The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.

Pablo Picasso

So, I came across this quote recently. And it made me stop and think a bit. So, obviously, I had to share it with you guys. 😄

[ Note that even though I’m attributing it to Pablo Picasso, there seems to be some doubt about the accuracy of that. People much smarter than me have tried to find the true source of the quote, but it’s still not exactly clear. So, for now, I’m just going to trust the good people at goodreads.com who ascribe it to Picasso, and run with it. ]

The first thing it made me realize was that I didn’t have a clear enough picture of the difference between “meaning of life” and “purpose of life”. I knew they were not the same, but I couldn’t exactly put my finger on it. Kind of looking at something through a misty haze – you feel there’s something there, but don’t know what precisely.

Before I go into a long-winded exposition on the difference between these: What do you think? Do you know exactly what these two things mean to you? What are some of the things that give meaning and purpose to your life?

Now, since I wasn’t clear enough on the difference, I tried searching for a bit, and found a couple of links (here and here) that helped me get a better understanding of these phrases. Let me try and see if I can put across my understanding here in words.

“Meaning” is something that you have; it’s something stationary, something static. To say that your “life has meaning” is to say that you “own” something in life that you cherish, that gives you happiness. It’s something that you have, and that you want to protect and enhance, in whatever way you can. It’s not necessarily a physical possession (it rarely would be, I think) – it can be something abstract as well (the more general case), like a person or a relationship, a feeling, your health or intellect, a skill or a hobby, etc.

“Purpose”, on the other hand, is something that you do; it’s something in motion, something dynamic. To say that your “life has purpose” is to say that there is something in your life that moves you, makes you get out of bed in the morning. It’s a target you want to achieve – things like taking care of your children, of your health and well-being, developing a skill or a hobby, making more money or getting that promotion, etc.

If you notice the examples: the two things are actually quite related, yet they are different. One feeds into the other, and vice versa. When you have things that mean something to you, it gives you a purpose to work towards. And when you achieve a target set by your purpose, it adds some more meaning to your life.

For example: A parent who loves their kid, would probably have a purpose to give that child the best life that they possibly can. Similarly, an author who finds solace in words, would perhaps have a purpose to read or write more and more.

It may seem simple, the difference between the two. To some, it might even be obvious. But, it wasn’t so clear to me, not as much as it is now. So, that was the first thing this quote helped me realize, but that’s not all.

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Thinking about it more, I ran into another conundrum: we are not one-dimension beings! We don’t have just one meaningful thing in our lives, do we? We have relationships, our jobs, and even our hobbies. They all add meaning to our lives – in different ways, and different amounts. 

And a purpose that makes us forge ahead in one, often leads to a step back in others. Who here hasn’t had to put their job first, ahead of personal health, or a relationship, or a hobby, at least at some point in their life?

So, which meaning and purpose do you prioritise? But this question is relatively easy – you pick the thing that adds the most value to your life. Of course, at times, we will have to put other things first as well, but in the overall context, assuming a situation when there are no “conflicts”, we should know in our hearts what, in the end, matters to us the most. It’s like that popular question: “What would you like to do if money was not a concern?” Having an ordered list of our priorities will help in those cases when we are absolutely required to make an impossible choice.

* * *

Having gained a better understanding of the two words, “meaning” and “purpose”, and having built at least a theoretical framework in which to plug those in, I focused on the actual quote after that – about “finding your gift, and giving it away”.

Now, as is the case with words – whether written or spoken – they are always open to interpretation. You can search for the meaning of this quote online if you want to know what most people think it means. I prefer not to do that before I have thought about it myself, because I feel that knowing someone else’s opinion about something might color and bias my own thoughts beforehand. So, I wanted to know what it means to me, before I go and see what it means to everyone else. And I encourage you to do the same! Think about the quote and what it means to you, before you proceed any further, or search its meaning online.

Go ahead. Take a moment; I’m not going anywhere.. 🙂

* * *

If you are reading this, I hope you did think about it. What did you feel? I’d love to know. Please leave a comment below! Now, coming back to my own interpretation, and the third and final thing that I learnt from this quote, is:

Our “gift” is the thing that will have the most meaning to us in our life. And once we have identified what that gift is, spreading it, and sharing it with others, is what we need to be doing for the rest of our life.

This also highlights that what we find meaningful should be aligned with what we are actually doing. If I find meaning in singing, but I ignore that for a boring desk job to pay the bills, then I’m doing justice to neither.

So, if emotions are what you value the most, then you should encourage other people to be more understanding and empathetic as well. If you find meaning in making money, you need to help others earn money too. If your job is what you find most meaningful in life, you need to help others be better at theirs. A businessman who is actually an “employer”. A corporate executive who is actually a “leader”. A soul who is a true “healer”. I don’t know about you, but I like the idea of a world full of people like these.

But I know: it’s easier said than done. The biggest question is: how do we even find our “gift” in the first place? Fortunately or unfortunately, that’s a very individual and personal thing, and everyone needs to answer that for themselves.

But that’s okay. The purpose of the quote (no pun intended!) isn’t to tell us what our gift is – it is to encourage us to find it, and to tell us what to do if, and when, that actually happens.

Even just being aware of the relationship between “meaning” and “purpose” alone, can, in itself, help us be more mindful and aware of the connections, pitfalls, and opportunities when they present themselves as we go about our life. For some, even just the attempt to understand something like this alone can lead to unexpected journeys and discoveries! 😉

BTW, I forgot to gush over how beautifully, and succinctly, the whole idea was put into words by the speaker! Bite-sized wisdom indeed! I can only wish for brevity like that. 😁

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And with that, I come to the end of this particular journey. It may have been a bit long, but I enjoyed it. Hope you did too! And if you made it till here, a big, heartfelt “thank you” for your company!

Till next time. Keep safe, keep sane!

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