The Virtue of Purpose

From the first time I read the writings of Marcus Aurelius, I was hooked. The wisdom shared in his Stoic philosophy can help to guide a person to live an incredible life. Incredible doesn’t mean without struggle. Instead, it means a life full of meaning.

Perhaps the most important lesson in his writings was on finding purpose. Aurelius taught that we were created to work, to solve a problem that benefits the world. We were not created just to feel nice. We were created for duty, and our chosen focus on completing our duties brings us purpose. This idea helps us remember to keep our minds and our energy in the present.

Far too many people spend their time in the past or in the future. This is where struggle and unhappiness live. When we are tied to our past, we are stuck in what once was. When we are only focused on the future, we are often stressed trying to get out of our present situation. When we are in our present, fully focused on the task at hand, we are at peace. Shifting our perspective to ask what we can do now in order to serve our customers, family, or employer brings us back to a sense of purpose.

I believe we find our centered state when we ask empowering questions of ourselves. The first question we can ask each morning is, “how can I serve others today?” By asking that question, we focus our efforts on making a positive impact. The second question is, “how can I best use the resources I have been given watch over?” This helps us remember that our time, our place, and our talents are the resources we have watch over. We find joy in employing those resources. The third question is asked at the end of the day. It is, “did I give all of my potential to my day?” If we can answer yes to that question, we find our satisfaction in knowing we have lived a life of purpose.

Each of us is meant to do all that we can with all that we have in the service of all that we meet. When we do, we rest well at night knowing we have made a positive impact. And that, my friend, is the greatest purpose for which any of us could exist. Live your life today in a way that leaves the world a little better than you found it.