How to create a meaningful life purpose statement

Executive overview

Most people don't have a clear life purpose — only around 20% can articulate one. Purpose isn't something you find; it's something you create. The funeral exercise gives a simple, repeatable way to surface yours.

Your purpose is whatever you most want to be able to say about yourself at the end of your life.

Common barriers to defining purpose

• Searching "out there" for purpose rather than creating it from within
• Paralysis around getting it "right" — there is no right answer
• Reluctance to commit to a statement or share it with others
• Purpose's only function is to inspire you; it can always be changed

The funeral exercise

• Imagine your life fully turned out — every challenge overcome, every goal met
• Picture your funeral or retirement party: who is there?
• Ask what you'd want them to say about you
• The emotional core of those statements is the raw material for your purpose
• Look for the idea that most moves you, scares you to say aloud, or creates longing
• Frame it as a short phrase that lights you up when you say it

Refining and using your purpose

• Share it with a spouse, children, friends, coworkers — talking it out sharpens it
• If a phrasing stops inspiring you, change it; you already know how
• A life purpose can show up across different contexts (personal, business, community)
• Check in with it regularly — it should move you each time you say it