Expert advice to help you to find your purpose in life

Psychotherapy is not the only way to find your purpose. Not according to Michael Steger, founding psychologist at the Center for Meaning and Purpose in Colorado, United States.

“Finding your purpose is not easy and requires commitment. Many times we will need the help of a therapist, or a friend or the family,” commented Steger at the Wellbeing 360 conference organized by Tecmilenio.

However, not everyone has the resources to access therapy, and for some it is even difficult to do so, says the expert.

In this situation, Steger mentions that there are some informal exercises to be able to seek a purpose that are simpler than therapy and even scalable.

“You don’t have to find a psychotherapist or an expert coach. You can just do it directly.

“These exercises are scalable: they can start small, but you can adjust the structure and it is something that can be enjoyable,” said Steger.

The expert was one of the guests at the annual event organized by the Institute of Wellbeing and Happiness Sciences at Tecmilenio and held virtually from October 26 to 30.

Strengths + Values + Tribe, is equal to Purpose.

Steger mentions that there are different ways which people use to find their purpose.

Some people call it their “why” in life, and some others use diagrams like Ikigai: a Japanese word that means finding your purpose by mixing what you love, what the world needs, what you are good at, and what people can pay you for.

However, Steger affirms that these approaches are not based on studies, and even he doubts some of them.

“The purpose is to go on a trip. A trip which follows a path with deviations: you can go backwards, and even go back and start over,” he indicated.

During his workshop, Steger shared what for him is the formula for finding a purpose:

Strengths + Values + Tribe equals Purpose.

“Strengths are your natural tools. It can be the moments where you feel most free when doing something, and the role you take when there is freedom,” Steger said.

Values, on the other hand, are the things that are important to people: what they seek to protect, defend, and value.

The tribe are the people with whom those values are shared, who can be asked for help, or the beneficiaries of each person’s purpose.

Steger commented that listing each of the 3 aspects and mixing them together can help define a purpose.

He also mentioned that a person can have several purposes in life: they can add others, change them, or sometimes some are no longer valid after a certain period.

“You have your whole life to work on that. Talk to someone who knows you well and work over it again.

“An important thing is that you must be both sincere and authentic. This helps us to improve, and not to be conformist,” Steger said.

Make every moment something special

Another tool that the expert shared is that of being able to find meaning in small things.

“How can we make each moment special and give ourselves the strength to continue in such a difficult world?” asked Steger.

Under this premise, the expert mentions that to in order to find meaning it is not necessary to look for it, but rather that it is something which is found while living a meaningful life.

It is about focusing on the experience of being alive, on developing new skills and thinking of them as a way to improve life.

Also, another of the things that Steger mentioned was introspection and thinking deeply about how to understand life.

“You also have to transcend the physical moment. Not just being motivated when we are hungry, cold, sleepy, or sad. We should not let that drive us, but rather let it drive us to something better,” he added.

The examples he mentioned included spending a moment enjoying nature and beginning to think about how you feel or what would happen if it ceased to exist.

Through this, people can get to know themselves and make sense of some things they do or dream about doing.

“It sounds like a complex task, but it’s not something that is created magically; you can choose to find meaning in every moment,” he said.

Benefits of searching for a purpose

The expert commented that a purpose is a set of general aspirations above all things. Something to which you aspire and dream

In his talk, Steger mentioned that people who have a purpose tend to be happier and have a better level of wellbeing.

In the same way, he mentioned that people who establish one or more purposes for their lives can guide their actions by them and be consistent.

“We can use our purpose to organize what we do: opening up options, defining priorities, and focusing our efforts.

“Purpose defines where you advance in your life, and builds bridges to a better future,” said Steger.

What is Wellbeing 360?

The Wellbeing 360 conference, organized by Tecmilenio and previously called Foro Felicidad 360 (Happiness 360 Conference), aims for virtual attendees to acquire tools with which to improve their health and maintain a positive emotional state.

“At Wellbeing 360 we want to give people the tools they need to be able to flourish and grow during this time of so many challenges”, says Rosalinda Ballesteros, Director of the Institute of Wellbeing and Happiness Sciences at Tecmilenio.

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