Life Purpose and Meaning

About life purpose and meaning

What it is, why it happens and what helps. Contents:

• What is life purpose?
• The three parts of meaning
• Why purpose matters
• Purpose and health
• Happiness and meaning
• You don’t need one big calling
• Start with your values
• Your strengths and interests
• Ikigai
• Meaning at work
• Meaning through giving
• Meaning through connection
• Meaning in hard times
• Spiritual meaning
• Purpose through life’s stages
• A simple 30-day plan
• How self-help methods fit in
• FAQs

What is life purpose?

Life purpose is a sense of direction: having goals and aims that feel worthwhile and that guide your choices. Meaning in life is a little broader: the feeling that your life makes sense and matters. Psychologist Michael Steger, who developed the widely used Meaning in Life Questionnaire, distinguishes between the presence of meaning, feeling your life is meaningful, and the search for meaning, actively looking for it. [2] Both are normal and healthy. You can explore related topics in our Wellness hub, including motivation and positivity.

The three parts of meaning

Frank Martela and Michael Steger describe three parts of meaning in life. [3]

• Coherence. Your life makes sense to you.
• Purpose. You have direction and goals you care about.
• Significance. Your life matters and is worth living.

Thinking about all three can help. Some people have a strong sense of direction but feel their life lacks significance. Others feel valued but unsure where they’re heading. Noticing which part feels weakest shows you where to focus.

Why purpose matters

Purpose gives shape to daily life. It helps you make decisions, keeps you going through setbacks and gives a sense of satisfaction that lasts beyond a good mood. Laura King and colleagues found that positive moods and a sense of meaning go together: people often feel their lives are more meaningful on days when they feel good, and meaning can grow from simple positive experiences. [4] Purpose doesn’t have to be serious or heavy. It can be playful, creative and joyful too.

Purpose and health

Purpose may also be good for your health. Patrick Hill and Nicholas Turiano followed more than 6,000 American adults for 14 years and found that people with a greater sense of purpose lived longer, at every age. [5] A study of nearly 7,000 adults over 50 in the US Health and Retirement Study found that people with the strongest sense of purpose had a lower risk of death during the study period than those with the weakest. [6] These studies show links rather than proof of cause, but they suggest purpose is well worth nurturing.

Happiness and meaning

Happiness and meaning overlap, but they aren’t the same. Roy Baumeister and colleagues found that happiness was linked more with getting what you want and feeling good now, while meaning was linked with giving to others, connecting past, present and future, and expressing who you are. [1] Meaningful activities, such as raising children, caring for someone or working towards a hard goal, aren’t always fun in the moment, but they often bring deep satisfaction. The School of Life’s short films in Videos explore this idea beautifully.

You don’t need one big calling

Many people feel pressure to discover their one true purpose, as if it were hidden somewhere waiting to be found. For most of us, purpose is built rather than found. It grows from trying things, noticing what matters and slowly committing to it. It can change across your life, and you can have several sources of meaning at once. Corliss Rassyle’s TEDx talk on why “find your purpose” can be the wrong advice, and Peggy Oki’s talk on letting purpose unfold, both offer a gentler view. If you feel behind, remember there is no deadline.

Start with your values

Values are the qualities you want to bring to life, such as kindness, courage, creativity, curiosity, honesty, adventure or service. Unlike goals, you never “finish” a value. You can live it today. Try this:

1. List ten values that matter to you.
2. Circle the three that feel most important.
3. For each, write one small action you could take this week.
4. At the end of the week, notice how those actions felt.

Living by your values, even in small ways, is one of the most reliable ways to feel that life is meaningful.

Your strengths and interests

Purpose often sits where your strengths, interests and values meet. Ask yourself: What do people often thank me for? What did I love doing as a child? What could I talk about for hours? What problems in the world do I care about? Adam Leipzig’s TEDx talk in Videos offers five simple questions, including who you serve and how they change because of what you do. Ashley Stahl’s talk on figuring out what you really want is another helpful starting point.

Ikigai

Ikigai is a Japanese word often translated as “a reason for being”. In Japan, it usually refers to the everyday things that make life feel worth living, such as family, hobbies, routines and small joys, rather than one grand mission. A popular Western version shows ikigai as the overlap of what you love, what you’re good at, what the world needs and what you can be paid for. Both views can help. Tim Tamashiro’s TEDx talk in Videos offers a warm, practical introduction.

Meaning at work

Amy Wrzesniewski and colleagues found that people tend to see their work in one of three ways: as a job (mainly for pay), a career (for advancement) or a calling (for fulfilment and contribution). People in the same role could see it in any of these ways, and those who saw their work as a calling tended to report more satisfaction with work and life. [7] This means meaning at work often depends on how we approach it. “Job crafting”, gently reshaping tasks, relationships and how you think about your role, can help you find more meaning in the work you already do. Our guide to burnout may help if work feels draining rather than meaningful.

