In our last article, we discussed the steps to anchor your purpose in life. When we talk about finding purpose in life, many of our thoughts run to the youths perhaps who are just done with college and are looking for something to do. However, studies show that many even those of considerable age still look for purpose in life. Many millennials today also ask the question. How can I be purposeful in life? Below we see the results that were found of people who are asking the questions and solutions to being purposeful in life.
The great crisis of purpose among millennials.
Research shows three-fourths (75%) of Millennials are desperately seeking meaning and purpose in life—making them most likely among American adults to question their very reason for living.
These are some of the devastating findings from groundbreaking new Millennial research from the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University and CRC Director of Research George Barna, released in Millennials in America: New Insights into the Generation of Growing Influence.
The research found that fewer than one in five Millennials (22%) contend that life is sacred, while half of the generation (50%) argues that “life is what you make it; there is no absolute value associated with human life.” Just one-third of adults from older generations (32%) hold that same view.
Most Millennials are only moderately satisfied with their lives, including areas of personal health, spiritual life, career, relationships, finances and the nation, according to the research. In fact, the overwhelming majority of Millennials longs for improvement—only 5% think life is great with no need for any significant changes.
What is the great crisis of this current generation?
Perhaps if we asked anybody what the greatest crisis of the current generation could be, the likely answer would be the lack of Job opportunities. But this is not what the professionals say.
“What we’re witnessing is a generation in crisis—in all areas of life,” said ACU President Len Munsil. “To see this generation so lacking in meaning and purpose at such a young age is heartbreaking.”
In other words, it’s not just about the millennials alone, but also the current young age. He continues with some preachy words saying.
“They are rejecting the ways of God and are desperately seeking something—anything—to take His place,” Munsil explained. “Sadly, the truth is that without God, people will inevitably conclude that life is meaningless. The only answer for this generation—for any of us—is to return to God, to embrace His truth, and live out the purpose He has for each of our lives. None of us wants to see this next generation missing out on the best God has for them.”
Could lack of purpose be a spiritual issue rather than just physical or mental?
Barna, veteran researcher and author of the Millennial study, agrees that many of challenges facing Millennials flow from their rejection of God and absolute truth, along with their embrace of false worldviews.
“Millennials have largely bought into worldviews that teach ‘life is about me,’” Barna explained. “They contend that life is most likely to have meaning when we experience maximum happiness, thought to be the result of personal accomplishments or comfort.”
“The confusion is multiplied by believing that we are ‘basically good’ people and that our purpose will emerge through dialogue and voluntary acts of good will,” he said. “Unfortunately, that combination of perspectives only leads to emptiness.”
One of the study’s most stunning findings is that Millennials have the lowest level of biblical worldview understanding of any generation since Barna first measured worldview more than 25 years ago. Only one-third of Millennials claim to believe in God, and 24 out of every 25 Millennials (96 percent) lack a biblical worldview.
As Barna makes clear in his analysis, the generation’s lack of meaning and purpose means that tens of millions of young adults (ages 18 to 36 at the time of the study) are stuck at the starting gate of adult life, unable to find direction.
Barna explains, “It is very possible that the historically high suicide rate of the generation is related to this striking new statistic.” The latest report from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) found that suicide rates in 2020 jumped 5% among 25- to 34-year-olds, despite declines in most other groups. Suicide remains the second-leading cause of death among Millennials.
Some have blamed this trend on their adoption of the nihilistic notion that life is not worth the struggle. Others point to difficulties Millennials have with mental health and emotional stability. Still others blame their rejection of the Christian faith, the report explained.
No matter the reason, the research identifies a number of deep challenges facing the nation’s youngest generation of adults—especially when it comes to finding meaning and purpose in life.
Other findings highlighted in this most recent Millennial report include how satisfied they are in key areas of life, what specific improvements they would like to make, how and why they engage in their communities, and what they are willing to sacrifice their lives to defend.
Despite many troubling findings, Barna points to a number of bright spots. For example, Millennials are generally more optimistic and self-confident in their approach to life than older generations. They also report being highly active in their communities, and to desire social, cultural and personal change.
Lack of purpose is the reason for the increased suicide rates.
As Barna notes, “The data from this study confirms that most Millennials are open to serving others. That gives us hope that this distressed and unfulfilled generation may yet find their true purpose and experience deeper meaning by blessing other people.”
The extensive project, Millennials in America: New Insights into the Generation of Growing Influence, was released last month by the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University, in collaboration with the non-profit Foundations of Freedom. A free digital download of the Millennials in America report is available here.
