You Are Asking The Wrong Question

I see people getting hung up on meaning and purpose.  These two ideas aren't the same.  Usually, when people talk about meaning, they are wanting their life to have meaning on some cosmic scale.  The truth is that we have no evidence our lives mean anything on a cosmic level. We can certainly give our lives meaning, just like we can define any other object or thing that is around us.  Purpose on the other hand is usually seen as something we discover or something that we create.  Some religious people might say that they have discovered their life purpose, which God gave them.  Some more existentialist types might say that they have taken responsibility for their lives and created their own purpose.  In summary:

• Purpose is something you discover or create that acts as a compass for your life.  It usually answers a why question for you life.
• Meaning is a definition you create that acts as an explanation for the actions you take in life.

The truth is that we can't really manufacture or discover a purpose.  We can only define our lives within the spectrum of our personal experiences.  I can't experience everything the world has to offer, so I'm making my choice regarding my life purpose on limited data.  But, even if I could experience everything, this paradox of choice would likely lead me to question whether or not I was making the right decision.  How could one know if they chose the correct purpose?  It isn't as if it is a falsifiable experiment. 

At best we can just create a life where we are deluded into thinking something supernatural gave us purpose or we choose a purpose for ourselves, which will be impermanent.  What is our purpose?  What does life mean?  I think we are asking the wrong questions about life.  On a biological level, we are all humans.  Each human has a decision to make.  Do they choose to live or do they reject life?  For all of us that choose to live, our purpose in life is obvious and universal.  If we choose to live then we are choosing to survive.  Further, if we choose to create life by having children, then they become part of our purpose.  

Survival and/or replication of our species is our purpose.  And with that decision comes every aspect of life that could provide meaning for us.  Whether that meaning lies in our work, family, or something else.

How we choose to survive becomes more of a cultural question, rather than a cosmic one or one that we create purely on our own.  The society we live in has a culture (as well as sub-cultures).  So, the design of our lifestyle and the meaning we take from it becomes a matter of choosing how we make a living each day and provide for our needs, as well as the needs of our family (should we decide to have a family).  The actions we take on a daily basis are much better than thinking too abstractly about this.  You can end up running down the rabbit hole when it comes to trying to find purpose or meaning.  The truth is you already have a purpose and you can define a meaning for anything.  So, choose the culture of life that you feel most connected to and start living that way.  This will help you to feel better since you will be taking action and aligning life with your values.