5 Purpose and Meaning

“He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.”

~  Friedrich Nietzsche

“When you find your WHY, you don’t hit snooze no more! You find a way to make it happen!”

~ Eric Thomas

Purpose

There are many definitions of Puprose in life and one fairly simple one from Hill (2010) is “…having set goals and a direction for one’s life”. Many people feel intimidated or overwhelmed by the question “What is my purpose in life?” and so sometimes they avoid thinking about it. However, without a sense of purpose, it can be very difficult to persevere, succeed, and feel truly fulfilled in life. Without a sense of purpose, people can feel like they are wandering, or drifting, without a compass or a map.

So, instead of asking yourself “What is my purpose?”, ask yourself three questions:

1) What matters most to me?

2) What energizes me?

3) How do I want to make a difference in the world?

Get in the habit of mind of thinking about the WHY behind everything you do! When you connect with your why, it makes it possible to be resilient and stick with it because you have a sense of WHY you are putting the effort into your actions!

Purpose and Career Decision-Making

As you develop your sense of purpose and connect to your WHY, you can start to think about this question:

What does it mean to me to do meaningful work?

Meaningful work helps people feel a part of something larger than themselves. When people see their work as meaningful, they are motivated by the tasks they need to do and feel inspired to do their best possible work.

ANY work can be meaningful work for someone. It’s all about finding the right fit for you! There are a lot of factors you will consider as you make decisions about your future career, and one of those factors should be whether or not this career will allow you to:

• Use your unique strengths and characteristics on a regular basis
• Feel energized and excited to get out of bed most mornings
• Make a difference in the world in a way that matters to you