebody who’s got more than you. It doesn’t come from sex. It doesn’t come from salary. It comes from serving. It is in giving our lives away that we find meaning, we find significance.”
3. Your beliefs and worldview dictate your experience, thoughts, choices, and actions. Understanding the impact of your beliefs is important because… You can change your beliefs and your worldview.
   • “Your worldview, though, does determine everything else in your life, because it determines your decisions; it determines your relationships; it determines your level of confidence. It determines, really, everything in your life. What we believe, obviously — and you know this — determines our behavior, and our behavior determines what we become in life.”

Rick Warren’s Ted Talk

Below is Rick Warren’s full Ted Talk. It’s about 21 minutes long, but I think it is worth listening to.

Thank you for reading! Please share your thoughts in the comments.