002 - Finding Your Purpose Part 2

Welcome to the second episode of "Life with Purpose," where we continue our journey towards finding meaning and fulfilment in life. I’m Mel Harrowsmith from Mel Harrowsmith Coaching, and I’m excited to have you with me again.

In this episode, we delve into the core of what purpose truly is. At its most basic level, purpose is the reason why you do something or why something exists. In our previous episode, we discussed how the overwhelming number of choices in modern life can make it difficult to identify your true purpose. Today, we shift our focus from daily decisions to what truly motivates and drives you—the reason you get out of bed in the morning, beyond the mundane necessities.

We explore how purpose is about making a unique contribution to something bigger than yourself and how this contribution brings positive change. Your purpose is unique to you—it might be a lifelong calling or something more subtle and personal. It doesn't have to be grand or world-changing to be meaningful and impactful.

Join me as we break down what purpose is and why it’s essential for living a fulfilling life. And don't forget to tune in to the next episode, where we'll explore how to reconnect with your purpose when it feels lost or unclear.

Transcript

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Welcome to the second podcast in this series, Exploring Life with Purpose. In this episode, let's take a look at what purpose is. At the basic level, purpose is the reason why you do something or why something exists. In episode one, I talked about being overwhelmed by choice and how that can make it difficult to identify your purpose. I'm not really talking about the life purpose behind which soup or shade of off-white paint you choose to buy, but I am talking about what gets you out of bed in the morning. No, not the alarm clock, the need to pee or the dog. That's the stuff you have to do as part of your day-to-day. I'm talking about the reason, the drive, why you're here and what brings meaning and passion to your life. With so many options out there, often seemingly contradicting each other, it can be incredibly difficult to isolate what will give your life purpose from all the things you feel you should be doing or you think you need to do. So let's break that down and start by looking at what purpose is. Purpose is a sense that there is something bigger than yourself that you are making a unique contribution to and your contribution is making a positive difference. Your sense of purpose is unique to you. It might be a calling, a lifelong purpose that takes you from now until the end of your days, never deviating from the path, just a clear destination and drive to get there. Fantastic. But for most of us, purpose isn't about grand and world-changing goals. It's much closer to home. It's quieter and it might be invisible to those around you. As I said, purpose is unique to you, so your purpose will be different to your friends, your family and your colleagues. But whatever the size or scale of your purpose, it is yours and it is absolutely 100% valid. Purpose can be described as the motivation for getting out of bed in the morning, especially on a cold, dark winter's day. It's what gives you energy, passion, excitement and joy. And with that, purpose can have a significant influence on your mental health, your well-being, your relationship with others, and perhaps most important of all, your relationship with yourself. Research is showing that people with a strong sense of purpose, no matter what it actually is, are healthier, happier, less prone to disease, more resilient to change, less lonely, and they have stronger personal relationships and greater success. So with all these positive benefits from a strong sense of purpose, purpose doesn't have to be world-changing to be life-changing. Another thing to note about purpose is that for most people, and maybe this includes you, it can change. It may change several times throughout your lifetime. Sometimes the change will be gradual, so it creeps up on you until one day you realise that something just isn't right anymore. Or it can change suddenly and unexpectedly, feeling like the rug has been pulled out from under your feet. Whether gradual or rapid, losing your sense of purpose can be completely disorientating. And you can learn more about this in the next episode.