You probably use them interchangeably –but meaning and purpose are not the same thing.

It’s important to make clear distinctions here because otherwise our “what is the meaning of life?” exploration will become convoluted very quickly.

Here’s how I distinguish the two:

Life meaning is of the mind – it’s a philosophy, idea, or belief we ascribe to our lives. It’s subjective. It’s something you create.

Life purpose is innate – it’s “programmed” into everything at a core level. It’s objective. It’s something you fulfill.

Meaning is very personal and varied. It’s something that emerges from your soul as a deep calling.

For one person, their meaning in life may be to raise kids, for another, their meaning may be to create a charity, to breed horses, to become a world-renown artist, or to live off the grid, and so on.

Your meaning can be fixed or it can change over time.

Ultimately, answering “what is the meaning of life?” comes down to how you think about and interpret life. Do you ever think about the experiences you’ve had? Do you ever give them a higher meaning?   

To find your meaning, you may need to do some soul searching to help understand yourself, your gifts and weaknesses, your passions, and your interests. 

Purpose, on the other hand, is from Spirit. It is programmed into us. It is within our very cells. It is written into each and every destiny.

Did Aristotle lie to us when he said:

“Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence.”

Emerson says:

“The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.”

What is the purpose of life?  Perhaps to do something with it, share it for free, or get paid for it. Whether you influence the whole world or just the people you know, your life takes on a sense of purpose when you give out what you were created to do.  Life purpose is innate – it’s something that only you can fulfill.

Researchers in positive psychology study empirical factors that lead to life satisfaction, full engagement in activities, making a fuller contribution by using one’s personal strengths, and meaning based on investing in something larger than the self.

Did you do useful things in your lifetime? You don’t have to change the world or anything. Just make it a little bit better than you were born.

Your life purpose consists of the central motivating aims of your life—the reasons you get up in the morning.

Purpose can guide life decisions, influence behavior, shape goals, offer a sense of direction, and create meaning. For some people, purpose is connected to vocation—meaningful, satisfying work. For others, their purpose lies in their responsibilities to their family or friends. Others seek meaning through spirituality or religious beliefs. Some people may find their purpose clearly expressed in all these aspects of life.

Purpose will be unique for everyone; what you identify as your path may be different from others. What’s more, your purpose can actually shift and change throughout life in response to the evolving priorities and fluctuations of your own experiences.

In an earthly sense, your purpose is the same as everything you see around you: to grow, change, and expand.

Just look at the plants, animals, and trees; they all go through cycles of metamorphosis. The planets also go through cycles, as do the seasons. And the Universe is expanding every moment! People are also destined to go through these cycles of expansion.

Personally, I believe that our purpose in life is to mature or expand on ALL levels: the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. 

The process is an expression of that maturation process: our souls are expanding and growing just like the galaxies. And like pregnancy or childbirth, this growth can be a painful process. But it’s part of life’s purpose.

As professor of cultural anthropology and religious studies, Bonnie Glass-Coffin writes:

“As I have come to realize through my life’s journey, the purpose of our human embodiment is, actually, to grow a soul. Like the making of a body during nine months of gestation, soul-making is also a process. For, although we are born with it, our soul continues to develop with every life experience. Our sufferings are simply the secretions that add to its luster—like a pearl inside an oyster. Making soul is the process of a lifetime, or several lifetimes. Mystics, saints, and shamans of ages past and of today, from places far and near, refer to this eternal sojourn in many ways, yet whatever terms are used implies a conscious engagement with our true potential as divine partners in creation. This is what it means to “grow a soul.” This is what it means to commune with our essential nature.”

Ways to practice and find your purpose?

Meditation is a common and recommended path. Inner work is another powerful practice. It is a non-dogmatic practice that can be integrated into any belief system. The healing and inner transformation it can produce are quite amazing

Ways to help find meaning?

Think back to what you loved doing as a child.

Your inner child is your original self, the first version of “you” that entered the world. S/he holds a tremendous amount of wisdom that is just waiting to be accessed.

Reflect on what you loved doing the most as a child – what activities did you always gravitate toward? 

