Fabulous article and an important, but sadly under-examined topic. When we have a sense of purpose we also save energy - we don't expend it on people or situations that don't further our cause, and although this sounds harsh, it better serves us and others. Look forward to reading more about Jeff's work too - and his purpose. Thanks for your efforts to share more deeply about purpose too Todd.
Good to connect, Delia. And, thank you. Great point about saving energy - arguably more important now than ever with the number of pulls on our attention.
"A purpose is an organizing life aim. It’s a type of long-term commitment that’s difficult to accomplish in a short period, generally with no specific end point." This really reminds me of Duckworth's construct on grit. I imagine you've read on that before but maybe even more connection here than initially meets the eye?
Second - curious where (if at all) you see Seligman's model - which places most emphasis on identifying and applying your unique personal strengths - playing into this discussion?
Hey Jackson you can definitely feel the upward spiral between the two. If you can articulate a purpose you’re likely to be gritty in finding ways to devote to it. And if you’re gritty to start with you’re likely to be tenacious in finding passionate projects. Grit is a strength.
I think if strengths as the themes that are likely to show up in a purpose. Kindness and compassion? Or story telling and loving the spotlight? They are windows to the soul.
Yes - grit is an enabler of pursuing your purpose. That and a growth mindset a la Dweck's research. That caveat that I often give to clients (And myself) is that if you take your purpose so seriously that its paralyzing or demoralizing, that's an issue.
I think that, ideally, (and often naturally) an individual's purpose aligns with their character strengths. It's interesting that you ask because I've had clients who don't resonate with the concept of purpose. This has been for a variety of reasons, but one that comes to mind is that they found the idea of having one purpose to be rigid and daunting. In these situations, I've recommended that the clients take the VIA Character Strengths questionnaire and we've endeavored to coalesce goals around strengths instead of around purpose.
So, strengths can either be complementary/facilitative to IDing/living purpose or strengths can, on their own, provide a compass where purpose doesn't resonate.
Jeff & Todd -- All understood! And I especially appreciate the subtlety of structuring around strengths instead of purpose for some people... Thank you both for taking the time to reply and have some discussion!
Purpose is often mistaken for values, and I think how you conceptualised purpose here is great. One added benefit of purpose is that it can serve as an antidote to social comparison by, as you mentioned, helping us focus on what truly matters—our values. Thanks for sharing this piece!
Yes - totally. Todd's work really helps lay the groundwork for understanding the related, but distinct, concepts of values, meaning, and purpose. 'Values-driven living' is great (and may be sufficient depending on one's goals) but 'purpose-driven living' as providing even greater potential for well-being given it's unifying nature.
So glad you wrote about this, Todd. Some important statistics for folks to see and I especially appreciated the part where you talk about the need to prioritize yourself, as those with a strong purpose know they need to be healthy and strong so that they can continue to focus on what they see as their purpose in life. Absolutely! I would also add to the the action items that a helpful question to ask ourselves is: "Why do you think you are here? What are your specific gifts?"
Fabulous article and an important, but sadly under-examined topic. When we have a sense of purpose we also save energy - we don't expend it on people or situations that don't further our cause, and although this sounds harsh, it better serves us and others. Look forward to reading more about Jeff's work too - and his purpose. Thanks for your efforts to share more deeply about purpose too Todd.
thanks Delia. I love this point about efficient energy use. I might steal this for a later date.
Good to connect, Delia. And, thank you. Great point about saving energy - arguably more important now than ever with the number of pulls on our attention.
Profoundly important topic and what a great collaboration!
Jeff truly is amazing. Thanks Yael!
Thank you to both of you - your feedback means so much to me.
A couple thoughts...
"A purpose is an organizing life aim. It’s a type of long-term commitment that’s difficult to accomplish in a short period, generally with no specific end point." This really reminds me of Duckworth's construct on grit. I imagine you've read on that before but maybe even more connection here than initially meets the eye?
Second - curious where (if at all) you see Seligman's model - which places most emphasis on identifying and applying your unique personal strengths - playing into this discussion?
Thanks for your work!
Hey Jackson you can definitely feel the upward spiral between the two. If you can articulate a purpose you’re likely to be gritty in finding ways to devote to it. And if you’re gritty to start with you’re likely to be tenacious in finding passionate projects. Grit is a strength.
I think if strengths as the themes that are likely to show up in a purpose. Kindness and compassion? Or story telling and loving the spotlight? They are windows to the soul.
Yes - grit is an enabler of pursuing your purpose. That and a growth mindset a la Dweck's research. That caveat that I often give to clients (And myself) is that if you take your purpose so seriously that its paralyzing or demoralizing, that's an issue.
I think that, ideally, (and often naturally) an individual's purpose aligns with their character strengths. It's interesting that you ask because I've had clients who don't resonate with the concept of purpose. This has been for a variety of reasons, but one that comes to mind is that they found the idea of having one purpose to be rigid and daunting. In these situations, I've recommended that the clients take the VIA Character Strengths questionnaire and we've endeavored to coalesce goals around strengths instead of around purpose.
So, strengths can either be complementary/facilitative to IDing/living purpose or strengths can, on their own, provide a compass where purpose doesn't resonate.
Great Qs!
Jeff & Todd -- All understood! And I especially appreciate the subtlety of structuring around strengths instead of purpose for some people... Thank you both for taking the time to reply and have some discussion!
Truly helpful. Thank you
Glad to hear that, Jasmine.
Purpose is often mistaken for values, and I think how you conceptualised purpose here is great. One added benefit of purpose is that it can serve as an antidote to social comparison by, as you mentioned, helping us focus on what truly matters—our values. Thanks for sharing this piece!
Yes - totally. Todd's work really helps lay the groundwork for understanding the related, but distinct, concepts of values, meaning, and purpose. 'Values-driven living' is great (and may be sufficient depending on one's goals) but 'purpose-driven living' as providing even greater potential for well-being given it's unifying nature.
Appreciate being interviewed by you.
Thank Selda 🙏
So glad you wrote about this, Todd. Some important statistics for folks to see and I especially appreciated the part where you talk about the need to prioritize yourself, as those with a strong purpose know they need to be healthy and strong so that they can continue to focus on what they see as their purpose in life. Absolutely! I would also add to the the action items that a helpful question to ask ourselves is: "Why do you think you are here? What are your specific gifts?"
I Love those additional questions. This is really helpful as we are writing a lot of new papers on this topic.
Oh, I am glad! That’s great!