Does Life Purpose Serve Any Purpose?

Far more than flipping a switch

As we all intuitively know, but sometimes struggle to admit, effecting meaningful change in one’s personal life involves far more than just ‘flipping a switch’.

Transformational life coaching opens the eyes to suppressed values, ingrained limiting beliefs, out-of-balance needs, and disempowering patterns of behaviour.

These are all things that take root and develop over many years. And, naturally, they take a little time to recognise, come to terms with and then begin to address or reverse.

A challenging world

We live in a challenging world – one in which many of us feel like we are constantly chasing our tails. Not surprisingly, then, it is common for clients, who are new to life coaching, to want and expect help with resolving a problem or problems.

But life coaching is very much solution–, not problem–focused.

Defining the goal and planning a way forward

So, in such a case, the life coach will quickly get to work to shift the client’s perspective from problem-orientation to solution-orientation.

In other words, the coach will help the client to recognise and visualise the opportunity that is being disguised by the problem they are presenting with.

Once that is achieved, they will then help the client devise a plan to enact the changes required to capitalise on the identified opportunity – or goal.

With a client whose eyes are open to the previously unforeseen opportunity, and who is newly armed with a basic action blueprint to achieve their goal, many life coaches will consider their jobs largely done and wish their clients well.

Transactional vs transformational coaching

At New Insights, we refer to this type of life coaching as ‘transactional’ in nature because it is a short, relatively unstructured intervention.

It has its place and it can be a great start … but without going through the vital journey of self-discovery with the growth in self-awareness that characterises the transformational life coaching process, any change that is manifested is likely to be temporary and unsustainable in the long run.

New Insights promotes life coaching that transforms the way clients relate to themselves and the world around them. This builds self-awareness, self-belief, acceptance of personal responsibility and thus self-directedness.

More importantly, it introduces clients to the concept of life purpose. It uses tools and techniques to help clients reveal their purpose by identifying their unique talents and the related activities that bring them great joy and meaning.

We like to channel the late American writer, Robert Byrne, by repeating what he said:

“The purpose of life is a life of purpose”.

But it might appear that not everyone agrees with this!

Sadhguru’s take on life purpose

Sadhguru is a Yogi, Mystic and Visionary, considered to be amongst India’s 50 most influential people. He has inspired millions with his thoughts and insightful views on self-development.

I have personally benefitted from the profound lessons included in some of Sadhguru’s teachings. So you can imagine how taken aback I was to watch a video in which he advocates that we stop looking for purpose in life!

I noted down a few of his comments that initially raised my eyebrows:

“If there’s no purpose and you have nothing to fulfil, you can just live.”

“People who think they have a God-given purpose are doing the cruellest things on the planet.”

“If you had a purpose and you fulfilled it, after that …. you would get bored.”

“The purpose of life is to live … to live totally.”

“There is no meaning to life and there is no need for life to have a meaning.”

New Insights at odds with Sadhguru?

In the New Insights Life Coach Training and Certification Programme, we put forward the view that each of us is born with a unique talent or gift and that our purpose is to use that gift to contribute constructively to the evolution of our planet and universe.

On the face of it then, this would seem to be at odds with Sadhguru’s teaching.

I grappled rather uncomfortably with this for some time before deciding to return to his video, listen to it in its entirety, and then listen to it once again.

More compatible than at first meets the eye

After carefully digesting and reflecting on what Sadhguru said, and with a better appreciation of the general context, I was left satisfied that there is a great deal more compatibility between our views than I first thought.

When we talk about life purpose, we refer to harnessing the unique gifts or talents we have and focusing on conducting those activities that make us feel happy and alive in a way that is in constructive service to our world.

I would argue that this is what Sadhguru meant when he spoke about ‘living totally’!

Sadhguru is right when he says that many are blinded by personal missions that do more harm than good to the world as a whole. That’s because they serve narrow interests or causes that serve to undermine overall growth and development.

If you are determined to rid the world of those who don’t comply with your chosen religion, or some authoritarian diktat, this is not a purpose. This is a personal mission (and a very destructive one at that!)

Purpose as a noble and constructive cause

As we see the concept of life purpose, it is not something that ever gets fulfilled (that would be more accurately described as a goal or mission). Rather, it is a noble cause that acts as the ultimate motivator for one’s actions and behaviours in the long-term.

For example, some may see their purpose as being to inspire and motivate others to live authentically and with passion.

The meaning of life? Or a life with meaning?

I started to resonate more closely with most of what Sadhguru had said in his video … but there was one comment that took longer for me to unravel – his suggestion that there is no meaning to life or no need for life to have meaning.

At New Insights, the meaning of life is not something we express a view on. We believe this understanding lies in the spiritual or divine realms that we cannot access.

However, here’s the thing.

The concept of the meaning of life is very different from the concept of living a life with meaning.

In this regard, we believe that meaning and fulfilment – emotions that bring us great happiness and joy – derive from living in alignment with our purpose.

Or, as Sadhguru succinctly puts it, “living totally”!

Your purpose is to live totally

So, I leave you with the suggestion that the purpose of finding your life purpose is to help you to live totally.

After all, one thing on which we can all surely agree is this:

Life is for living!