Our life purpose aka stop and smell the roses?

The seemingly never ending question about the purpose of life keeps popping up for most of us. Even people who are not very spiritual and don't ask for a bigger meaning behind our existence will most likely at some point ask themselves what to do with their lives and question what they have done so far. Why is it that we always want to know the 'why' and long for a bigger purpose? And is there a bigger purpose for everyone?

To answer this question - you can stop reading after this - I would say our purpose in life is to be happy and content. We are here to remember that despite complications and challenges that will occur on our journey we are meant to enjoy life and everything this beautiful planet has to offer. Now, as simple as this might sound, it is not. At least not for me and if I look around for most of us neither. We are growing up with societal conditioning, with generational baggage and traumas and simply with daily difficulties that are just a normal part of life. So many people feel lost and don't really know how they want to create their life. Often they think that being part of society means fitting in and they bend until they break because they simply don't fit and on a deeper subconscious level they know they don't want to fit in. The good news is that only out of this feeling of being lost, out of suffering, you will be able to find your purpose and to find your true self. If you are more or less comfortable with being a bit uncomfortable - I mean if you are not quite happy with your life but don't really want to change anything - you will probably stay in this state for a while. Most people who are awake, speaking from a conscious level of deeper awareness, went through a so called dark night of the soul. That means they went through a lot of suffering, might it be depression, near death experiences or similar. Out of an unbearable situation or states of mind they started to ask the bigger questions and realized that there has to be more to life.

Deep down we all know that we are meant to be happy and fulfilled. Being content with what is and who we are is, or should be, a natural state of ours and on a soul level we know that. This is why it is so hard for humans to be in challenging situations or phases in our lives. Bad news - this too is a natural part of our being. On this planet it is perfectly normal to face challenges - it is necessary for our growth. So we have to accept that difficulties are here for us and not against us. Once we start to make peace with this concept we will have more energy to find, or remember, our purpose in life. It is that simple but yet so difficult - if you want to be happy you have to accept that life can be hard sometimes. To phrase Marianne Williamson, “Ego says, “Once everything falls into place, I'll feel peace.” Spirit says, “Find your peace, and then everything will fall into place.”

When we stop fighting what is and start practicing acceptance and letting go we automatically become more peaceful and calm. This gives us the strength to use challenges for our own good and to learn and grow from them.

Of course there are people who have different purposes in their lives. Might it be to care for others or to become a millionaire. Yes, I think both can be true as we never know for sure which path our souls chose in this incarnation. Either way, whatever you feel called to do in your life, calmness of the mind and inner peace will lead you to your purpose. We have to be still and quiet, at least for a while, in order to listen to our higher self and to the messages it has for us. It is great to ask yourself why you are here but we have to be silent in order to hear the answers. If we constantly distract ourselves and jump from one thing to another we won't be able to realize what wisdom we have inside us. If you are in a phase of your life where you feel lost and in desperate search of your purpose try to stop and become still. Maybe seek more solitude and go within. Start or continue meditation and most of all remember that only if you stop searching you will find what you are looking for, It is nothing that can be forced or rushed as everything has its divine timing and trying to push your growth will not work and might make you feel even more desperate. I know so well how difficult it can be to just stop when your mind tells you to keep going and keep looking. The ego and the mind tell you that if you look hard enough, if you go far enough and if you change fast enough you will find your purpose and your happiness. That is not true - the opposite is. I also know that only realizing this fact doesn't mean you will automatically want to stop searching and the feeling of being lost will go away but if you know this and remind yourself of it, it will slowly fade away. It is a process.

In the meanwhile, especially if it feels like nothing brings you fulfilment at the moment, do the little things that you like doing and do them with awareness. Enjoy your cup of coffee, the morning run or the book you wanted to read for so long. Make time and space for the little pleasures in life. Literally, 'stop and smell the roses'. Maybe finding your purpose is not so much about finding this one big thing and figuring out how to live your life. Maybe it is about recognizing the beauty in every little thing. Out of this realization you will find your own purpose and happiness, so stop searching, accept the challenges and make space through calming your mind. Let go of high expectations and pressure from yourself and your environment. As hard as it is, it is that simple.