Purposeful individuals are happier, healthier, and better able to overcome obstacles. But the path to purpose isn’t always straightforward.
Purpose refers to the sense that our life has direction, and our actions are guided by some overarching aim.
In the past, people generally found purpose in institutions with strong traditions. They found meaning in how they fit within their family, community, religion, or trade, all of which tended to remain constant throughout their lives.
However, rising standards of living and trends toward globalization, urbanization, and the liberalization of values have inspired more and more people to choose their social, religious, and professional institutions, rather than remain tethered to those they were born into.
Purpose is now more likely to be self-defined and reflected through our choices. And given the wide range of potential choices, this can make purpose-finding seem far more difficult—overwhelming, even.
This trend is evident in global datasets. People who live in wealthy, modernized countries struggle the most to find meaning in their lives.
Challenges to developing purpose
Therapist and author Esther Perel describes how the freedom to define ourselves has changed our outlook on life. “Rules, duty, and obligations have been replaced by choice and by options,” she says. “It takes a lot to have to define who we are. …The burdens of the ‘self’ have never been heavier.”
There are other challenges to developing purpose.
- Purpose doesn’t necessarily accompany the achievement that many of our “systems” encourage. We spend time on goals that feel important at the time— a”grade,” a deal, a promotion, a raise—but in hindsight, leave us feeling unfilled.
- Purpose isn’t fixed.When our lives change—a relationship ends, a new role at work begins, a child heads off to college—we may lose something that brought us purpose, and struggle to find a suitable replacement.
- In the moment, it’s easier to push aside pangs of emptiness, than it is to address what’s missing head on. Simply acknowledging that we don’t feel purpose can create anxiety, especially when it’s not clear what steps to take next.
- Ideally, choosing purpose anticipates what will have personal meaning in the future, not simply for today. Though we commonly plan for “where the puck will be” in a business context, it is less familiar ground to do so when it comes to personal purpose.
But when we do design purpose and meaning in our lives, the benefits are profound.
The benefits of purpose
Having a sense of purpose predicts happiness, self-acceptance, feelings of control and accomplishment, and life satisfaction. Purpose also acts as a buffer against negative life events, and provides motivation in the face of obstacles and setbacks.
It’s also related to strong immune system functioning and cardiovascular health—and as a result, purposeful individuals live longer!
Others take notice as well. Leaders with a robust connection to their purpose are more inspiring to their teams, creating better results through their compelling vision. One study found that 21 percent of team performance can be explained by a leader’s vision and purpose.
To cultivate purpose, we need to be intentional. And to begin, we need to take a step back, find some quiet, and ask ourselves: what really matters? The search may not always be straightforward or easy. But given the incredible physical, psychological, and professional benefits purpose provides, it is certainly worthwhile.
Challenging, but not elusive
Though the need to self-define our purpose can feel like uncharted territory, it is perhaps helpful to keep three things in mind. First, as our interviews with scores of “successful” late career leaders reminds us, the need to live and lead with personal purpose is even more important to peace of mind and fulfillment in the future, when you are looking back upon these years, than it may appear now.
Second, there are very practical, tangible approaches to helping you to design personal purpose. It’s not impenetrable, it’s not mysterious, and it’s not something that you have to do alone.
Which leads to our final point: You’re not alone. Although 74% of people view society’s definition of success as “someone who is powerful”, fully 91% define success personally as “someone who is purpose-driven.” Moreover, as Todd Rose, professor and co-author of Harvard’s Dark Horse research has found, 67% of us feel a sense of despair and need for greater purpose in our lives. The problem is that we believe that only 5% of people feel what we feel. We think we are alone, but we’re actually in the company of many of our peers.
