In this episode, we explore the many ways this conflict can manifest: frustration, anger, apathy, boredom, resentment, and a sense of loss.
You might feel unmotivated, lost, stuck, or anxious because what used to bring joy no longer does.
You might feel like you're not contributing or making a difference, or you may have experienced a change that disrupted your previous sense of purpose.
These feelings are not just uncomfortable—they are a wake-up call.
In this episode, we explore the many ways this conflict can manifest: frustration, anger, apathy, boredom, resentment, and a sense of loss.
You might feel unmotivated, lost, stuck, or anxious because what used to bring joy no longer does.
You might feel like you're not contributing or making a difference, or you may have experienced a change that disrupted your previous sense of purpose.
These feelings are not just uncomfortable—they are a wake-up call.
Welcome to the third episode in this series of podcasts, Exploring Life with Purpose, with me, Mel, from Mel Harrowsmith Coaching. In this episode, I want to talk to you about what happens when you lose your sense of purpose, or maybe you've realised you've never had a sense of purpose. When you are living your life within your purpose, then it feels great. You are positive, motivated, healthy and dare I say it, content. When you have clarity of purpose, it's much easier to see what is having a positive impact on your life and what isn't, so it becomes easier to prioritise the positive and jettison the negative. Having said that, there are always going to be things you need to do to maintain the standard of living and the relationships you want. So it's not about abandoning everything that doesn't align with your purpose, but if you are continuing to do things and make choices that are preventing you from fulfilling your sense of purpose, then there is going to be conflict. When you are in conflict with your purpose, it can appear in many forms, many of which may be suppressed and internalised, until the constant effort of holding in who you are and what you want to be becomes too much and it starts leaking, or maybe even exploding out of you. Things like frustration and anger, apathy and boredom, resentment and a sense of loss. If you are lacking purpose, you may lack motivation and enthusiasm. You may feel lost or stuck, dissatisfied or numb. You may feel confused or anxious because things that used to give you a sense of enjoyment just don't anymore. You struggle to find joy in the day-to-day, feel bored and lacklustre. You lack direction. You might think you're not contributing or making a difference, or you might have experienced a change that has invalidated your old sense of purpose. You might feel overwhelmed by a sense of hopelessness. Is any of this sounding familiar? I doubt many people have punched the air with delight when they've realised that the path they were on no longer serves a purpose, but recognising how you are feeling is the first positive step to acknowledging that something is off. These feelings are a wake-up call to alert you to the fact you may have lost your sense of purpose and you may want to do something about it. Although unpleasant, potentially frightening and upsetting, losing your sense of purpose is an opportunity to look at how your life is progressing and re-evaluate where you are and what you need and want to get you back on track, or to find your new track. Exploring what will bring you purpose when you're in the midst of a crisis and feeling like you are on your own can be overwhelming. The enormity of the task, even just trying to find a starting point, can be so daunting that the drudgery of the daily treadmill, despite how soul-crushing it may be, seems like the easier option. I would argue it might seem like the safer option to stick where you are, but what's easy about living a life feeling lost, stuck, overwhelmed, bored, anxious, lacklustre or confused? Nothing about that is easy. So where did you lose your purpose and what can you do to find purpose again? Come on over to the next episode to find out.
