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I suppose it’s human nature to project ourselves into others and assume they have the same wants and needs we do.

I write about meaning and purpose because it’s important to me. And I assume it’s important to you too.

Actually there’s plenty of evidence that others are looking for meaning and purpose in their lives.

But the secular world doesn’t spend much time or effort talking about it. I suppose that’s because it’s not scientifically measurable. Or maybe the secular world feels it has too many religious connotations.

But our need for meaning and purpose is a very real issue. In fact our need for meaning and purpose is the very reason that religions have survived and grown so popular. Religion is a man made solution to satisfying our quest for meaning and purpose. The historical success of religion is prima facie evidence of mankind’s universal need for meaning and purpose.

But religions have run into their natural limits. The geographic isolation of religions used to be their strength. But now it’s a major weakness highlighted by a mobile society and the free flow of information.

We as a society have come full circle and are back to where we were thousand of years ago. With an almost universally unmet need for meaning and purpose.

This isn’t a new problem. It’s a very old problem. It’s not a religious problem. It’s a secular problem.

Society is still new at this field because we got sidetracked by religion and have grown mentally weak in the field. Secular society needs to main stream this issue in order to build a solid foundation of thinking so people will have secular models to use in their quest.

I used to to be fascinated by Dr. Robert Schuller’s idea of possibility thinking. That anything is possible.

But in reality that’s not how we should be structuring our lives. Instead we should focus on what’s probable because we all have limited talents and resources.

We must distill all those possibilities down to what is reasonable and practical for us. To the things within our reach. Otherwise we’ll be living in a world of hopes and dreams instead of the real world.

It’s true that many people sell themselves short of their true potential. That’s where possibility thinking comes in because it allows you to see beyond your current circumstances.

But at some point you have to start making choices and living in the present. With what you have and what you can reasonably expect to get.

It’s nice when life is rolling along problem free. That is our preferred state.

But then out of left field you’ll be thrown into a crisis that knocks you out of your daily routine and makes you focus on the big picture again.

It might be a divorce, or a health issue, or finances. But it’s big enough to make you start thinking about your life again. That is the upside of a crisis. It gives you the motivation to reevaluate your situation and your direction.

I recently had a mini-crisis and was afraid I would have to return home to solve it. As you know I’m living overseas and having to return home would cost a lot of money on my budget. Plus it would completely disrupt my lifestyle of the last few years.

Fortunataly it was a false alarm. But it did get me thinking again. Thinking about my situation and what my plans are for the immediate future.

Sometimes routine is good. At least it’s comfortable. On the other hand it might be an indication that we’ve gotten lazy and aren’t monitoring our time carefully. That’s where a crisis comes in.

It makes us more aware of the present and what our plans are. It shakes us up a little. Many times for the better. So even though the crisis it’s self is bad, the outcome can often times be positive.

But even better is to not wait for a crisis to re evaluate your situation. Be pro active and give yourself a new or renewed prospective. You need to do this fairly often to make sure you are on track. Don’t wait for a crisis to force you.

It’s important to do this often so you stay as close to your purpose as possible. Though re evaluation is difficult without motivation.

That’s why a little change helps. Go on a trip, or change your routine, or anything to provide a little contrast so you can see things more clearly again.

Something to shake yourself up like a crisis would.

Further reading

• Do You Know Exactly What You Want From Life?
• Self Analysis: The Doctor Is (Always) In

Your purpose in life isn’t going to be found far away on some distant mountain top. On the contrary. It’s likely right under your nose but you just don’t recognize it.

You’re probably making the search too difficult. Perhaps you think it’s more meaningful the harder it is to find.

There is usually a lot of hocus pocus surrounding our search for meaning and purpose. But don’t get distracted by the search.

The purpose of the search is to clear your vision so you can see the obvious. No matter how far the search takes you, chances are you’ll find yourself right back where you started from. Because our purpose is grounded in the everyday things we do.

It’s usually not so much a matter of finding your purpose as it is recognizing it. It’s close at hand and has been there all along. You just don’t recognize it as such.

Perhaps because you are distracted by the search.

Or looking for something more complicated.

Further reading

• Learning To Be Happy With What You Already Have
• Scale This Question To Fit Your Life

One of my favorite reading subjects is cultural anthropology because I like to learn about our human roots. How we are similar and how we differ from our distant relatives.

As we look back and see all the differences between people, many of these can be accounted for by environment.

When we look back and see things are the similar with people, then we can assume these are human nature.

It’s important to differentiate between human nature and environmental variables. This gets us closer to the true nature of man.

The first signs of ritual human burial were about 90,000 years ago. Which shows that early man was conscious of his own death.

The first recorded art was about 30,000 years ago, which shows man thinking in abstract terms.

People started gathering in stationary groups and forming the roots of modern civilization about 5 or 6,000 years ago.

Our lives are build on a foundation of over 100,000 years of human consciousness. This is an amazing thought. That we are now at the forefront of human evolution. Both physical and cultural.

The main difference between us and a cave man is what we know, our knowledge.

I can see myself wandering around the forest hunting for roots and small game and not knowing what I know now. Physical evolution is coming at only a fraction of the pace of cultural evolution. We are currently seeing and experiencing things that have never existed in the past.

