How to begin writing the Book of our Lives

When the on button of a computer is pressed, an arrangement of plastic, glass, metal and silicon is suddenly transformed into one of the most sophisticated machines ever invented, capable of instantly transmitting the near-sum of human knowledge, connecting billions of people in real time and managing spacecraft on their voyages to the furthest reaches of our solar system.

What the on button does for computers, a clear sense of purpose does for human beings, elevating us to become much more than a collection of genes, cells, tissue and instincts.

Once we actuate our unique purpose, or purposes, all of our disparate parts and potentials coalesce, transforming us into the most powerful force in creation — an unstoppable engine of creativity, connection and possibility that is immeasurably more alive and potent than the sum of our individual parts.

Indeed, a clear sense of purpose dramatically elevates our wellbeing in every way.

Emerging research shows that having purpose in life increases life satisfaction, improves mental and physical health, lowers the risk of cognitive decline, betters sleep and decreases chances of anxiety and depression.

In fact, a sense of purpose increases the longevity, not just the quality, of our lives.

Incredibly, recent studies have shown that those who embrace purpose in their daily lives added an average of seven years to their life expectancy.

That makes living with purpose an even greater contributor to longevity than regular physical exercise, which at best contributes 6.9 years!

Of course, the benefits of living a life of purpose extend well beyond the confines of self-interest and personal well-being. By actualising our Divinely endowed purpose, we manifest the unique blessings we alone were created to bestow upon the world.

But finding our unique purpose is a difficult affair in today’s ever-expanding, hyper-connected reality, with mobile technologies putting the world, with all of its problems and possibilities, into our hands at every moment.

As a point of contrast, a weekday edition of the New York Times contains more information about the world than the average person was likely to come across during an entire lifetime in seventeenth-century England.

The exponential proliferation of information and opportunities makes choosing any direction in life daunting, even paralysing, let alone one that is uniquely ours.

The disheartening result of these difficulties can be seen from a UK wide survey that reveals that the vast majority (89 percent) of 16-29 year-olds, claim their life lacks purpose or meaning.

And across all ages, only two out of 10 people in Britain said that they’ve found purpose and meaning in their lives!

This brings us to a critical question for our time: In a world beset by distraction and inundated with countless causes, how do we discover our own unique purpose?

To help find answers to this question, I spent five years researching the life and teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson (1902-1994), who spent a lifetime guiding countless people from all walks of life toward their purpose in life.

Fundamentally, the Rebbe saw every human being as a soul on a mission from on high to bring hope and healing to the world and he helped all he met see themselves as such.

My research culminated in a recently published book, On Purpose, predicated upon several core spiritual principles from Jewish tradition that can be summarised in the foundational axiom: The day you were born is the day God decided that the world cannot exist without you.

Indeed, Jewish mysticism teaches that before a soul descends to earth, it is appointed to cultivate and transform a specific portion of this world (and society) into a welcoming home for the Divine.

Your part of this precious mission is one of a kind, crafted by God for you – and you alone — to contribute to history, humanity, and the world.

As the pioneering Austrian psychiatrist Viktor Frankl summarised in Man’s Search for Meaning: “Everyone has his own specific vocation or mission in life. Therein he cannot be replaced, nor can his life be repeated.”

Another fundamental axiom of the Rebbe’s philosophy on purpose is based on the principle of specific Divine Providence, as elucidated by the Baal Shem Tov, which teaches that the greatest indicators of our life’s purpose are embedded in our inner world and composition. Hence, the greatest guide to seeking and finding our purpose in life is our own Divine design.

By looking inward and reflecting on your inner makeup, natural gravitations, and dispositions, as well as your personality, character, passions, talents, and even vices and struggles, you will discover a host of internal indicators that become clues and tools to help you identify and fulfil your Divine purpose. This is equally true of the various circumstances, events, people, places and challenges that occur throughout your life.

This elevating perspective reveals that, in fact, there is a Divine plot that informs our human storyline and our purpose is realised at the intersection of Divine Providence and human initiative.

With this in mind, the circumstances of our lives begin to shine in a new way. In telling stories about how you met and married your spouse, for example, you may emphasise that you were drawn by their sense of intelligence, humour, beauty, or note that you met by chance at your favourite coffee shop one afternoon. And while all of that may be true, there is a deeper truth to be found in the qualities and circumstances that brought you together.

This is the truth of Divine Providence — that your appreciation of a good sense of humour, and your gravitation toward the coffee shop where you would eventually meet, were written into the book of your life as plot devices in the story of your unfolding Divine purpose.

No matter where you are in your life, from the lowest lows to the highest highs, God is there, guiding you and everything that surrounds you with Divine precision and loving intention. By choosing to view life through this clarifying lens, you are positioned to both read and write the Book of Your Life, borne by a stream of perpetual grace that is carrying you and everything else toward ultimate fulfilment and completion.

Indeed, start right where you are. In all likelihood, it is exactly where you are supposed to be.
 

On Purpose – Practical wisdom for designing a life of purpose, Chabad.org/Ezra, is out now at £19. Rabbi Kalmenson is executive director of Chabad of Belgravia