When the question of and search for the concept of a life purpose or meaning of life first appeared in human consciousness, answers were found mostly in the religious sphere. This implied that there was a divine design to creation, and that the human being had a place in that creation, and consequently had a duty associated with that position.

Later, freedom in thinking was expressed in philosophy, which offered a counterpoint to religious dogma. In philosophy, everything was questioned, even if there was a meaning to life at all.

Next, existential psychology brought the concept of Life Purpose into the realm of the individual person. The question: “Why are we here?” has become: “Why am I here?”

Each potential development in consciousness needs a measure of resistance to strengthen its existence. In this time, in the individual’s deep need for knowing why s/he is here, we encounter the resistance presented by natural science.

Through natural science we are told that everything in the entire universe, including the human being, exists as a matter of chance and natural selection. By definition, in a system of chance, in which elements enter and depart at random, there is no aim and hence no purpose, except a purpose that is determined by the requirements of that system, which is not purpose really, but compulsion.

Yet we see that for the human being, meaninglessness is a condition which our mind and soul find quite intolerable. As a result, a deep subconscious emptiness is experienced, leading to boredom, depression, and neurosis.

In religion and philosophy, a certain given with regards to life’s meaning was still expected and assumed. With bringing the search into individual consciousness, however, we discover that each person is asked to decide on and create her/his life purpose.

In that arduous journey, we are likely to lose our way at least once in this life. And although indications are looked for in various spiritual approaches, they are ever entirely satisfactory.

Neither are the many quick-fix workshops these days, one-sided in their insistence that all you need is to discover your passion and talents and express them in your vocation or other worldly actions.

• Is life purpose only expressed in what you do?

• How do you get to know your life purpose?

• How can life have meaning, when it is so vulnerable and subject to apparently random accidents, sickness, and death?

• Is there such a thing as individual destiny, or are we mostly the result of environmental influences?

• What about the limitations and burdens put on those who suffer from serious health conditions or disabilities? How ‘free to create’ are they?

These questions and many more will be explored, reflected on and worked through during the in-depth and fully-facilitated email coaching program called ‘My Life Purpose’. Offered by Heart and Soul Coaching, it consists of five Sessions, each with its reflections, themes, and associated questions. This is an interactive workshop, in that you will actively explore and work with your own values, your truths and, in the end, your unique life purpose through the ideas, tasks, and questions provided.

“Do not ever doubt your strength and abilities. This may not be the life you expected, certainly not the life you would have chosen, and yet it is yours. Not because you do not deserve any better, but because you are the only one in the world who can make something of it and, in so doing, realize your life’s purpose.” ‘This Strange Land’© – a Reluctant Pilgrimage Arjan Bogaers