When you can decide your life's purpose you have meaning and direction. It takes a fair amount of life experience and reflection to reach this conclusion, and yet many people have been drawn to their purpose from a very young age. When you are young or early in your journey, your purpose may be to simply gain understanding of truth. Discovering the truth, about yourself, human evolution and behavior, about nature, the world and the universe, can be your purpose through education and other sources of knowledge acquisition. This is a good place to start until you can get a better sense of what gives your life meaning. Without meaning and purpose your efforts may be scattered, directionless and unproductive. Moreover, having a sense of purpose gives you an emotional foundation on which to build and grow toward fulfilling your human potential and achieving the destiny of your choosing. Defining your purpose should be aspirational, meaning you can aspire to embody this concept even though you are far from realizing its manifestations. The purpose should feel right to you on an emotional and spiritual level, and also be consistent with your intellectual understanding of yourself and what is beneficial for the world. It should encompass your highest values, the aspects of your character that are best in you. It should also stretch beyond your self interest and be relevant and focused on things beyond yourself.
Discovering your purpose will immediately endow you with an identity that will help guide your pursuits, your behavior, and your thinking. It will influence how you interact with other people and will increase the effectiveness of your efforts. It will help you to stay consistent, focused and productive. This does not mean that all of your efforts in life will be directed toward your ultimate purpose, or that all of your efforts will be productive and successful. You are still human. You will make mistakes and struggle with the same issues and temptations. You will have the same challenges in relationships and interactions. Nonetheless, with a defined purpose, you will ultimately stay on your path. You will correct the course when you veer off. You will right the ship. You will fight the battles and enjoy the struggles as they emerge. You will embody what it means to be human, to pursue with free will the course of your choosing, while helping to make the world a better place in your wake.