a woman standing on a sunlit terrace with arms outstretched — Photo by Julian Jagtenberg

In a fast-paced, constantly-connected world, it's easy to get caught up in the day-to-day and lose sight of what's truly important. Living a meaningful life doesn't have to be complicated or time-consuming. In fact, having a life with purpose involves eliminating the excess we add to our lives that are not benefiting us in positive ways. By taking some time each day to connect with our values and focusing on what we want to achieve, we can create a life that is meaningful, fulfilling and happier without all the noise.

What Does a Purposeful Life Look Like?

A purposeful life looks like one that’s lived with intention. This means setting goals and working towards them incrementally in ways that are healthy for us. It also means cultivating valuable relationships and putting time into nurturing them them. A life with meaning is one in which we feel like we are making a difference, whether that's in our own lives or in the lives of others. We all have different purposes in life, but whatever ours may be, it needs to bring us satisfaction and a sense of fulfillment outside of anything tangible.

Clarify Your Values and Priorities

When it comes to creating a meaningful life, it’s important to clarify your values and priorities. This will help you focus on what is truly important to you and ensure that your actions align with your goals.

To start, sit down and reflect on what you believe in and what’s most important to you. What do you value most in life? Once you have a good understanding of your core values, you can begin to set goals and priorities that align with them.

It can be helpful to think about your long-term vision for your life and what you want to achieve. What kind of person do you want to be? What do you want to accomplish? Keep these things in mind as you make decisions about how and where to spend your time and energy.

Practice Gratitude and Find Joy in Simple Things

Another way to create a more purposeful and joyful life is to enjoy the simple things and focus on gratitude. Gratitude allows us to appreciate the good in our everyday lives, even in the midst of obstacles. It can be easy to take the good things in our lives for granted, but when we take time to be grateful, we open ourselves up to a greater sense of satisfaction.

Show appreciation each day by:

1. Making a list of things you’re grateful for. This could be people in your life, experiences you’ve had, or material possessions. Write down as many things as you can think of, big or small.

2. Keep a gratitude journal and write in it regularly. Every day, jot down a few things you’re thankful for that day. This can be as simple as a smile from a stranger or the door someone held open for you.

3. Think of one thing you re grateful for every time you sit down for a meal. This could be the water that gives you life, the food that nourishes you, or the hands that prepared it.

Set Goals and Make a Plan

It's not enough to just dream about what you want to achieve in life. You need to set specific goals and put a plan in place to make them happen. This may seem daunting, but it's actually quite simple if you break it down into smaller chunks.

Start by getting clear on what you want to achieve. What are your long-term goals? What do you want to accomplish in the next year, or even the next month? Once you have a good understanding of your goals, it's time to create a plan of action.

Again, start with small steps. What is the very first thing you need to do in order to move closer to your goal? Write it down and then take action. Every day, check off that one task and then move on to the next one.

Let Go of Perfectionism

While it's important to have standards and to strive for excellence, perfectionism can be a roadblock on the path to achieving your goals. If you're constantly fixated on achieving perfection, you may never get started or you may never finish.

One way to let go of perfectionism is to focus on the process rather than the outcome. Enjoy the journey and the challenges that come with it. Don't get too caught up in thinking about how things should turn out; instead, savor the experience of working towards your goals. When we get too caught up in the end goal, we can lose focus on what step needs to be accomplished at the moment in order to get there.

Another way to let go of perfectionism is to accept that mistakes are part of life. Everyone makes mistakes; it's how we learn and grow. Rather than beating yourself up over a mistake, learn from it, move forward, and show appreciation for the lessons and knowledge gained in the process.

Tune in to What Lights You Up

What are you naturally good at? What makes you happy? What do you enjoy doing more than anything that gives you a sense of purpose? How can you turn that into a career?

We all have things that we are enjoy doing in life. For some of us, these interests may be related to our work, while others may have interests and hobbies outside of their professional lives. Regardless of what lights you up, it’s important to actively pursue what you enjoy and use that as a launching pad to create a more purposeful life.

One way to do this is to find ways to integrate your passions into your career. If you love writing, consider making it a central part of your job, whether that means writing articles or creating marketing materials. If you’re passionate about helping others, consider a career in coaching or counseling. There are endless possibilities for turning your joys into a career.

Remove Toxic People and Activities from Your Life

One of the best things you can do for yourself is to get rid of toxic people and things in your life. Negative people, activities, and influences will only hold you back from achieving your dreams and reaching your full potential.

So, how do you go about getting rid of the toxicity in your life? First, take a good hard look at the people you surround yourself with on a daily basis. Are they positive, supportive people who make you feel good about yourself? Or are they negative, judgmental people who always seem to bring you down? If it's the latter, it's time to cut ties with those people.

In order to have a purposeful life, it's important to invest time in relationships that matter and are healthy for your mind and soul. This means taking the time to nurture and care for valuable relationships and making sure that they are a positive force in your life. It’s also important to be honest with yourself about which relationships are truly meaningful and which ones might be holding you back. Surround yourself with positive people who will build you up, and who will support you through thick and thin, and who are in alignment with your core values.

Purposeful Living is an Ongoing Journey

Creating a life with purpose is a journey that never ends. There will always be new things to learn and new experiences to have. The key is to never stop growing and never stop learning.

Purposeful living starts with setting goals and figuring out what you want to achieve. Once you have a clear vision for your future, you can start taking steps and making a conscious effort to turn your vision into your reality. It takes dedication and consistent effort, but it is possible to create the life you truly want.

There is no single blueprint for a purposeful life, but there are certain things that tend to make it more fulfilling. A sense of contribution, connection, and growth are all important elements of a meaningful existence. The most important thing to remember is that meaning comes from within. It's not something that can be found externally. Only you have the power to set the intention to create meaning in your life.

And you have everything you need to start today.

How to Live a Purposeful Life