What Is the Point of Life: a Guide to Find Meaning, Purpose, and Joy

What’s the point of life?

You’re not alone in asking yourself this question.

At some point, most people wonder about the meaning of life. For some, it happens when they hit rock bottom. For others, when they achieve success yet still feel unfulfilled.

I’ve spent some time wondering what the point of life is too. 

What is the purpose of human life? And what are the secrets of the happy and fulfilled people that those who feel stuck and frustrated don’t know about?

The answers brought a sense of meaning and joy into my life. 

And it can do the same for you.

In this article, you’ll get the answer to the question “What is the point of life?” And I will also ask you 4 simple questions to help you find your purpose in life. 

Let’s dive in!

What’s the Point of Life?

Life is shorter than the blink of an eye in relation to the lifetime of the universe. Nothing that you do, create, or build, means anything in the long run.

So then, what is the point of life?

The simple answer to the point of life is to simply live it.

Life is about experiencing and enjoying your time on earth. Though you can do that in various ways, there are two important ingredients to living life to the fullest: growth and fulfillment.

Seeking Growth

The force of life is growth.

You can see this in all life forms: from plants to animals to humans. In life, we are either growing or dying.

Research shows that those who seek consistent growth enjoy greater well-being versus those who do not. Unfortunately, the reality is that most people grow comfortable with what they’ve got. And they stop challenging themselves because they fear losing what they have got.

Once you stop learning, you start dying

– Albert Einstein

One of the most important things to remember is this: life is about the process, not the results. 

If you only live your life for the external results you could get, you will experience frustration. The same counts if you already achieved results but cling onto them.

Personal success is never about reaching a destination, but rather, it’s about the journey that gets you there. 

Consistent growth answers the first part of the question: “What’s the point of life?”

Seeking Fulfillment

Most people chase happiness.

The problem is that no one is ever going to feel happy all the time. Life is going to suck sometimes. And when happiness is your goal, you will experience a lot of frustration.

Instead, seek fulfillment over happiness.

Bad stuff can still happen when you feel fulfilled. The difference is that you can feel fulfilled and unhappy at the same time.

So how can you feel more fulfilled?

Be a good person and live in harmony with nature. Living by simple virtues like kindness and honesty will make you feel good. People often forget these simple virtues can bring a lot of personal satisfaction to one’s life.

Also, be selfishly selfless. If you do everything for yourself, you suffer. The paradox of personal success is that an essential element for fulfillment is contribution. So ask yourself: how do you want to add value and leave an impact on the world?

Growth and fulfillment together answer the question: “What’s the point of life?”

4 Questions to Find Meaning in Your Life

You can experience growth and fulfillment in any area of life. And everyone can find meaning, though what that means differs per person. 

In other words: you’ve got some soul searching to do.

But here is a tip before you embark on this journey: finding purpose increases happiness, but endlessly searching for it may do the opposite. In other words, don’t stress out if you struggle to find your purpose. 

Instead, try to get the best answers to the following questions. But don’t worry about getting the perfect answers. You have time to figure it out.

Here are the questions:

#1: What problem frustrates you the most in the world?

What is something that makes you feel very upset? Is it climate change? Is it poverty and wealth inequality? Perhaps you care more about education? Or is health more up your alley and does the increasing rate of obesity frustrate you?

In other words: if you could make one of these problems disappear, which one would you choose?

The answer to this question helps you to identify in which area you could find meaning and purpose.

#2: What would you be doing if money were no object?

If you need a job to get paid but all jobs would pay the same, what would you be doing?

Too often, we are in a career or business because we want to keep up with the Joneses. But when you compare yourself to your neighbors, you enslave yourself to a life that doesn’t fulfill you.

Instead, put your happiness first. What’s something that you would enjoy? When you find something you enjoy, you’ll also find it much easier to achieve success.

#3: How would you want to be remembered?

The great Stephen R. Covey wrote the classic personal development book: the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. And one of the habits is to start with the end in mind.

Let’s say that you were to become a ghost and could attend your own funeral. What would you like the people you love the most to say about you?

And how would you start living your life if you knew you only had one more year to live?

The answers to these questions give great insights to understand how you should live your life in the most meaningful way.

#4: What do others compliment you about?

Though you shouldn’t let the validation of others affect you too much, the compliments you get can give you some insight into what you’re naturally good at.

