Purpose spectrum: Savouring life vs Making an impact

Many people will come to me and ask how do they find their purpose? I’ll give them a bunch of exercises and a wonder whether or not that truly is their purpose. After reading Ray Dailo’s book Principles I found that his spectrum is helpful. He mentions that life’s purpose is on the spectrum of savouring life or making an impact. I’m paraphrasing, And if you take those and put them on the line, some people live life to 100% savour it. They are in the moment. They are living life to the fullest. They are doing whatever they want, when they want. Others are all about giving back. Doing everything in the service of others. Making a contribution to society. Doing whatever it takes on their side to make sure that they can leave a lasting legacy. And then there’s everything in between. Most people are challenged in making that choice. Commitment issues? Not sure. FOMO – fear of missing out? Perhaps. 

The wonderful thing is that it doesn’t have to be a single choice. You don’t have to do just one. You can split it 80:20, 70:30, 60:40, 50:50. Where do you land on the spectrum?

You can spend a bunch of your time getting that nice house, driving a nice car, wearing those nice clothes. Then once in a while giving back to the community or doing what you can to impact the lives of others. Or you can choose to live a little bit more modestly so that more of your hard work can be translated to impact for others versus impact for yourself. What you would spend on the house gets donated to a charity. What you would have spent upgrading your car, now goes to helping underprivileged children. The money you use for that nice new coat can go to helping veterans reintegrate into society. 

Plus your choice can change. Perhaps in your youth, you want to savour life a little more. Take more risks and see what the world has to offer. Possibly in your later years, you find that you’ve accumulated enough things and experiences that you find more fulfillment in sharing that wisdom and SIWIKE (Stuff I Wish I Knew Earlier). 

Whatever you decide, it’ll be a great choice. Make a decision to do the best that you can at every moment. Be at to save your life, or to impact others and you’ll be bound to lead a purposeful life.