Personal Development Worksheets

What is your life purpose? Are you, like so many people, so busy that you barely even care? But ignoring purpose can negatively impact your wellness.

As an adult, there are really only 3 great endeavors you must focus on to live a successful life. The Great Game of Significance is one of the 3 great games of adulthood. This endeavor is about how to live life in a way that matters to us, that gives us meaning and satisfaction.

Life requires us to play the Great Game of Significance. You can win at the game of money. You can have ten million dollars in the bank. And you can feel empty and like your life is meaningless. You can have all the toys money can buy and still feel this gnawing sense of lack, that’s something missing, inside.

People then often try to anesthetize the feeling of emptiness by drinking or shopping or overeating. They are trying to relieve the pain of meaninglessness and emptiness that is gnawing at them. Pain, however, is a teacher. Emptiness is nature’s way of saying pay attention to your purpose.

In our society, people pay attention to fame and fortune. People think that being important, and having money, are what life is about. We assume these must be the only games in town. Sure, money is important, and sure, social connection and influence is valuable. But these are just two of the great games of adulthood, and they ignore Significance. On the floor of the New York Stock exchange, nobody talks about purpose and meaning and value.

When we are losing at Significance, Life let’s us know. We feel things like boredom and a sense that something’s missing from our lives. We may question the meaning of it all. Buying more toys or going to another cocktail party may start to seem worthless. This is Life saying pay attention to what gives you meaning and satisfaction.

So what is your purpose? What gives life meaning and richness? What is satisfying at a deep level? There is no one answer. Each of us must discover our own answers. And it isn’t hard to do at all. Just a little focus can pay off with lots of purpose. Two places to look are being of service in some way. Giving back. Another is following your passions. Finding and spending time on your passions.

Obviously, there is much more to this whole issue of purpose and meaning. But playing the Great Game of Significance is a great way to add to your satisfaction in life over the years to come. So make sure you spend some time regularly focusing on what gives your life significance!