Living With Purpose: Find happiness and meaning no matter what your circumstance

True happiness is not derived from outside influences such as status, material wealth, or even from the people in your life. I imagine we have all witnessed miserable wealthy people who personify the idiom that money cannot buy happiness. The common factor for the happiness of all humankind is purpose, which was why Friedrich Nietzche said, “he who has a why to live can bear almost any how.” All humans, no matter what state they find themselves in, are equally as prone to life’s highs and lows. The great equalizer for all of mankind is our individual ability to be happy or to be miserable. The choice is up to each of us individually to live our why, find our purpose, and embrace life.

The Burden of Affluence

In the opulent halls of luxury, where marble gleams and chandeliers cast their shimmering light, dwell the affluent, adorned in finery but cloaked in an unseen shroud of discontent. Behind the facade lies a hollow ache, an emptiness that no amount of wealth can fill. They are trapped in a gilded cage of their own making, suffocated by the weight of abundance without purpose.?

For it is purpose that eludes them, the spark that ignites the fire of contentment. So they yearn, not for riches, but for meaning. They crave a sense of direction, a reason to rise each morning with renewed vigor. For it is only through purpose that true happiness can be found, even amidst the trappings of wealth.

The Freedom of Humility

In the humble corners of the world, where light struggles to pierce the darkness and echoes of hardship resound, there exists a resilience born from the depths of necessity. Here, amidst the struggles of daily existence, the poor and needy find solace in the embrace of purpose.

Their lives may lack material abundance, their days may be fraught with toil and uncertainty, yet within the crucible of adversity, they discover a treasure far more precious than gold. It is the treasure of purpose, the guiding star that illuminates their path through the darkest of nights. Their purpose is not bestowed upon them by wealth or privilege, but forged in the crucible of hardship. It is born from necessity, nurtured by resilience, and sustained by the bonds of community. It is purpose that transcends the limitations of circumstance, empowering them to rise above their struggles and find joy amidst the chaos of life.

Focusing on Purpose

I am not suggesting that all rich people are unhappy and all poor people are content. That idea could not be further from the truth. The point that I am making is that regardless of your conditions, you can find happiness and contentment through purpose. In his bestselling book titled Sapiens, Yuval Noah Harari notes that “a meaningful life can be extremely satisfying even amid hardship, whereas a meaningless life is a terrible ordeal no matter how comfortable it is” (Harari, pg. 391). In other words, if you align your actions with purpose, you will find more joy in life.?

Even down to the most simple of activities, focusing on the purpose can make the task more palpable. We all enjoy a clean house, for example, but not many people actually like cleaning. Focusing on the benefits of a clean house, such as the feeling you get or the pride of ownership, can make the act of cleaning not as bad.?

Think about work and how many times you have suffered through meaningless tasks. When you know that what you are doing does not have value it makes it insufferable to deal with. Yet, when you know that what you are doing moves you closer to your goals, aligns with your vision and increases your chances of success, that same task could even be enjoyable.?

Make No Excuses

One might argue that it is impossible to be happy under dire circumstances. I will be the first to admit that changing your attitude about something is a difficult task, but it is absolutely possible. And when you can, you will be able to endure anything. To prove my point I would like to bring attention to Viktor E. Frankl. In his acclaimed book, Man’s Search For Meaning, Frankl illustrates his experience as a prisoner of Auschwitz, a Nazi death camp.?

I think it is safe to say that there are not many examples of human suffering that compare to what people went through in Nazi concentration camps.? Yet, Frankl endured his experience because he never allowed the Nazis to take away his meaning, his purpose. Frankl wrote, “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way” (Frankl).

Here is a man who had to endure the most horrific of experiences where everything was taken away from him, where he was starved and tortured, yet he refused to let anyone take away his purpose. Frankl wrote, “When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves” (Frankl). So forgive me if I don't believe that it is impossible to find purpose and happiness in the face of suffering. If you cannot change the situation, then you better change your attitude.?

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Sources

Frankl, V. E. (2008). ‘Man’s Search For Meaning’. Rider: Penguin Random House: UK

Harari, Yuval Noah. (2015). Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind. HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 978–0–06–231611–0