In recent years, I have spent a lot of time thinking about one question:

What is the greater purpose of life?

It is a very broad question, yet one that many of us start asking when certain changes begin happening in our lives.

Usually, though not necessarily, this happens later in life, when life slowly enters its second half, when a certain reality check arrives, when you have already achieved something, and then difficulties appear.

Health problems, work-related issues, marriage problems, problems with children, friends, or whatever else life brings.

For me, several things definitely triggered this process. It was an entire series of events, from work to children growing up, my age, medical problems, marriage difficulties, and many other things.

I started asking myself what the purpose was, why I was here, and what happens after I die. You can check my article on this topic here.

I wanted to do something meaningful in this world.

In a way, I had already written one book as my legacy. But I didn’t publish it. Don’t know why I couldn’t.

I also thought that my children were my legacy.

It was almost as if I wanted to leave something behind, so that Mark would not simply be an empty man.

And perhaps this is where this entire question of my purpose in life really began.

Many People Just Enjoy Life

Many people believe that the purpose of life is simply to go to work, have children, buy a house, and enjoy life as much as possible.

Some well-known people have even said that life is about moments, beautiful moments that happen throughout life.

I personally no longer fully agree with that.

I also spent many years riding those same waves, believing that life consisted of beautiful and difficult moments, but today I see it as more like basic mathematics, if I can put it that way.

A higher purpose and a deeper meaning may exist beyond that.

Spiritually speaking, perhaps we came here to work through certain things, to complete certain lessons, to resolve something bigger than ourselves.

And the idea that we behave as if we are the center of the universe seems, from my perspective today, mistaken on many levels.

I do not want to impose my own understanding of the purpose of life on anyone.

But I do believe that many people may carry a distorted picture of why they are actually here.

Think Beyond the Borders of Your Own Mind

Thinking beyond the borders of your own mind is one of the most important things you can learn.

Our minds are very limited. Even though we often believe we are free in our thinking, that we know what is right and wrong, and we glorify many ideas within our own minds, a large number of those beliefs are actually shaped by perception, experience, and what we have learned throughout life.

Do not assume for a moment that the mind is some all-powerful mechanism. It is commonly said that we use only a small portion of our mental potential, and there may come a time when our understanding of this changes dramatically.

But how do you think beyond the borders of your own mind?

It is extremely difficult because you are inside your own ego and perspective. It is similar to trying to perform surgery on yourself while fully conscious, knowing that you cannot realistically operate on yourself without anesthesia.

It is very difficult to separate your mind from your ego, your identity, your persona, and everything you have attached to yourself over the years.

You can read more about this topic in my article tu bi dal članek vezan na identiteto, ko bo objavljen. How to Change Your Identity (And Why Changing Your Habits Is Not Enough)

Doubt and Differentiation Are Your Friends

Your greatest friend is doubt.

Doubt everything that exists inside your thoughts, and learn to distinguish things from your old habits and old patterns. This is extremely important work.

You need to learn to recognize the difference between the identity you have built in the past, such as being a good father, husband, attorney, police officer, negotiator, or athlete, and the deeper parts of yourself that are not defined by external roles and achievements.

This is often where the process truly begins.

It begins with humility.

It begins when you allow yourself to let go of certainty, reach your own rock bottom, and become willing to start again from the beginning.

“The Purpose”

In principle, everyone should probably find their own purpose in life. But because I know how difficult it was for me to search for meaning and how long I searched in order to create a path that would extend even beyond my own death, I would like to share my own perspective on what the purpose of life means to me.

It is certainly different from yours, and it may even be wrong.

My purpose

From my perspective, nothing is wrong as long as you are moving in the direction of growth and progress.

I have spent some years searching for my purpose, and over time, things slowly began to crystallize.

For me, things started gaining a sense of meaning when I literally began praying, even though before that I was not a particularly religious person, asking for help with certain problems I was experiencing in life, connected to medical issues and other difficulties.

I was willing to do anything

I clearly remember one day, while meditating and praying to God, saying that I was willing to do anything if only I could receive a clear picture of where my life was supposed to go.

I remember sitting in my office, feeling desperate because I simply could not continue anymore, asking for a spiritual teacher, a guru, who would guide me forward on this path.

I was literally willing to do anything if someone could pull me out of that ignorance and that feeling of not knowing where I was supposed to go.

