As someone who struggles with self worth from a difficult childhood, I long ago decided to live, not for myself, but to be there for others. While my self image is much improved, I still find that to be a reasonable reason to exist. I think we need to expand our compassion, as a race, if we hope to survive long term.

What motivates me is the desire not to be dead. That could change. Playing music is keeping me going day to day. No purpose, I'm just here.

My wife and my two little girls...everything else is secondary...

Life is short, so enjoy it while you are in good spirits and physiclally able to. After 22 yrs in the Army, 3 in the Sheriffs Dept and 20 in the Post Office, I retired. Mentally is the biggest thing for most people. I still get up early and practice Tai Chi, Yoga or do 45 minutes on the eliptical to start the day. Which ever one I do helps start the day.

I hope to outlive my cat so she won't be orphaned and pay off the $15k or so I still owe my house

These two little ones are my grandchildren. My heart now walks around outside my body. My purpose in life is to do what I can to make sure they grow up safe and secure. My secondary purpose is to keep my job so I can continue life as it is; pay the bills and health insurance. My final purpose is to create, and get through my stacks of projects before I die. Which means I can't die for about 99 more years. I don't think my retirement savings are going to last that long.

With these thorny existential questions, I usually resort to Jane Austen.

"For what do we live, but to make sport for our neighbors, and laugh at them in our turn?”

― Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

Music, marijuana, life’s assured brevity in the grand scheme of things, the fact that it is promised to no one, and that it can’t possibly get much worse than it’s already been. Morbid curiousity perhaps, but I’m ready for something good to finally happen and I’ve got no choice but to bank on the fact that it can and will if I keep looking. Even if all I have is 30-40 more years of loneliness it’d be a shame to waste them. Time to breathe and exist of my own volition is its own reward. Sometimes the door prize and the grand prize are the same thing; it’s the journey not the destination n all that jazz.

Unless you’ve entered a very specific competition, there’s really not much of a definitive end point, conclusion or reward to anything beyond the thing itself. Enjoy every sandwich, dance, and celebrate the process of every human connection you make or creative thing you manage to add to. Take pride in developing useful or entertaining skills and kill it for the sake of killin it. I’ll sing to the spiders in my stairwell like I’m auditioning for The Voice. Fuck the purpose. You’ve got to dig it to dig it, you dig? Doesn’t get much better than those moments of pure presence in any process. If there’s any purpose it’s simply to grow together and share those moments while we still can.

I struggle, and I mean really struggle with this very question lately. I can't seem to come up with a satisfactory answer. Besides needing to work to pay bills, I don't have a strong desire to get up and face the world each day. I'm hoping this phase will have an end to it soon.

I like to discover something new every day, whether about the world or myself.

The people i love motivate me, the fact that i live in a country without war, famine or extreme poverty, the fact that i have the ability to help others. My purpose is to find truth and live by truth.

To provide a good living for my family and enjoy what life I have left on this planet as I’m not under any delusion that I’m going to a better place when my life is over.

Curiosity. Approaching every day with the possibility of seeing or experiencing something new, or in a new way.

Helping people see their own worth and strengths. Showing compassion and interest in youth who don't have the best role models.

There are many things. Work, house, yard, hobbies, grandkids, my daughter, friends, riding my Harley, camping, my music. So much. Guess I really don't think about it a lot, it just comes natural. Being healthy is important so I try to stay active the best I can.

Hope keeps me going. When I wake up I hope today is better than yesterday, most of the time it isn't.

Learning, interacting with people, Helping others, enjoying the Geezer Guys once a week, time with my wonderful family, a long brisk walk. A purpose is to save our enviornment.

In reverse: i don't have a purpose in life, i just am; i don't always move forward and; joy and sorrow, love and anger, injustice and creativity motivate me. ?

Fear. Fear that I'll fall behind on bills, my children will starve, etc.

Keeping alive

I really have zero motivation. I do what I got to do but I can't say I feel motivated in a positive manner. I normally am motivated out of fear. Generally speaking, I think there's a lot of people who feel the way I do. I work to keep food on the table and a roof over my head.
I have slight motivation to return to a normal way of life pre surgery days. When hiking wasn't so painful. I would like for my granddaughter to experience the beauty of nature in the unbeaten path.

Sometimes sheer bloody-mindedness. But sometimes just curiosity and delight in the small things.

The desire to paint a great work of art.

Overall I am motivated to better myself and others through education and emotional bonding, but the what drives me the most is helping others.

I am motivated to see and be in Nature and experience my time and energy. There are lots of things I want to do before I transition, so I am busy planning and doing the things I will do again and planning things I haven't done yet. My list of hobbies keeps growing because I keep seeing things to do. For example, rock painting; why on EARTH would anybody paint rocks, well Im gonna find out for me. It is simply the experience. Might make for a good story later on ?
As for my purpose, I don't know why I have life here and I may never know. The reason I am here is one of my father's sperm met my mom's egg and that is FACT. haha