"A purpose is not a goal. A goal is something that can be reached. A purpose, though, is never achieved. It exists before you and lives on after you're gone. Purpose is a direction - like west. No matter how far west you go, there's still more west to travel. And like directions, a purpose helps you choose where to go along the route. Purpose is your lodestar, your personal compass of truth. It tells you, in any given moment, whether you're living your life "on purpose" or not.
You use your purpose to set your course in life. It's the quality around which you center yourself. without a clear sense of purpose, you are at the mercy of the shifting terrain of the outside world. It's like being on a ship without a rudder somewhere in the middle of an ocean - you're lost and out of control. Having a purpose enables you to refind your direction and then direct your way there. It makes passages through life's major transitions (not to mention minor surprise) a great deal easier."
~ J. Leider, Richard
