Understanding Your Purpose in Life

We are wired to seek out purpose. We’re the most meaning-seeking creatures on the planet; we absolutely crave meaning. Shutterstock

When I was a little kid, we used to go up into the Appalachian Mountains in western North Carolina to visit family. We would follow my grandfather (I called him Papaw) up the side of a mountain, within eyesight of the log cabin where he grew up in the early 1900s. He would build a big fire and tell stories of growing up in those mountains.

We hung on every word he said. He was larger than life, and you could just get lost in his stories. What I always found compelling about listening to Papaw around the campfire was that it gave me such a sense of purpose. When I talked to him, I always felt like I knew who I was. I had a sense of connection to my past, my future, and my present.