How to Answer The Question “What’s The Point of Life?”

What is the point of life? Most people try to ignore this question for as long as possible because it scares them. The question is scary because they can’t answer it.

They are insecure; terrified of uncertainty and not finding meaning in their days. It crushes their willpower to take action and dig deeper to find the answer.

By Patrick Banks


However, those who have goals, people who want to evolve, and be better each day, understand the principles the Universe is structured around. They live up to their potential, they keep seeking an answer.

I’m here to tell you what life is all about

Too much overthinking won’t help you get where you want to be. There are enough success stories out there, so we can clearly define what success looks like. We need to strategize, find purpose, and go after it, day after day.

To stop you from wondering whether there’s an answer to this question or not, as well as to bring an end to the constant struggle of finding the point of life, here are some things to keep in mind to make sure you live meaningfully.

So, what is the point of life anyway?

1. Remember that everything is a life lesson

One purpose of life is to teach you.

What exactly? That depends on what you’re ready for, what you need in order to level up, and what you secretly desire even though you don’t admit it to yourself. You are a student of life. That’s how it’s supposed to be.

Some, however, are overwhelmed with knowledge even before they graduate. They can’t wait to never learn a thing in their lives again once it’s over.

But that’s a bad lifestyle choice.

Once you get in that mentality, there’s rarely any way back. You start saying ‘NO’ to growing. You don’t want to try new things in order to get out of your comfort zone. You begin to avoid failure so you don’t work on big projects or aim high.

But all these – together with losing things, making mistakes, and experiencing negative stuff – are life lessons. They’re just hidden behind hardships and trials.

To enjoy life and make it easier (while continuously growing), you need to embrace life-long learning and become a better person. Whatever happens, learn from it. You won’t regret it and will feel more productive than ever.

2. Choose peace and contentment

Another thing you should focus on if you want to see what happiness and success are all about is mindfulness.

What’s that? It’s nothing more than spending time in the present moment. It’s about having little to no regrets about the past; not planning too much for tomorrow, then fearing things might go wrong.

Some time ago, before I decided to set priorities in my life, I was too attached to what others thought of me: to how things were supposed to be, to material possessions, and so many more wrong things. I was miserable because of all that.

The solution was so simple. I started practicing mindfulness. I read about the art of letting go, and realized I was rationalizing anything I was doing, so I didn’t do anything unconsciously.

Wow. What a change that was! It happened on the inside but affected my reality more than ever.

All the meaning you’re looking for in life can be found in the present moment. Stop looking for it in things, people, memories, or dreams. All that isn’t sure – it doesn’t matter right now and isn’t perfect.

What’s perfect is the now, with the person you are in this very moment and all the opportunities around you. Embrace that.

3. Leave something behind

Another thing you want to make sure of is to invest some of your time in leaving a legacy.

Some people think this sounds way too big and is for whoever can afford it. Not at all. There are hundreds of small ways to contribute to the world, help others, to be a role model, do good, and to leave a dent.

The benefits of helping others and living beyond yourself can’t really be explained, although even multiple studies prove their effects.

You need to see for yourself how it feels to give without expecting anything in return. And how, inexplicably, you receive more than you can imagine.

In my early 20s, I was all about taking more out of life, always asking what more it could give me and what more I can acquire in terms of possessions, experiences, feelings, etc.

It felt good for a while. Then, I was feeling empty on the inside. I was trying to fill this void with even more of what caused it.

Well, I decided to focus on helping others one day. From saying more compliments to loved ones, sharing what I have with people I knew, donating what I didn’t use to live a more minimalist lifestyle, to doing favors without expecting anything back, and more.

This was easy, simple, and satisfying. I actually liked this new version of myself so much that I tried volunteering in a local community, then online, helping in any way I could.

That was fantastic! I still do it every few weeks now that I’m in my 30s. It makes me even more mindful and grateful. It helps me find the point of life whenever I feel insecure.

4. Be an individual

At the end of the day, there’s one simple, but powerful answer to the question about the point of life: it’s that you can create it for yourself.

Everyone has different experiences, points of view, aspirations, and current fears or struggles. We have different paths to walk. It’s important to embrace this individuality.

Never allow yourself to live by somebody else’s standards. Do what feels right. If everything else doesn’t seem to be going right, this one approach can make it all worth it.

This includes acceptance. Accept yourself for who you are, together with your past, and who you can become in the future.

Accept life for what it is, and admit that it has limitations, too. That will help you stop expecting too much from it, and be happier with all that you have.

Keep learning and growing, giving and spending time in the present moment, but do it your way. Don’t copy. Your potential is unique. By letting yourself be who you are meant to be, you can unleash it.

If you’re still wondering what is the point of life, Emerson’s poem is a big reminder of what it means to succeed in life and make the world a better place:

“To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others;
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 – 1882) American Essayist & Poet

You Exist so You have Value

Emerson saw the purpose of life in a way that is closely aligned with American values. His philosophy encouraged self-reliance, independence, and resistance to society’s pressure to conform. He encouraged us to be true to ourselves as a unique representation of what it means to be human.

The philosophical pursuit of the answer to “What is the meaning of life?” remains too metaphysical for scientific inquiry with the tools available today.

Psychology researchers focus on the impact finding meaning has on individuals, describing the meanings different people assign to their lives as well as describing the characteristics those meanings usually contain.

Feeling one’s life is meaningful contributes significantly to well-being and health so how do you adopt a perspective that makes your life feel meaningful?  

Our individual interpretation of whether our life ismeaningful determines if we feel our life has significance. In the finalanalysis, you get to choose what makes your life meaningful.

Your Life Has Meaning Even if it is Unknown

Some philosophers, like Richard Taylor, believe that our lives are meaningful because we exist. This concept has some merit. If you think about the effect your existence has on the world, it is enormous. Your existence changes other people’s actions and lives.

Your presence has the potential to add enormous value to the world. You don’t have to do something that seems big for your life to have significant meaning. Loving someone is a meaningful activity.

There are many other examples. What if you were a kind stranger who made the difference in whether someone lived or died and the person you saved went on to make a significant contribution to humanity or conservation?

Or the person you save later saves the life of someone who will make a big difference by something as simple as stopping them from walking into traffic in front of an oncoming bus when they’re distracted. A stranger saved me in exactly this way when I looked the wrong way in Australia.  

Lifelong Learning

Several philosophers encourage finding meaning in the pursuit of knowledge. Others encourage examining one’s life. Socrates said the unexamined life wasn’t worth living.

Modern philosopher, Casey Woodling, suggests that the unexamined life has no meaning which makes sense because we assign the meaning we find for our life and if we don’t spend time considering it, we won’t see that our life has meaning.

Roy F. Baumeister, a world-renowned sociologist and researcher concludes that a meaningful life has four properties including a purpose that guides our actions and gives us direction, values that allow us to know good from bad and allow us to see our life as good, and positive progress toward our purpose.

He concludes that “A life will be meaningful if it finds responses to the four questions of purpose, value, efficacy, and self-worth. It is these questions, not the answers, that endure and unify.”

Over to you now.