The importance of having a purpose

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I think a problem a lot of us have, and I certainly do, is not having a purpose in life as a focal point for making decisions and maintaining good mental health.

Right now, my purpose is to take care of my spouse with Alzheimer's and make his declining years happy ones. I can see when that ends, I will be at a loss as to why I keep going. Hopefully I will find another purpose, because not having one is pretty depressing, especially when fighting through disabilities.

Quite a few people here are without purpose, by their own admission. With no job (or only a job they hate) and no relationship, they question why it's worth living.

What is your purpose?

[moved to the haven]



i haven't ever found a "purpose" beyond myself. i don't know where to look for one.

I don't really have an overriding "purpose," per se. I don't feel I was "put on this Earth" for some specific "purpose."

I just make up "purposes" as they arise.

When a situation calls for a specific solution, a "purpose" concurrently emerges.

This is a good point, Bea. I believe humans need a purpose and if they don't have one their physical and mental health can decline, sometimes rapidly. A case in point that I've seen personally on multiple occasions is when a person retires and then can't find a purposeful way to spend their time. In my experience, this issue seems to be the biggest problem with men rather than women who retire.

My purpose at this point in my life is providing for my family and being a husband and father. And, that's really about all I can handle. I used to be hard on myself about how some other dads seem to be supermen who can do all of that as well as belong to sports teams, coach kids teams, have a group of guys to do guy things with, belong to committees, do many activities with their kids (I know a guy who does all of that). I can't do that.

A person who feels they have no purpose loses their dignity.

my purpose is in writing all those senseless ramblings here, and in a couple other places) maybe it makes a difference. and even if i lose, at least i tried.

I agree. Having a purpose is very important and as Magna said, if you have no purpose that means you have no direction in life which causes depression and a bad mental state. I was like that a while ago but I have since found my purpose and now feel a lot better in myself and am pleased that I now have direction in my life and a purpose which I am always working towards.

My purpose is to make a difference to people’s lives and perhaps even the world. I’m working on my voice and bringing others the gift of music, which I hope will make them smile and feel relaxed and maybe even inspired to start enjoying music even more. That is my purpose and it gives me the drive and want to keep going even when times are tough.

Even with AS I love my life and I feel like it’s such a beautiful gift. I want to prove to everyone that AS is just a part of you and it can be nurtured into something so special! I’m not religious really but I am a very happy and positive girl who loves to try and do her best for everybody, in small portions of course.

Nat.

WP has been it for awhile.

1. Update members here with the latest autism related news both goid and bad

2. Give my perspective as an experienced autistic.

rather than having a purpose I have curiosity. I'm at my best when I am learning or making something. that is all.

I have one goal and that is to see space before I die.

My purpose is being there for my girlfriend. She has a lot of various disabilities she's dealing with.

No great "purpose"


Trying and failing, to trick someone into making the mistake of hiringy worthless corpse

Only one friend right now. If she gets cancer, or if she doesn't want to interact with me anymore, then zero friends



Hitler had a purpose. Hitler was successful and important

Not all purposes are justified

Some precious lil "people" , have the nerve to boldly assert the class "the meaning of life is helping people!"

(Yes, "meaning" and "purpose" are different, but that is not the point)

But that is vague

"Helping" whom do what?

Mussolini was helping Hitler

Yeah well I 35 years old and postmenopausal

For a long time and I have not had a "purpose".

Just waiting for the next meal

So what?

Not everyone has a "purpose"

Not all purposes are good

I love music. I live music. I love listening to it. Performing it. Writing it. Everything.

If I lost the ability to play, or the ability to hear, or just lost music in some substantial way, I don't know if I would have much of a purpose anymore.

My purpose for my own needs is to fully connect with any others that are willing. So far the only takers are my cats and my daughter. And musicians. When I dance my purpose is to fully connect with the music. I also get this feeling in nature with trees.

As for my purpose to serve fellow humans, I teach. It's very thankless day to day, but when they graduate I know they will have a memory of support or be able to think in a new way that I might have inspired.

I think my purpose was to solve all the mysteries of life (at least as related to physics) before I pass away.

When my dad passed away suddenly, my mom was at a great loss. She was a homebody. Dad passed away one week and then my youngest brother the following week. He was the closest to her. It was a devastating blow. Almost right after the funeral, she began emptying the house. Anything that reminded her of my dad. It was like she was preparing to die.

I told my mother that she needs to get involved. She joined a book club and a few other social clubs. But then a lightbulb lit in my brain. My youngest daughter wanted to become a medical doctor. She must have been around 13 at the time. There was a hospital close to my moms. So I went to the hospital and signed my daughter up to be a hospital aid (a pink lady) for the summer. So for 2 summers I had my mother take my daughter to and from the hospital each day and my daughter stayed with her to keep her company. It helped to get my mother out of the slump she was in and it helped my daughter gain some practical experience in the field she choose. It gave my mom a purpose.

Jimmy that was a nice story about your mom and your daughter. I'm sorry you lost both your father and your brother in such a short period, you talked about it being hard on your mother but I'm sure it was hard on you, too.

I am not afraid of death or passing through the veil. And I knew I would see them on the other side someday.

But physically I could feel their deaths affected my body. My chest tightened that portended a heart attack. There is an old saying that "Bad events come in three". So the image in my mind at the time was "I was next, on the chopping block."

My purpose is to earn enough money to buy my family a home. Beyond that my life holds zero meaning, and when I've completed my task I'm free to throw myself off a bridge.