This latest release, “Millennial Report 01: Millennials Establish Their Need for Purpose and Lifestyle Changes,” is the first of a series of biweekly releases that will take a deeper look at the key themes from Millennials in America—including struggles with relationships, soaring levels of mental health issues, an unprecedented spiritual crisis, and a loss of meaning and purpose.
The Millennials in America survey was developed and implemented during August 2021, using a 71-question survey administered online to a nationwide representative sample of 600 respondents in the Millennial age bracket (18 to 36 years of age at the time of the survey). Survey questions and methodology are contained in the Millennials in America report.
This overwhelming evidence shows that LACK OF PURPOSE may become a disease that humans may need treatment for, being purposeful can help you avoid many health problems. However, the big question we want to answer in this article is, how can we be purposeful in this age where we see an ocean of opportunities but nowhere to fit? For us to know how to purpose in life, we must first find out what keeps us from purposing.
7 Reasons People Don’t Find Purpose in Life?
Lack of ability to Take a Step Back and Think.
Most of us are in the rat race to meet our day-to-day commitments. Sometimes it seems we were only born to meet these daily commitments in our personal or professional lives. And there is nothing bigger than these chores in the journey of life! Sometimes we miss slowing down and seeing something that we missed seeing during the daily toil. Therefore, this inability to take a step back and think could affect our ability to find the purpose of our life. Does it make sense? If it does, learn to take some hours aside and reflect on your personal life. Reason number two is.
Trapped in Striving for Basic Needs.
Following on to not being able to step back and think is Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory, which underpins spending most of our time meeting daily needs. Refer to the Start Here page of this website for elaboration. Then it’s like a catch-22 situation where we cannot break the cycle to spend time to find our calling. As a result, it engrosses us to meet our physiological and biological needs and doesn’t find time to move up the hierarchy of needs. And the topmost hierarchy of needs is self-actualization and self-realization, which means finding the true purpose of our lives. Reason number three.
Rat Race for Materialistic Needs.
The incessant materialistic pressures drive our needs more and more until we get deeper entrenched in the rat race. We miss most of the times that simple and frugal living can be virtues. And the need for more and more is never-ending. It also brings up the question: how much money do we need to live a fulfilled life? Subsequently, analysts have determined the number is around $75,000 in the United States. Also, it is different in other countries based on the cost of living.
Lack of Gratitude.
Trying to move away from the rat race for materialistic needs is also whether we can appreciate what we have in our lives. The inability to realize and experience genuine gratitude for what we have in our lives can be a major impediment to finding our purpose in life.
Inability to Prioritize.
It also gets back to not able to find our calling or finding our passion in life. The inability to prioritize what we want from our life could be a major factor in not being able to find our purpose in life. And even if we realize what we enjoy doing most, not prioritizing our time to develop and hone it. Occasionally we can rejuvenate from our day-to-day work by trying to find time for what we love doing most.
Inability to Let Go Our Ego.
Our ego could be a major impediment to self-realization. As a result, it could be a major factor for us not to find our purpose in life. One of the best ways to let go of our ego is selfless service. This also means our ability to serve various stakeholders and non-stakeholders in our lives expecting nothing in back, just driven by the joy or self-satisfaction or serving for the greater good.
Lack of Self-realization.
Self-realization is the ability to spend time with us and try to understand ourselves. It includes a transparent assessment of our likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, and which direction we want to tread and which not. Achieving self-realization also takes us to the top of the hierarchy of needs and finally helps us attain self-actualization. It is not a simple path; it takes time and lot of self-introspections. In a nutshell, self-realization is probably the ultimate route to finding purpose in life. Now that we know the reasons why we are unable to purpose in life, Here are the ways to be Purposeful in your life.
However, this is not just a magic step-by-step process that doesn’t call for effort, the process requires plenty of self-reflection, listening to others, and finding where your passions are. These seven strategies can help you reveal or find your purpose so you can begin living a more meaningful life.
How to be purposeful in life.
Donate Time, Money, or Talent.
You notice I have not just written money, sometimes we are broke for life, and if possible we may file ourselves for bankruptcy, it may be just one of the reasons we do not find purpose in life. But by giving this time to others and joining them in various activities may help us find our purpose in life. Or if you can cultivate just one helpful habit in your search for purpose, it would be helping others.
Researchers at Florida State University and Stanford found that happiness and meaningfulness overlapped somewhat but were different: Happiness was linked to the person being a taker before a giver, whereas meaningfulness went along with being more of a giver than a taker. The givers in relationships reported having a purposeful life more often than takers did
Altruistic behaviors could include volunteering for a nonprofit organization, donating money to causes you care about, or simply helping out the people around you on a day-to-day basis. Whether you decide to spend two Saturdays a month serving meals in a soup kitchen, or you volunteer to drive your elderly neighbor to the grocery store once a week, doing something kind for others can make you feel as though your life has meaning.
