Sooner or later, each of us reaches a point in life when we begin to ask ourselves: “Who am I?” – “Why am I here?”
Many of my clients begin a life coaching journey because they are searching for their “life purpose.” This need to find something that allows them to live in a more meaningful and fulfilling way reflects a deeply human drive. At some point, many of us begin asking ourselves: “Who am I?” – “Why do I exist?” – “What is my role in the Universe?” – “What kind of work should I be doing?” – “What am I doing with my life?” – “Why am I here, and how did I get here?”
Research by Bonebright, Clay and Ankenmann (2000) suggests that living in alignment with a sense of purpose — what the ancient Greeks referred to as Telos — is associated with greater well-being. A strong sense of purpose, particularly when it extends beyond the individual and contributes to others, can also be associated with greater life satisfaction, self-realisation, positive emotions and self-esteem.
The term “Telos” (Τέλος) comes from ancient Greek and means “completion, purpose, end or goal.” It is also the etymological root of “teleology”, the study of purpose or ends.
What Processes Can Help Us Understand Our Life Purpose?
Kashdan and McKnight (2009) identified three pathways through which a person may develop or discover a sense of purpose:
- Social learning: individuals observe people whose lives or behaviours have produced desirable outcomes and may adopt elements that resonate with their own values and aspirations. This process can sometimes happen without full conscious awareness.
- Reactive development: a person may gain greater clarity about their purpose following significant, profound or transformative experiences. Difficult life events can sometimes become catalysts for reconsidering one's direction, priorities and goals.
- Proactive exploration: this is a more deliberate and gradual process. Proactively exploring one's life purpose involves reflection, self-exploration, developing a personal statement of purpose and testing it through real-life experiences.
The very concept of life purpose reflects the teleological idea of “the reason for which something exists or is created.”
A teleological explanation describes something according to the purpose it serves. Applied to human experience, it invites us to explore what gives direction and meaning to our lives.
A simple analogy can help illustrate the concept: using a screwdriver to serve a salad would mean using an object for a purpose very different from the one for which it was designed. In a broader and more metaphorical sense, people can experience a similar sense of misalignment when the way they live is disconnected from their deepest values, aspirations and sense of meaning.
How Can We Know Whether We Are Living in Alignment with Our Telos — the Purpose That Gives Meaning to Our Life?
Our levels of well-being, motivation and vitality can offer valuable indications of how aligned we feel with the life we are living.
People often experience greater fulfilment when they consciously seek meaningful experiences that reflect their values, needs, goals and aspirations. When our passions and values are closely aligned with our aspirations and goals, our sense of purpose becomes more coherent and can give deeper meaning to our lives.
Through life coaching, people can develop a deeper understanding of themselves, clarify their core values and needs, recognise what genuinely motivates them and identify what they want to bring into their lives. This greater awareness can make it easier to take actions that are consistent with one's sense of purpose.
When our actions, aspirations and values become more aligned, we may experience a state of deep involvement and engagement similar to what psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi described as “flow.” Flow is a state of complete absorption in an activity, in which attention becomes deeply focused and the experience itself feels intrinsically rewarding.
“Life coaching, as I understand it, is a deeply personal and transformative journey that can help you give new meaning to your life, express who you truly are and move closer to your life purpose.”
Claudia Vece
