10 Habits of Women Who Lead Purpose Driven Lives

I think that all of us want to find our purpose (or purposes!) in life. We want our days to feel exciting, useful, and passionate. But most of all, we want to experience the feeling of being of alive. Despite what “the rules” of society have told us, having more money and more stuff just doesn’t lead to happiness. It doesn’t make us jump out of bed in the morning, ready to start the day motivated and excited.

Have you ever wondered to yourself, “Is this all there is?”

If you have, well then congrats… you are just like the rest of us! And you are also probably wondering how you can start to find true meaning in your experiences. Over the last couple of years I’ve spent a lot of time studying people who live their lives with significance and purpose.

Whether through reading books, listening to podcasts, or meeting in person, I’ve narrowed down some of the habits of the happiest and most driven individuals I know to help you discover the same path. With that in mind, here are the habits to adopt!

The Top Habits of Women Who Live Purpose Driven Lives

They serve and contribute. 

Here’s the thing: You can’t find purpose in your life without significance. And significance is the feeling you receive when you make important contributions to other people or causes you care deeply about. If you want to feel truly happy and fulfilled, understand that service is a requirement. There are a ton of ways to serve others!

It could be helping people by writing a book that teaches them something, or starting your own foundation that helps underprivileged individuals, or working for an organization that is making the world a better place. It could be creating art that makes people happy, or rescuing animals that have run out of second chances. Whatever “it” is, you must make yourself significant in the world to bring that sense of meaning and purpose into your life.

They seek work that is meaningful.

Working simply to bring in money isn’t enough if you wish to live a fulfilled life. While earning money is necessary to live in our current world, there needs to be more than that. More and more people are discovering that the companies they work for have practices they find ethically questionable. Can you really be happy knowing that the work you do is either meaningless in the big picture, or straight up causes harm to the world?

Creating a meaningful life means creating both a meaningful home life and a meaningful work life. Ideally, these things converge to simply create a meaningful life that makes you feel happy and significant.

They resist the status quo.

Have you ever heard of the term, “keeping up with the Joneses”? Take note, because doing so is one of the best ways there is to never feel like you have, or are, enough. People who are happy and fulfilled resist the idea of accepting the status quo just because it is expected. They find out what truly matters to them in their life, and then they pursue that with every fiber of their being.

They are always asking “why?”

Happy, driven people are always asking why, and don’t like to simply accept things without a thoughtful explanation. If you ever hear someone say, “because that’s just the way things are,” you’ll know that it is time to start asking yourself why. Why should you go to college? Why should you get married? Why shouldn’t you take a gap year? Why shouldn’t you start your own business?

Ask the rules to prove themselves to you. Don’t settle for a life choice simply because “that’s what people do.” Ask yourself why you should follow a certain path, and then ask yourself if there is another way you hadn’t thought of.

They take personal responsibility.

Creating the life you want and filling it full of inspiration and purpose can be really hard work. You have so many choices in this life- don’t let someone else make them for you! The people who live with purpose and joy take personal responsibility for everything that happens to them, even if they didn’t cause a particular outcome.

By doing so, they put the power back in their own hands to do whatever they want. They are not at the mercy of life or chance or other people’s desires. When you take responsibility for your life, you give yourself the gift of choice and opportunity. When you have these two things, you can create anything.

They work really, really hard.

It’s no secret that successful people are hard workers. When it comes down to it, it’s going to be very tough to create the life you want while half-assing it. Plan to always keep learning, asking questions, and saying yes to opportunities that scare you to death.

They spend time with others who are purpose-driven.

One of the most important things to keep in mind is that your environment is everything. The people you surround yourself with shape your thoughts and perceptions subconsciously whether you like it or not. Almost no one is immune to the subtle influence of others. Pay attention to the type of people you are spending time with! Are they the type of people who lift you up and inspire you to be more than you are now? Or do they wallow in the lifestyle of fear based thinking, co-dependence, and self sabotage?

“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”

Jim Rohn

They ask themselves what bothers them about the world, and then they seek to change it.

One of the quickest ways to find purpose in your life is to simply ask yourself, “What bothers me about the world?” There are hundreds of issues going on in the world at any given moment. Which ones really grind your gears? Which one would you most like to change? If you can pinpoint the things that cause the fire in your belly, you’ll have found a source of purpose. What are some creative ways you could help bring about change in this area?

They simplify and declutter their lives to focus on the important.

Chris Guillebeau calls this radical exclusion. Tim Ferriss calls this the choice-minimal lifestyle. There are a hundred different ways to say it, but purposeful people ix-nay the meaningless drivel from their lives in favor of the things and activities that make them come alive.

Minimalism often applies to the possessions you own, but it can also apply to your day to day activities. If it isn’t a “hell yes!”, it should be a no. Take time to go over your schedule and eliminate the unnecessary. Then, start the process of decluttering your home to allow space for your mind to expand. If you need a great resource to help you get started, I highly recommend The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo.

They aim to leave a legacy when they are gone.

If you knew that you would die tomorrow, how would you want to be remembered? What would you hope that people say at your funeral? The fact is, we are all limited in the number of days we have available to us. Whoever you are and whatever you have accomplished is the legacy you will leave for friends and family.

Purpose driven people are intentional about their legacy. They don’t leave it up to chance. Contrary to popular belief, going on adventures and facing adversity isn’t about “finding yourself”. Rather, it is about deciding who you are and what you stand for. This is your legacy.

Question: What do you think is the most important key to finding purpose and meaning in your life?

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