Purpose: How to make all decisions easier

Possible life purposes

A life purpose should motivate someone daily to work towards its goals. It can be helpful to use metrics for tracking progress. Metrics are better, if we have a high percentage of control over them. Otherwise, our purpose might feel impossible to achieve.

The input (sending 5 job applications daily) can be controlled easily. But the output (getting a job offer) is difficult to control, because someone else decides. With more and better input, the desired (realistic) output will usually follow. Step by step, with enough patience.

The bigger one purpose is, the more motivating it can become. But it should feel somehow achievable and not impossible. It is fine to have multiple purposes with different scales. But they might compete with each other. Therefore, making decisions more difficult. That is how life works.

Some of many purposes:

- Becoming better at something (maybe even top 10% or the best): The more mainstream something is, the more difficult competing is = Pick a niche!

- Helping others regularly (lonely or needy elders, discriminated groups - maybe volunteering)

- Advance human knowledge to benefit society (research topics excessively and publish your thoughts - possibly science)

- Entertain others - first besides your main job, because it might be difficult to become profitable (Art, music, humor, writing, storytelling)

- Improve or rethink systems by fixing inefficiencies - like democracy, capitalism, methods for communication (Politics, IT, economics etc.)

- Reduce local / global problems (join a startup, create your own business)

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Finding a fitting purpose

Wow, so many words... But I still have no idea?! Alright, maybe the following techniques might help you. A great purpose is something you have to think a lot about beforehand.

How to find a purpose:

- We should be willing to sacrifice resources (time, energy, money). Otherwise, the purpose might not be fitting

- The greatest purpose might even be worth sacrificing one's own life to achieve it

- If you have default decisions regarding something, they might compete with the purpose. Ask yourself whether the purpose should be adjusted or your daily actions.

- Learn a lot (books, podcasts, videos etc.) and talk to diverse people. Get more perspectives on life to be inspired

- It is fine to adjust the purpose after some time or even look for a completely different one

- Ask yourself why something might be fitting. Does it align with your core values?

- What are your strengths and interests? Remember your childhood, ask family / friends / teachers / coworkers

- What do you like or even love doing and why? Find the patterns (planning, organizing, building, thinking etc.)

- Do you rather enjoy understanding the big picture or learn all minor details of something?

- Ask yourself which knowledge / skills might be missing to come your goals closer and learn what is needed.

- If you are not financially independent: What are ways to make money while pursuing the purpose?

- Is your purpose so far egoistic and mainly for your own benefit? It can be way more motivating to improve the world, while also benefiting from your actions yourself

- Ikigai: Do something that you love & are good at & you can be paid for & the world needs