Purpose is - put simply - what you put out. It is the intention to 'express' yourself. You can feel yours right now as an urge, a desire to do something. It could be to make a cup of tea. It could be to change the world. It is always present, not past or future.

Living 'on purpose' gives you direction and guidance. Feeling purposeless can be uncomfortable.

So what is the purpose of life? The yogic commentator, Sadhguru, is very clear that the purpose of life is to live.

Another source suggests it is to express, experience and expand.

Not so different.

Eckhart Tolle says we have two purposes: an inner purpose, akin to those above, and an outer, worldly purpose which is unique to each of us.

So let's cut to the chase:

Are your thoughts, words and actions in harmony with your sense of purpose?

This is a very easy question to answer as long as you don't think about it! The answer lies inhow you feel.

Feelings are no more than an indicator of the quality of your thoughts, words and deeds. If stuff feels good, then it is consistent with your sense of purpose. If it feels bad, it is out of tune with who you are.

So there is no excuse for not knowing if you are 'on purpose' or not.

But if you feel that you are not clear on your purpose, how do you find it?

Many of us have had the purity of our sense of purpose polluted by all sorts of extraneous considerations such as:

• what your parents thought

• what your school advised

• which degree you took

• what earns money

• what gives you job security

• what gives you prestige

• blah blah blah

As a result, we may be supplanting our true sense of purpose with another, or even someone else's. This is guaranteed to cause pain sooner or later.

The cure is generally not to make immediate, radical changes. Rather, it's to gently consider honestly with yourself what your purpose might be. Here's how:

1. Remove yourself from all activity and sit quietly or go for a walk

2. Ask yourself the following questions and notice the attendant feelings:

3. What did you love doing as a child?

4. What do you love doing as an adult - in and out of work?

5. What do you dream about when you are inactive?

6. What would you do if you had complete financial freedom?

7. What are you really good at?

8. What are your unfulfilled ambitions?

Somewhere in the answers to those questions is your sense of purpose. See if you can tease it out into a form of words. You'll be able to feel if its right.

My current purpose (it can and does evolve through life) is the expansion of perception, mine and others.

Note that purpose is always 'in the now'. It's not future or past. It's not like vision, which is an imagined future (coming next!). So youcan always feel purpose regardless of whether you achieve your vision or not.

Now watch this Jordan Peterson clip. He's not everyone's cup of tea politically, but his psychological insights can be powerful.

There's a moment around 3:10 in which he refers to the journey being so much more important than the destination.

So enjoy the journey of life rather than charging towards it's ultimate outcome!