Perhaps you liked to read a lot, construct things, dress up your dolls, care for your toys, climb trees, talk to your pets, pretend you were a police officer, construct imaginary realms, and so on.

Take some time to carefully think about what you most enjoyed doing. Get a journal and make some notes. Look for the activities you did for the longest amount of time and most consistently. 

The answer may not slap you in the face immediately but think about what was the heart and core of the activity you did. What quality were you attracted to the most?

Explore your personality (by taking tests).

Here are some free unique personality tests.

I know this suggestion may sound banal, but free personality tests are a wonderful way of getting to know yourself. Plus, they’re fun! Not only do you get to learn about your strengths and weaknesses, but you’re growing in self-understanding in a matter of minutes.

As always, take these tests with “a grain of salt.” Gather what you need and leave the rest. You never quite know what unique things may be revealed about yourself and how this may guide your life onwards!

Take a moment to think about what you would like to learn about if you were given a chance. What thought first pops into your mind? Whatever that thought is reveals the place you need to go next. 

Even if you feel silly, be an explorer. Soul searching isn’t always convenient or comfortable – instead, it is often wildly unexpected and can be supremely illuminating, particularly if you’re wanting to find your meaning in life.

Expand your mental horizons.

Expanding your mental horizons means widening your circle of competence. This could mean exploring a topic you know literally nothing about. Also, this could mean delving into an area that you’ve always been secretly curious about but have stopped yourself from exploring (for one reason or another).

Think about what life has taught you.

One of the most powerful ways to find your meaning is to reflect on the entire timeline of your life. What have been your major highs and lows? What successes and tragedies have befallen you? And most of all, what have they TAUGHT you.

“We are each given a set of experiences in life. The experiences are neutral. They have no meaning. It is how we interpret the experiences that gives them meaning. The interpretations of experiences shape our beliefs and theories about the world. Our beliefs and theories, in turn, determine what we observe in the world to confirm our beliefs, which, in turn, reinforce our interpretations.” Michael Michalko

Ultimately, answering “what is the meaning of life?” comes down to how you think about and interpret life. Do you ever think about the experiences you’ve had?  Do you ever give them a higher meaning? If not, it’s time to do that.

If you can answer this single question “what have all your experiences in life taught you?” and take a higher perspective, you might just find your meaning in life. 

For example, if you believe all your experiences have taught you to surrender and let go, you might become interested in studying Zen Buddhism and make that your meaning in life. If you’ve learned that all your experiences have taught you the importance of sticking to your truth, you might become an advocate for something.

Visualize yourself on your death bed.

This activity may at first appear morbid, but it holds within it the seed of true insight. When death is upon us, everything becomes clear, crystalline, precious.  There is no time to waste and the choices we’ve made in life dance before our eyes.

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” the poet Mary Oliver once wrote.

For this activity, you’ll need to set aside five or ten minutes. Get into a quiet and dark room. You may even like to wear a sleeping mask or blindfold, so your vision becomes pitch black. If you want to put yourself into an even deeper mindset, you can play some funereal or ethereal music quietly in the background.

Now, once you’re ready, imagine you’re lying on your death bed. You are reflecting on all that you’ve done in your life. When you think of your biggest achievements, what comes to mind? What are you the happiest to have done, practiced, or committed to? Don’t be modest here. Think about something simply amazing you have done. What is that?

Practice inner work.

One way to create inner harmony, balance, and wholeness is through a practice known as inner work. Inner work is the mental, emotional and spiritual practice of exploring your inner self. It is about gaining self-knowledge, learning how to love yourself, working through your core beliefs, and maturing (or individuating) as a human being.

For anyone soul searching, inner work is a vital practice. It can be all too easy to skim across the surface of life without going deeper. But whatever is buried within you will eventually rise to the surface, sooner or later. Inner work is about exploring and working with the different facets of our inner selves.

Think about what type of meaning you need right now.

Austrian psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl once wrote about meaning:

“For the meaning of life differs from man to man, from day to day and from hour to hour. What matters, therefore, is not the meaning of life in general but rather the specific meaning of a person’s life at a given moment.”