When we start to make a difference and live a purpose driven life, something amazing happens. We become happier and more fulfilled. I’m sure you’ve experienced this.
It doesn’t have to be anything big like going on a year-long mission trip or setting out to rid the world of cancer. Even small gestures that make a difference can have a big impact on how you feel.
We like to help out and make a difference. It doesn’t matter how small the act is. Helping a fellow student pick up a stack of dropped books. Running an errand for an elderly neighbor. Loaning a friend a book that’s changed your life. Reminding a fellow grocery shopper of a left-behind bag. All feel good, don’t they?
We’ve been social creatures who rely on each other for millennia. In that time we’ve evolved with mental and physical rewards for helping out and making a difference. In other words, it feels good to live with purpose. It makes us happy.
It’s one of the biggest reasons why living with purpose is such an important goal. At the end of the day, we all want to be happy, or at the very least happier than we are right now.
Media messages would have us believe that more material goods are the keys to happiness. They insist we need bigger and more expensive houses and cars. And more clothes, shoes, furniture, electronics, workout gear and the like.
If only we can buy and accumulate enough “stuff”, we’ll feel better. But it’s quite the opposite. The more things you have the more you worry about their maintenance. That takes away valuable time that you could be spending on something else.
The key to happiness isn’t to own more. It’s to live a purpose driven life and to make a difference in the world.
It’s part of the reason minimalism is becoming so popular. Uncluttering your life calms you. You feel more in control. And you have the time and mental energy to move toward your purpose.
A purpose driven life is one lived within our core values. It caters to our need to cooperate and work together. It strengthens our confidence and makes us feel needed and valuable. We find that we become happier.
The moral of the story is stop buying stuff you don’t need. And, stop chasing that high-paying job that makes you miserable for 60 hours a week. The better choice is to start living your life with purpose.
JohnK 6-4-2017
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