Listen to Feedback.
It can be hard to recognize the things you feel passionate about sometimes. After all, you probably like to do many different things and the things you love to do may have become so ingrained in your life that you don’t realize how important those things are.Fortunately, other people might be able to give you some insight. There’s a good chance you’re already displaying your passion and purpose to those around you without even realizing it.
You might choose to reach out to people and ask what reminds them of you or what they think of when you enter their mind. Or you might take note when someone pays you a compliment or makes an observation about you. Write those observations down and look for patterns.
Whether people think of you as “a great entertainer” or they say “you have a passion for helping the elderly,” hearing others say what they notice about you might reinforce some of the passions you’ve already been engaging in.
Surround Yourself with Positive People.
As the saying goes, you are the company you keep. What do you have in common with the people you choose to be around? Don’t think about co-workers or family members you feel obligated to see. Think about the people you choose to spend time with outside of work and outside of family functions. The people you surround yourself with say something about you. If you’re surrounded by people who are making positive changes, you might draw from their inspiration.
On the other hand, if the people around you are negative individuals who drag you down, you might want to make some changes. It’s hard to feel passionate and purposeful when you’re surrounded by people who aren’t interested in making positive contributions.
Start Conversations with New People.
It’s easy to browse social media while you’re alone on the subway or sitting at a bar waiting for a friend. Resist that urge. Instead, take the time to talk to the people around you.Ask them if they are working on any projects or what they like to do for fun. Talk to them about organizations with which they are involved or if they like to donate to any particular cause.
Even though striking up conversations with strangers may feel awkward at first, talking to people outside of your immediate social circle can open your eyes to activities, causes or career opportunities that you never even knew existed. You might discover new activities to explore or different places to visit. And those activities might be key to helping you find your purpose.
Explore Your Interests.
Is there a topic that you are regularly talking about in a Facebook status update or in a Tweet? Are you regularly sharing articles about climate change or refugees? Are there pictures on Instagram of you engaging in a particular activity over and over, such as gardening or performing?
Consider the conversations you enjoy holding with people the most when you’re meeting face-to-face. Do you like talking about history? Or do you prefer sharing the latest money-saving tips you discovered? The things you like to talk about and the things you enjoy sharing on social media may reveal what gives you purpose in life.
Consider Injustices That Bother You.
Many people have their pet causes or passion projects surrounding an injustice in the world. Is there anything that makes you so deeply unhappy to think about that it bothers you?
It might be animal welfare, a particular civil rights issue, or childhood obesity organizations. Perhaps the idea of senior citizens spending the holidays alone makes you weepy, or you think that substance abusers need more rehabilitation opportunities—the organizations are out there, and they need your help.
You don’t necessarily have to engage in your purpose full-time. You might find your career gives you the ability to afford to help a cause you feel passionate about. Or, you might find that you are able to donate time—as opposed to money—to give to a cause that you believe in.
Discover What You Love to Do.
On the other end of the spectrum, simply thinking about what you truly love to do can also help you find your purpose. Do you love musical theater? Your skills might be best put to use in a way that brings live performances to children who can benefit from exposure to the arts.
Is analyzing data something that you find fun? Any number of groups could find that skill to be an invaluable asset. Consider what type of skills, talents, and passions you bring. Then, brainstorm how you might turn your passion into something meaningful. The last bonus question is.
How Do You Know You’ve Found Your Purpose?
Like the notion of purpose itself, the answer to that is subjective–and there are as many signs that someone’s found their purpose as there are people. You may click here for more information. However, Perhaps you feel fully connected to the universe and know your place. Maybe you’ve found your meaning in religion. Or you sense a strong connection with others. The feeling might arise from activities that benefit others, such as volunteering. Ultimately, you’ve likely found your purpose if you’ve stopped asking whether you have.
Finding your purpose isn’t something you can do in a few days, weeks, or months. It can be a lifelong journey, and you must do it only one step at a time. Remember that your purpose doesn’t necessarily mean you have to change what you’re doing already. If you cut hair, you might decide your purpose in life is to help others feel beautiful.
Occasionally, consider pausing what you’re doing to reflect on your path: Is it taking you in the direction you want to go? If not, you can change course. Sometimes, finding your purpose has a few curves, forks, and stoplights. But the above steps will help you to be purposeful in life.
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