The Perfect Purpose Does Not Exist

In our Level 1 workshop, we help people find their true purpose in life — which is whatever satisfies the four essential needs of the mind. But sometimes people identify a purpose that only satisfies two or three of those needs, and they start to worry that their purpose isn’t true enough, or perfect enough, to get started.

But believe it or not, there is no such thing as the perfect purpose in life — and if people wait to find it, they’ll never get started.

It doesn’t really matter if a person chooses to live a purpose in life that’s initially not right for them, provided they take responsibility for the outcomes and learn from it. Yes, it’s nice if it’s ‘right’, but it’s not such a big deal if it’s ‘wrong’ — not as much as people think it is.

What really matters is change.

As long as a person is moving forward — even if it’s initially in the wrong direction — forward movement creates change. Change leads to growth, and growth changes a person’s perspective and needs. Once their perspective changes, they’re far better able to see a newer or better path.

It’s like you sometimes have to go off track for a while, before you recognise you’re on the ‘wrong path’, and hence seek the ‘right path’.

That’s why making the wrong decision is often better than making no decision at all. At least a wrong decision creates change. No decision leads to stagnation, and stagnation is far worse.

Stagnation happens when people become overwhelmed by change and start avoiding the changes they know they need to make. They put things off until later — next year, when things calm down, when conditions are better. Over time, avoiding change becomes a habit, and they end up stuck in their comfort zone, doing the same things they’ve always done, in the same old ways, at the same level. This almost always leads to a life of routine boredom.

But if that same person instead decides to pursue a new purpose, the decision itself creates change — and that’s almost always better than stagnation — even if that new purpose is technically ‘wrong for them’ in hindsight.

Change teaches. It corrects. It reshapes perspective. Compared to stagnation, which traps people in a lifeless routine, change almost always leads to somewhere better.

Of course, it would be great if we all knew the perfect path from the start — but real life doesn’t work that way. Most people aren’t motivated to change just because something could be better. They’re motivated when something becomes so uncomfortable, staying the same is no longer an option.

We’ve all experienced this. How many times have you known you needed to make a change, but ignored it until things got so bad, you had no choice? You get fed up, tired of it, or frustrated enough to finally act. You fix the leaking tap, quit the soulless job, leave the unhealthy relationship.

Sometimes people need to live the “wrong” purpose for a while before they can even recognise the right one. Without contrast, how would we even know the difference?

That’s why following the wrong purpose isn’t as big a deal as people think. It’s often a blessing in disguise — and in many cases, it turns out to be a necessary step.

That said, a lot more caution is advised if you’re living your new true purpose as a business or career. That decision should be made carefully — ideally with guidance from a business mentor with expertise in your field, and completing levels 1-3 of the workshops to give yourself the best chance of success. That goes without saying.

But if your purpose is more general — a passion, a hobby, or a lifestyle change — go for it! Create change in your life and see where it leads. You’ll quickly learn whether it’s right for you or not.