‘What does the world need from me?’ and 3 more questions to ask yourself for a happy, purposeful life

Without a true meaning in life, it can be hard to have a sense of belonging. This universal experience may be why “Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life,” which explores finding your purpose, is an international bestseller.

The book’s authors, Héctor García and Francesc Miralles, recently published another book about how to live a happy, purposeful life. This time, the focus isn’t on Okinawa, Japan and its long-living residents, but instead the book turns to cultures in India for insight on how to find your life’s purpose.

In “The Four-Way Path: A Guide to Purushartha and India’s Spiritual Traditions for a Life of Happiness, Success, and Purpose,” García and Miralles explore a key aspect of Hinduism called “purushartha,” which loosely translates to “the purpose or goal of a human being.”

There are four areas that must be cultivated in order to “live in accordance with purushartha,” García and Miralles wrote.

Ask yourself these 4 questions to find your purpose

To find your purushartha, and answer “What is my purpose?” ask yourself these four questions:

1. Kama: What do I love doing?

“Kama” refers to “the enjoyment of what’s beautiful in life,” and focuses on your emotions, desires and love, García and Miralles wrote.

This area requires you to ask yourself, “What do I love doing? What do I want?”

2. Dharma: What does the world need from me?

“Dharma” has several meanings and generally translates to “the right way of living,” especially with duties, moral values and virtues in mind.

To find your dharma, you can start by asking yourself, “What does the world need from me? Why do I exist?”

3. Artha: What do I need to sustain my life?

“Artha” refers to what needs to be done in order to sustain your life, especially in relation to your career and financial security.

The questions you can think about for this area are “What do I need to sustain my life? What can bring wealth to me and my loved ones?”

4. Moksha: Who am I?

Finally, “moksha” is purely focused on freedom and self-realization.

“Try to think how you would define yourself without mentioning your name, your job, things you identify with, your country,” García and Miralles wrote.

This area considers the question, ’Who am I? Who am I in the truest sense?”