Meaning through giving

Helping others is one of the most dependable sources of meaning. This could be volunteering, mentoring, caring for family, supporting a cause, sharing a skill or simply being kind to the people around you. Baumeister’s research found that meaningfulness went with being a giver. [1] Even small acts count. Many people find that when they stop asking “What is my purpose?” and start asking “How can I help?”, meaning arrives on its own.

Meaning through connection

Relationships are central to meaning for most people. Feeling that you belong, that others need you and that you matter to someone gives life significance. Investing in friendships, family and community is one of the best things you can do for a meaningful life. Our guides to loneliness and making friends and self-love may help.

Meaning in hard times

Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl, who survived Nazi concentration camps, wrote in Man’s Search for Meaning that people can find meaning through work, through love and through the attitude they take towards unavoidable suffering. His book has helped millions of readers around the world. Many people find that a loss, illness or setback, over time, leads them towards new priorities. Our guides to grief and loss and overcoming obstacles offer support, and our guide to letting go of the past may help you make peace with what has happened.

Spiritual meaning

For many people, faith and spirituality are a deep source of meaning. A large review by Harold Koenig found that religious and spiritual involvement was often linked with greater wellbeing, hope and sense of purpose. [8] Spiritual meaning can come through prayer, meditation, nature, service, ritual or a sense of connection with something larger than yourself. Teachers such as Eckhart Tolle and David R. Hawkins explore meaning from a spiritual perspective, and our Map of Consciousness guide introduces Hawkins’ ideas. Our guide to inner peace and spiritual growth explores practices such as meditation, loving-kindness and awe.

Purpose through life’s stages

Purpose often shifts with age. Young adults may focus on exploring and building. In midlife, many people look for deeper meaning or a change of direction. Retirement, children leaving home or health changes can bring both loss and fresh opportunity. Hill and Turiano found the benefits of purpose held across adulthood, including after retirement. [5] It’s never too late to find new sources of meaning.

A simple 30-day plan

Week 1: Notice. Each evening, write down one moment that felt meaningful.

Week 2: Values. Choose your top three values and take one small action for each.

Week 3: Explore. Try two new activities linked with your interests, or volunteer once.

Week 4: Envision. Write about your best possible self in five years. Pick one step to start now.

How self-help methods fit in

The Map of Consciousness offers a spiritual framework for growth towards love and peace. The Presence Process and meditation help you find meaning in the present moment. Visualisation helps you picture a purposeful future, and flow state work helps you find activities that absorb you. You can see every method we cover in the full list above.

Frequently asked questions

What is life purpose?

A sense of direction, with goals and aims that feel worthwhile and guide your choices.

What is the difference between purpose and meaning?

Purpose is direction. Meaning is broader, including feeling your life makes sense and matters. [3]

Is having a purpose good for your health?

Studies link a stronger sense of purpose with longer life, though they show links rather than proof of cause. [5]

How do I find my purpose?

Start with your values, notice your strengths and interests, try small experiments, help others and give it time.

Do I need one big life purpose?

No. For most people purpose is built from several sources, and it can change across life.

What is ikigai?

A Japanese idea often translated as “a reason for being”, usually the everyday things that make life feel worth living.

Can I find meaning in hard times?

Many people do. Viktor Frankl wrote that meaning can come through work, love and the attitude we take to suffering.

The best videos on life purpose and meaning

Hand-picked and checked one by one: TEDx and The School of Life.

Finding your purpose

The meaning of life

What you really want

Books on life purpose and meaning

Free resources

Experts to follow

Get help

If feeling lost goes with low mood that won’t lift, your doctor or a counsellor can help.

Find a therapist or counsellor

• US and Canada: Psychology Today (US) and (Canada) directories.
• UK: BACP therapist directory.
• Australia: APS Find a Psychologist, and Relationships Australia for couple and family services.
• Elsewhere, including Europe and India: ask your doctor or local health service for a referral, and check that anyone you see is registered or accredited where you live.

This hub is for information, not a substitute for medical or psychological care.

Sources

1. Baumeister et al. (2013), Some key differences between a happy life and a meaningful life, The Journal of Positive Psychology 8(6):505-516
2. Steger et al. (2006), The Meaning in Life Questionnaire: assessing the presence of and search for meaning in life, Journal of Counseling Psychology 53(1):80-93
3. Martela & Steger (2016), The three meanings of meaning in life: distinguishing coherence, purpose, and significance, The Journal of Positive Psychology 11(5):531-545
4. King et al. (2006), Positive affect and the experience of meaning in life, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 90(1):179-196
5. Hill & Turiano (2014), Purpose in life as a predictor of mortality across adulthood, Psychological Science 25(7):1482-1486
6. Alimujiang et al. (2019), Association between life purpose and mortality among US adults older than 50 years, JAMA Network Open 2(5):e194270
7. Wrzesniewski et al. (1997), Jobs, careers, and callings: people’s relations to their work, Journal of Research in Personality 31(1):21-33
8. Koenig (2012), Religion, spirituality, and health: the research and clinical implications, ISRN Psychiatry 2012:278730

Written by Saj Ali. Last updated 3 November 2026. Spotted an error? Tell us and we will fix it.