As we are still very early into the new year, many people are enthusiastically crushing those goals and resolutions with the same enthusiasm they had in 2025 when they wrote them down or made a plan to tackle them. And then there are others who, although they started off the year with good intentions, may have already fallen off the wagon. There is a reason why gym memberships ramp up at the first of the year, but by February, many people have put their gym clothes aside for the comfort of snuggling up under a warm blanket and bingeing their favorite series. And who can blame them, with the bitter cold temperatures in much of the US, and Snow-Mageddon, as I’ve heard it called, hammering the east coast?
But many people struggle for a much bigger reason, and that is because they don’t really know their purpose here on earth. Do you know why you’re here and what you are supposed to accomplish in this lifetime? That is a really big concept to grasp, and one that I am not sure I, or anyone, can tackle or answer. But I do know, from experience, that when we lack purpose, we also to some extent lack direction, and it becomes almost a domino effect that leads to us feeling bad about ourselves and our lives. When we lack purpose, we begin to feel useless. When we feel useless, we are no help to ourselves or each other. We may become lazy and say “why bother”, to getting off that couch and doing something productive. We may say “not today” to accomplishing that task, even something as mundane as washing the car or cleaning the house.
When we find our purpose, even if it is something that seems small and inconsequential, it can energize us. Since energy begets energy, it becomes a domino effect in a good way this time. Our energy and enthusiasm may start to attract other people, and we may inspire them to take on a project or a task. I wrote about how energy can be transferred in the poem The Energy You Send from “Sow Seeds of Wisdom” https://thepracticalpoet.com/the-energy-you-send-from-sow-seeds-of-wisdom/.
When we are entering this new journey of purpose and fulfillment, there may be some setbacks. There may (probably will) be some naysayers who try to discourage us from whatever we are trying to accomplish. They may fear how your new purpose is going to change or alter you or the relationship, or they may question there own purpose or lack thereof. They may envy you for having the courage to better yourself and enrich your life. When this happens, we have to keep going and stay the course (https://thepracticalpoet.com/stay-the-course-from-sow-seeds-of-wisdom/) and remember why we are taking on this role. What do we hope to gain from this? How is this going to enhance us personally? Is this going to make the world a better place? All of these can help to build that determination and drive that will lead us to keep moving forward to find that purpose filled life.
As we reach for our purpose, we may grow in ways we never expected, and that is a wonderful thing. Conversely, our eyes may be open to some things we may not be prepared for. If your purpose leads you to volunteer helping orphans or homeless animals, you may be brought down by the neglect or abuse that is often the case. If your purpose is to assist at a homeless shelter or feed the hungry, your eyes might be opened to the poverty that exists. This may cause you to second guess why you are doing this, and it might bring on some depression or a hopeless feeling. But we have to keep in mind that we can’t solve all the world’s problems, nor should we take on that burden. But we can do small things that have a great impact.
Even if you never define your purpose in life, you can still lead a fulfilling and meaningful life by being a good person who is kind to animals and the elderly, and helps out others whenever possible. Just living with kindness in your heart and acting with the best intentions toward yourself and others can make for a life filled with purpose and meaning.
Purpose
Sometimes the light within us
Starts to dim or fade away.
We may not even notice
That our light has gone astray.
We carry on our duties
And proceed to move about
Without realizing something’s changed;
It’s our luster we’re without.
We may not even be aware
That our spirit has gone dim.
Our mind may not fully grasp
That our mood has become grim.
We may feel a certain numbness,
Or even apathy.
We may shrug off things we used to love
As “No longer meant to be”
We may accept this constant dullness
As a new stage in our life
And begin to feel as useless
As a dull unsharpened knife.
And like that knife, once shiny,
That has lost its glow and gleam…
Or a teapot that sits empty
And no longer spouts its steam…
Or a Smith and Wesson left in a drawer
Rusty from lack of cleaning…
We begin to feel useless
When we lack purpose and meaning.
People say it’s lack of company
That makes one feel alone.
The truth is lack of purpose
Can turn one’s heart to stone.
Once purpose has left us
How do we get it back?
How do we rejuvenate
The purpose that we lack?
Where do we find light
In a flame that won’t stay lit?
How do we keep on moving
When our spirit wants to quit?
Where do we recapture light
That once shined within our eyes?
How do we smile at strangers
Without it feeling like a disguise?
How do we answer positively
When one asks about our days?
How can we bring back focus
From a wandering, distant gaze?
I wish I knew the answer,
Or even where to begin.
The only thing I know for sure
Is purpose comes from within.
And for each person on earth
That purpose is unique.
We’re each on our own journey
To find the meaning that we seek.
So I cannot tell you what to do,
Nor can I tell you how.
The purpose lies inside of you,
But it may be dormant, at least for now.
It’s up to you to awaken
That purpose that lies still.
It might take determination,
And require a strong will.
But I hope you find your passion,
And your purpose, and your stride.
Because life, it is a journey,
And we’re all here for the ride.
And that ride, it may be bumpy,
Or different than we supposed.
But the journey will have more meaning
If our hearts and eyes aren’t closed.
But with our eyes wide open
We may see things we’d rather not.
Over the course of a lifetime
That can add up to a lot.
We may see neglect, abuse,
And even sometimes downright evil.
We might see tragedy and loss
And lives in an upheaval
We might want to walk away
Or quickly turn our head.
We might shut tight our eyes
To stop the tears before they shed..
But there’s only so much we can do.
We can’t let it dim our soul.
To take on the world’s problems
Has never been our role.
So we may have to filter out
That which we cannot change.
Sometimes that means our mindsets
We need to rearrange.
And as we rearrange our minds
To find a stronger will,
Perhaps we will awaken
That purpose lying still.
And that awakening
May cause a resurrection
That leads us down a different road
And in a new direction.
Maybe we can volunteer
For a cause that’s near and dear.
We may have to look deep inside
Until that purpose becomes clear.
And it is here we might find purpose
That we once thought was gone.
Here we might find meaning
That existed all along.
We may come to realize,
And then accept as fact,
That small things that we do in life
Can have a big impact.
Like smiling at that stranger
With a gleam inside your eyes,
Without feeling like an imposter
Or that you’re wearing a disguise.
That stranger may take that smile
And pass it to others as he goes.
So where that smile might lead…
No one really knows.
But doesn’t that feel better?
To live with lightness in your heart?
It may take baby steps,
And it may be a slow start.
We may need to shed some old beliefs
As new ones we start to learn
But with some luck and patience,
That purpose may return.
It’s amazing when we realize
The life that we can build
When we move forth with purpose
With our hearts and minds fulfilled.
But once we have that purpose back
We need to hold it tight.
For the darkness that is lurking
Will try to steal our light.
And even though our journey
May be filled with stops and starts,
Life is so much better
With purpose in our hearts.
-K.A. Bloch-
© 2026
