MENTAL HEALTH: Finding a sense of purpose

People who seek the services of a life coach often point to a feeling that something is missing from their lives. It frequently relates to feeling unclear about their place in the world. They may feel that their life has no sense of meaning or purpose.
Even if you have never even considered reaching out to a life coach, you might be able to relate to those feelings. And if so, you are certainly not alone.
You might be asking yourself, ‘What is it that I want to do?’ or ‘Is what I’m doing right now something that I want to do?’ (and if not, ‘Why am I doing this?’).
A lot of the time these questioning thoughts link back to work and our professional endeavours. At one stage or another, we’ve probably all had similar thoughts after a particularly challenging day. These sorts of questions can of course also creep into other aspects of our lives too, from health to relationships and more.
By living a life with meaning and purpose, people are generally more content and, during difficult times, more resilient.

MAKE IT PERSONAL
Identifying meaning in your life is extremely personal, and what ticks someone else’s boxes may not line up with your own. This is why it is important as ever to stay in your own lane when working on your personal development. Otherwise, you may find yourself falling into the trap of being influenced by others, incorporating things that other people find meaningful into your life – where perhaps they have no meaning at all.
This ‘no one size fits all’ reality shouldn’t be seen as a negative thing. Quite the opposite. It makes it really powerful, because the opportunity to live in a way that is meaningful to you is firmly in your hands.
There are many aids out there to help you discover what it is that can give your life meaning. In Japanese culture, for example, there is a concept called ‘ikigai’, which refers to that which gives a person a sense of purpose. The first part of the word ‘iki’ means ‘to live’, whilst the second part ‘gai’ means ‘reason’. Together, they mean ‘a reason to live’ or ‘a reason for being’. A quick google will bring up lots of online resources that can help you identify your own ikigai through discovery exercises and reflection. The process is quite enlightening and worthwhile.
Placing a value on having meaning and purpose in your life is important for your overall wellbeing. If all this talk of meaning highlights its absence in your life, I hope that realisation is not overwhelming for you in any way. Remember, there are ways you can work on discovering your sense of purpose – it is in your hands.
Start with small steps. Leave judgement or any negative talk that may surface to the side if it is unhelpful. Try to avoid comparing your experience to others and focus on making strides towards improving your own life for your own benefit. It’s not selfish in any way, in fact it will likely have positive knock-on effects on everyone around you in lots of different ways.

Sadhbh Dunne is a qualified life coach based in Westport. She is the founder of Ember Coaching (embercoaching.ie) and can be reached at sadhbh@embercoaching.ie.