Finding Your Purpose In Life Can Improve Your Marriage
Knowing your unique role and feeling like you have a sense of purpose is bound to make you a better partner. Finding deeper meaning in your life can allow your relationship to skyrocket to a new level. However, many people feel as if they have no idea what their purpose in life is. This can leave them feeling unsettled and can make everything seem less satisfying, including their marriage.
When people are content with themselves and their role, they are more enjoyable to be around and better able to put life’s everyday problems into better perspective. Stress becomes more tolerable and a person’s self-worth increases when they have purpose.
People who don’t know what their purpose is can feel like they are out of balance. Sometimes this is reflected as a sense of anxiety. For others it feels more like a chronic boredom. Yet, others just feel like something is missing. These sorts of unsettled feelings sometimes lead to a “mid-life crisis” or cause someone to engage in an affair in an attempt to alleviate their feelings.
A life purpose frees a person from paying attention to just their immediate concerns. Instead, they are able to focus on making a meaningful contribution to others. Recognizing your life purpose can help decrease the anxiety about your marriage as you are likely to feel more secure in yourself.
How to Find Your Life Purpose
Many people struggle with knowing what to do or how to discover their purpose in life. Discovering your life purpose requires a few steps. It also takes time to really develop a deeper sense of meaning. It also requires a lot of reflection on your life. But with some work, it can ensure that during your old age you can look back on your life and feel fulfilled. Start determining your purpose on an individual level and then talk to your partner and see if the two of you can create goals that will help you to feel satisfied with your life.
Start your search for a deeper sense of purpose by clarifying your values. What are your priorities in life? Consider what sorts of things give your life meaning, such as family, career, charity work, etc. Then ask yourself, “If someone looked at how I spend my time would they recognize what things are the most important to me?” Or do you spend a lot of time in areas of your life that you don’t consider to be as important?
What types of things do you want to accomplish in your life? Do you want to get a college degree? Or do you want to travel to Europe? If there are things that you have always wanted to do, consider whether or not you still want to do these things. If you do, start looking into ways to accomplish them. There’s nothing that says because you are married or have children you can’t do the things that are important to you.
Take a look at your spiritual life. Are there things you want to learn about or explore? Do you want to make changes to live your life according to your spiritual beliefs? Living life according to your beliefs is an important step in developing more meaning and purpose.
Also, examine your talents and creative outlets. Do you have some skills that you have never taken the time to fully develop? Are there things you are passionate about? If you aren’t sure, try something new. It may take some time to discover some hidden talents or passions.
Living According to Your Purpose
Sometimes, living life according to your purpose requires a major change, like a new career or continuing some education. Other times, it requires an attitude shift and changing a few priorities around. Don’t rush into make changes. Instead, spend a lot of time reflecting and making wise decisions about what sort of changes can give you satisfaction.
Sometimes couples are able to identify a purpose together. This can help them focus on their goals without feeling insecure about the state of their marriage. Working together on a common goal helps them to be a true partnership. This may mean that they volunteer at a local soup kitchen twice a week or that they focus more on time with family together. Other couples have individual goals and they are able to support one another in living them out.
Living life with a deeper sense of meaning and purpose is challenging, exciting, and most importantly, satisfying. Whether your purpose is to be a great parent, have a successful career, or help others in your community, talk to your spouse about it. Work together on supporting one another to reach your goals.
Finding purpose in your life can be as important to finding your particular purpose. Serving others – in your personal relationships, at work, in the marketplace – is a way to expand beyond the confines of self concern. When we find calmness and strength within, we can move out from that center, and find our own happiness by giving more, and expecting less. Its one of the great secrets to lasting happiness.