And at the forefront of human evolution is the individual person. Many people are firmly entrinched in their cultural past. But it’s the person, the individual who can consciously escape their cultural influences who is at the head of and leads the way in human evolution.

This is the next step in human evolution; to become fully independent thinkers. You want to learn from the past, but not be a product of it. We must escape the differences in culture to arrive at our true human nature.

This person can stand on the shoulders of the past and be a new person, have new thoughts and live life to the fullest. This is the person you want to strive to be. Fully aware of the influences of your past but not encumbered by it.

You want your thoughts and actions to be independent of the cultural variables that aren’t important. Because they are just that, superficial variables. What is important is fundamental human nature. That is what got us where we are today. That is our true nature.

Further reading

• Reality, Knowledge, And The Truth
• Family History

There are two reasons that modern man has lost his sense of direction and purpose.

We have lost religion which was our traditional source of purpose.

And we have lost the daily struggle to survive that life used to offer. We have plenty to eat and drink and have very few life and death security issues.

In other words, life can be boring.

When people are successful they have plenty of stimulation and challenges. Oprah Winfrey, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg. These people have an inherent set of opportunities and challenges.

But I’m speaking of ordinary people. The little people of the world like you and me.

Our days tend to blend together into an entire lifetime. Our daily challenges are small so our rewards are small. If life doesn’t present us with a challenge then we have to find our own. We need something to spice up our life and make it worthwhile.

We need something to distinguish us from the rest of the crowd. All those who are just wandering through life without direction, taking the path of least resistance and going where ever life leads them.

Our challenge is to find our own sense of direction and purpose.

This is an issue that crosses most of our minds at various times in our life. But without proper attention it will pass and you will go back to your old routine again. To make a permanent change, to find a real sense of purpose in an otherwise ordinary life takes deliberate effort.

Finding you purpose will be a challenge. But it can de done. It has to be done.

Otherwise you will live and die and never have been fully awake.

How terrible it would be if you were 80 years old and in failing health and had little or nothing to look back on. But it’s not too late to change your life history.

Even if your life is small it can still be meaningful. If you’re not happy with your life you have to take action and change course. If life has provided you with few challenges then you must take the initiative and make our own opportunities for self examination and change.

Without the force of traditional religion and with few natural life challenges you are completely in charge of the direction your life takes. This is the biggest challenge that modern man faces.

Further reading

• What Do You Believe?
• Is It Necessary To Understand Your Purpose In Life?

Your purpose in life is a function of your experiences, your talents and your preferences. As those things change so will your overall purpose. That’s why it’s not unusual to have to readjust your purpose throughout your lifetime.

Sometimes it’s just a small change to keep you on track. Other times it might be a complete change of direction.

You’ll know that something is wrong because you’ll lose your firm sense of direction. You will no longer have absolute confidenced in yourself.

When you feel these symptoms that means it’s time to look at yourself to see if you need to make some changes. Let your feelings be your guide. Don’t be surprised or confused when you outgrow yourself. It’s part of life and to be expected.

Your purpose isn’t one overall mission. It has many threads and some of them are more important than others. And a many of them are perennial and will keep coming up over time. Your purpose is composed of layers of motivations and goals. And as they change composition and percentages this will effect your overall direction.

These changes are ever present and you need to account for them by monitoring your thoughts and feelings to stay on track. Your purpose in life grows and changes along with your experiences and it also depends on how homogeneous your life is.

The more radical the changes the more your overall purpose will be effected. Having a child, a death in the family, a life changing medical event, losing your long term job; these are radical events that will have a profound effect on your purpose in life.

But as a whole your purpose will change much slower than your overall life. The changes will be more gradual as you develop a larger experience base. In other words, your purpose is more likely to change radically when you are younger than as you get older.

Further reading

• Life Is One Big Series Of Opportunities
• Have You Lost Your Direction And Purpose In Life?

Some people are born into situations that provide a built in sense of purpose for their life. Where everyone has a uniform expectation of them and they grow up into that role.

Like if you were born into royalty or a family with a strong history. This was common in generations past where sons and daughters were expected to grow up and fill the roles of their parents. And this is still the case in some modern families. But not so much now because people have more opportunities and are less bound by family history.

But for those who are there is a firm sense of purpose in their life. When this role fits these people are not likely to question that purpose.

Your past can play an important role in establishing your sense of purpose. Some people find motivation through their family history. Others find confusion.

So in your quest for meaning and purpose, examine you past to see what role your family history plays.

Further reading

• What Is Life All About? What Is The Meaning And Purpose Of Life?

Today was a perfect day. It felt right from the moment I woke up.

I already had plans but nothing was time sensative so I put everything off and cleared the day. Then I layed on the couch and let my mind wander. I bounced between the couch and the computer till about 2pm when I went for a long walk to solidify my thoughts.

When I got home I finished my writing and went for dinner.

It was not an outstanding day except that it was all in the moment.

Hardly a single thought about yesterday or tomorrow. It was a perfect “in the moment” experience.

This is how life should be lived. One moment at a time.

Further reading

• Living In The Moment
• Did You Do Anything New Today?