Leipzig mentions how after around 25 years of graduating from college, 80% of his classmates are not happy, leaving a total of 20% who eventually live a happy life; JUST 20% -- that's gotta be a joke. In this scenario, people that you could refer to as unhappy, are those who generally struggle not finding a perfect enjoyable job nor a niche where they can practice what they most like, what they find purposeful in life. Now here comes the main issue; most people have NO CLUE what there purpose in life is, what they stand for. Having a purposeless life is the origin of the problem, as there's no clear reason to why you do what you do; it's your life purpose which allows you to make certain decisions that will lead you to a "happy life".
Finding your life purpose is simple, you just need to define 5 answers: who you are, what you do, who you do it for, what those people want and need & how they change as a result. And come on, it's not rocket science, you don't need to wait until you graduate from college to figure this out, the faster you think of it the easier it will be to find the right path -- it's kind of your life project.
After 15 years in one same place, school, it's now time to open the doors to the real world. The Iterating Through Life project (the IA's final glance of who you are), will consist in figuring out who you are, what you would like to do with the upcoming years of your life, and how you will able to use these past experiences as an influence to the decisions you might take. Nevertheless, before even thinking on what you --in this case I-- will be doing after graduating, you NEED to identify your purpose; that's where Adam Leipzig's point comes. You need to be crystal clear in some aspects of your life, such as knowing who you are, what you do, and how your experiences in school (most likely in the IA) have shaped who you are and your vision in life. Leipzig leaves a clear statement behind; there's no chance that you'll find a nearly perfect/happy life, if you don't recognize your purpose before hand. This should be the first step in the project. |