The purpose in life should be to live a purposeful life.

But a purpose in life isn't an independent entity in itself is it? It is closely related to one's identity, which brings me to the more important question - Whats your identity?

Identity 0.0 is the difference between the 'I am what I want to be' and 'I can be whatever you want me to be' approaches. I would assume that both approaches are equally satisfying but are they mutually exclusive? There is no clear answer.

You can follow either of the above two approaches and still be loyal to the other. For instance, you would have to follow the second approach to be employed by someone. But if you do not follow the first approach once you are a part of the organization, you are going to be more of a man-friday. For those of you who have been at a workplace, you would realize that an alignment of self goals and organizational goals is what leads to a synergistic growth.

Conversely, even if you are the ideator of a startup, you need to tie your offerings to your customer's needs. Effectively, while you are doing what you want, you are also being what people want you to be.

All this brings me to the more important point - Who do you work/live for? Do you do it for the person in the mirror? If you do, what approach do you follow?

The approach you follow probably gives an idea of your primary identity (i.e.) your identity 0.0.

Think about it.