I needed guidance so badly that I was prepared to do anything.

Now looking back, I was at the point of 1st Patanjali Yoga Sutra

Patanjali Yoga Sutras

The first Yoga Sutra, which I later studied from Patanjali, says:

Atha yoga anushasanam.

"And now, the discipline of yoga begins."

Sadhguru explains this beautifully, saying that when we have tried everything in life and realize that nothing works anymore, we begin practicing yoga.

Of course, we should not confuse Western yoga exercises with the broader meaning of yoga in Eastern teachings.

The second Yoga Sutra says:

Yoga chitta vritti nirodhah.

The restraint of the modifications of the mind-stuff is Yoga

Very simply put:

"When you can control your mind, you can control everything."

More precisely, it means observing the waves of the mind that arise as thoughts and recognizing thoughts as thoughts rather than becoming trapped by them.

Coming back to the main story, I kept searching for my guru.

My Spiritual teacher – The Guru

I waited.

And waited.

There was no guidance.

There was no guru.

My impatience and my feeling of helplessness continued growing.

Someone involved in spirituality once told me that I already knew my guru and that he would appear somewhat later.

I did not understand who this person could be, since I was searching for a living person.

Later, I discovered that my spiritual teacher would become Paramahansa Yogananda.

When I read his book Autobiography of a Yogi, it completely absorbed me.

Interestingly, I already knew about the book while I was meditating and praying.

But I always associated a spiritual teacher with a living person and never even remotely imagined that it could be him. So I moved on, not knowing he was the one.

How I Met My Guru

And so another year or more passed before I discovered, almost accidentally through a friend, that Paramahansa Yogananda and his teachings and lessons still existed and were available online.

The moment I enrolled in those lessons and courses, I still had no idea what was happening.

I still did not know that he would become my spiritual teacher and guide me along this path.

I only realized this six months to a year later when I was already deeply involved in those studies.

How Did I Know He Was My True Teacher?

Very simply.

Every sentence.

Every word.

Everything I read from him and from his teachings made more sense than anything I had previously encountered in my life.

It made so much sense that I cannot even describe it.

After more than one or two years of searching, I realized that I had found my path and my purpose in life.

I found my Guru, I have found my purpose.

So easy but so hard at the same time.

The path was hard and very long.

I continue following that path today.

And for me, it still remains a complete hell yes, without any doubt, my only and true path.

Everyone Has Their Own Path

Many of my friends have some form of guidance or support from different people, whether spiritual teachers or other mentors.

What is important is understanding that a spiritual teacher should not be someone who has not realized something within themselves.

This is probably the only advice I would give.

A guru or spiritual teacher in the true sense should be someone who has reached a certain level of self-realization.

Otherwise, there is a significant risk of ending up in the hands of charlatans or people who may exploit you financially, emotionally, physically, psychologically, or in some other way.

Be extremely careful with this.

What's My Purpose?

Consequently, today I can say that my purpose in life is to do good in this world, to complete certain tasks I have set for myself in business, personal life, and family life, to do as much good as possible, to help people, to try to be successful, but above all to continue studying spiritual books and teachings, those that speak to me and guide me toward higher levels of awareness.

After several years, the success inside me, because that is the only true measurement, has become more than visible and attainable.

And finally, I know that I am on the right path.

How Do You Know You Are on the Right Path?

You simply know that you are on the right path because you know there is no person or thing in this world, whether it is your father, mother, son, wife, or best friend, that could pull you away from it.

The second thing is that the path you know is right does not negatively affect other people in any way.

Instead, your work on this spiritual path and your purpose gradually improve you as a person and positively influence the people around you.

Perhaps it is not always comfortable for them because you have changed.

But deep inside, you know that you are becoming a better person.

You know that you can give more.

You know that you can help more.

You know that you are becoming a much better version of yourself than you were several years ago.

Those are some of the main signs that you have found your purpose in life and that you are moving in the right direction.

That does not mean your purpose will never change.

From my perspective, I believe I will continue living like this for the next thirty years and eventually die a very happy man.

Whether that happens in a few years or in several decades.

My goal is simple.

To leave this world better than it was when I entered it, and perhaps help at least some of the people I wish to help and am able to help.

It sounds quite simple.

The realization of it, however, is often much harder.

Further reading: How to Recover from Burnout: Why High Performers Break Down and How to Reset.