Soul-Searching, Life-Crafting, and Finding Your Purpose

Living with a sense of purpose can improve physical, emotional, and psychological health, helping you feel more alive, clear, and authentic. Some individuals even experience the state of “flow,” where time seems to disappear, and they feel deeply content and fulfilled. Research shows that people who live with purpose enjoy better physical health, greater resilience, and deeper emotional fulfillment. They are more optimistic, engaged, and even tend to live longer (Leonard & Kreitzer, n.d.).

Purpose provides direction, allowing you to focus on what truly matters and let go of what does not. It is a stable and generalised intention to accomplish something meaningful to yourself, one that fuels motivation through challenges and helps you feel that your life makes a difference (Scottsdale Community College, 2019). However, finding that sense of purpose can sometimes feel elusive. Many people struggle to define what truly gives their lives purpose or how to align their daily actions with their deeper values. Discovering purpose often requires reflection, curiosity, and intentional effort, exploring not just what you want to achieve but why it matters to you.

One helpful framework for discovering purpose is Ikigai, a Japanese concept which roughly translates to “the happiness of always being busy” (García et al., 2017). A large-scale study of over 73,000 Japanese adults revealed that those who reported a strong sense of purpose lived longer than those who did not. According to this concept, purpose lies at the intersection of what you love, what you are good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for. While the popular diagram of Ikigai presents these four overlapping circles, the idea itself is more fluid, allowing those who practice it to experience a lifelong exploration of balance, contribution, and joy.

Another helpful concept for finding purpose is through life-crafting, a reflective process rooted in positive psychology that focuses on factors that support human health and well-being rather than disease (Schippers & Ziegler, 2019). Life-crafting involves intentionally reflecting on your values and passions, visualising your ideal future, setting concrete goals, and making commitments to pursue them.

Written by: Zariel

01/2026

References

García, H., Miralles, F., & Penguin Books. (2017). Ikigai : the Japanese secret to a long and happy life. In Penguin Random House LLC (Trans.), Penguin Books [Book]. Penguin Books. https://dn790007.ca.archive.org/0/items/ikigai-the-japanese-secret-to-a-long-and-happy-life-pdfdrive.com/Ikigai%20_%20the%20Japanese%20secret%20to%20a%20long%20and%20happy%20life%20%28%20PDFDrive.com%20%29.pdf (Original work published 2016)

Leonard, B. L., & Kreitzer, M. K. (n.d.). Why is life purpose important? Taking Charge of Your Wellbeing. https://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/why-life-purpose-important

Schippers, M. C., & Ziegler, N. (2019). Life Crafting as a way to find purpose and meaning in life. Frontiers in Psychology, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02778

​​Why Having a Sense of Purpose is Important. (2019, November 12). Scottsdale Community College. https://www.scottsdalecc.edu/news/2019/why-having-sense-purpose-important