When you know your strengths and powers, you can use that to provide a lot of value. It’s one of the secret ingredients to personal success. And it can give you a lot of fulfillment when you’re doing stuff that’s within your strengths.

Finding the Point in the Darkness of Life

The question “what is the point of life?” is one a lot of people wonder about during the darker periods of life. But did you know that the darkest moments are those from which you can derive the most meaning?

The best story to illustrate this is that of Viktor Frankl. 

Frankl was a captured jew during the second world war by the Nazis. Separated from his wife and kids (whom he would never see again), he was put to work in various concentration camps.

But rather than giving up on life, he found meaning in his suffering. Not only did this keep him alive, but it also gave him more freedom than his capturers. Think about that for a moment.

If you want to learn more about Frankl’s story, I do highly recommend you to read the full story: Man’s Search for Meaning.

5 Extra Tips to Feel More Fulfilled Today

Some find their purpose immediately while others take some time to figure it out. And if you’re like me, you fall into the second category of people. 

But that doesn’t mean you have to feel unfulfilled until you find your purpose.

Instead, here are 5 tips that can make you feel better today.

Tip 1: Gratitude

Gratitude is a special power you can use whenever you feel frustrated. When things don’t seem to go your way, take some time to cherish what you do have.

What are some things you could appreciate right now?

When you feel frustrated, you’re often fixated on one small detail. So when you take time to zoom out and appreciate what you got, the frustration tends to melt away.

Tip 2: Stop comparing yourself

Do you know someone who makes decisions to impress others, not because it makes them the happiest they could be?

Surely, you do.

Almost everyone does it to some degree.

As humans, we are simply wired to compare ourselves to one another. Yet, it’s the comparison game that causes so much unfulfillment in people’s lives.

Instead, focus on your dreams, desires, strengths, and uniqueness. 

You already know that everyone is different. So stop comparing yourself to others. It will only keep you from living your life to its fullest potential.

Tip 3: Follow Your Gut Feeling

The alternative to listening to others is tapping into your intuition. And that requires some courage.

But if you want to feel fulfilled, it’s the right decision.

When you start making decisions based on what your heart is telling you, you will notice a few things. First, taking responsibility for your life means you will start doubting yourself.

And second, you will find that people are pushing back on it. People will discourage you from doing anything that scares them. And though they often have good intentions, their advice sucks.

If you feel something in your gut, go after it. 

Sure, you might fail and struggle with your journey. Sure, you might experience doubt and comments like “I told you so” from other people. But isn’t that merely a reflection of the insecurities of those people?

Every successful person experiences pushback and doubt.

But if you choose to stay in your comfort zone and let that affect how you live, then what is the point of life, right?

Consider that you try to follow your dreams and build the future you desire but you fail. Wouldn’t that still be much more fulfilling than never trying and always wondering: “What if?”

Of course, you want to achieve success too. But not taking action out of fear is the ultimate failure. 

And remember: it’s the journey that brings fulfillment and happiness.

Tip 4: Be selfish yet selfless

It is okay to want nice things for yourself and go after your dreams and desires.

Sometimes, you just have to put your happiness first.

That being said, if you want to feel fulfilled your life should not only involve selfish needs.

A big part of feeling fulfilled is contributing to something bigger than yourself. So ask yourself the question: what mark do you want to leave in the world?

You can already start small. Spread kindness to everyone for example. How? What about smiling more at strangers on the street?

Tip 5: Spend more time alone

Sometimes, the best way to spend your time is by being alone.

Go for a long walk in nature. Go away for the weekend by yourself. Or find a place to sit alone with nothing else than a journal and your thoughts.

Not only can this help you to find what you most care about, but it can also bring clarity in every area of your life.

So if you’re still wondering what the point of life is after reading this article, I dare you to spend some time alone to find the right answer for you.

Conclusion

You got some insights into my insights when pondering the question: What is the point of life?

In summary, the point of life is about living it. And to live it well, I figured that there are two important ingredients: constant growth and fulfillment. 

Growth is about challenging yourself and always pushing your comfort zone.

Fulfillment is about finding something you care about.

Here’s how to begin with self-discovery:

• Discover your traits with the best personality tests
• Uncover your personal strengths
• Clarify your core values in life
• Find your purpose
• Find your passion

Additionally, explore journaling with one of the best guided journals.