How to develop a meaningful purpose in life of students?

Our goals keep developing over our life span. The meaningful goals in our life are ones that are driven with a purpose. With a proper worthwhile purpose, people can bring about a positive change in their lives and create a great difference in their mode of survival. Also, a thoughtful goal gives clarity to an individual and the fulfillment of it provides satisfaction. To achieve bigger things in life, a sense of purpose is the basic elementary aspect. Also, when a person is confident about the positive things that their goal will highlight, it creates a better mental and physical health.

Purpose in life of students are mostly seem to be arising from the influence of an educator. The way an educator connects with a learner, it gives them a certain perspective of the themes and motives of life. They develop a purpose within themselves, comprehending what feels fit for the long run. To ensure that learners develop a meaningful purpose, the mode of delivery and influence must support educators’ spiritual needs and enlighten the students in finding a purpose.

There are various ways in which one can discover a fruitful purpose in life.

· Reading : Reading broadens the thoughts and emotions, and connects readers with people and information that would never have been otherwise possible. Reading in interrelated with the sense of developing meaning and purpose. Reading develops the meanings of value, efficacy and self-worth in one’s life. Secular reading gives an insight into the lifespan of an individual. People who read the Bible are seen to have developed a stronger sense of purpose and idealism. This is why secular reading should be encouraged in institutions, as it tends the students towards a purposeful life and thus also support educators’ spiritual needs. Fictional reading also helps in the process as a reader develops his/her own reasons for the life events of characters, where a purpose is developed through the act of imagination.

· From Pain to Purpose: Purpose can grow out of any situation. Even when one is suffering, the hurtful feelings can trigger some intellectual purpose in their life. This feeling can come even by witnessing another person in pain. While one comforts another in their suffering, the emotions and behavior can help in the cultivation of a meaningful purpose. Learners in an organization face various situations, which strengthen their emotional setup and also helps them in understanding the need for a purposeful life.

· Gratitude and selflessness: Behavioral patterns that promote healthy and happy living also fosters a sense of purpose in the individual. Gratitude and selfless attitude are two such virtues. The experience of doing a selfless act makes one feel connected to the universe and develops an interest in doing something larger in life. It also creates an emotional foundation in the learner and support educators’ spiritual needs, helping them generate a sense of purpose. Teaching the ways of developing a sense of gratitude in students should be a motive of an educator. Gratitude and selflessness are intertwined in generating a meaning and purpose in one’s life.

· Community interaction: Purpose is often seen to be found by witnessing the people around. Working in a community, people learn to develop love and respect for one another. Thus, institutions must encourage group learning environments, where students work in a group and reflect on the thoughts and ideas of others. Students can face a deep crisis of purpose due to multiple reasons, be it their own complexes, lack of comprehension of a situation or any other. An educator should actively contribute in giving them a clarity and impacting their ways of thinking.