15 Comments

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.

Expand full comment
author

thanks Delia. I love this point about efficient energy use. I might steal this for a later date.

Expand full comment
author

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.

Expand full comment
Oct 29Liked by Todd Kashdan, Jeff Perron

Profoundly important topic and what a great collaboration!

Expand full comment
author

Jeff truly is amazing. Thanks Yael!

Expand full comment
author

Thank you to both of you - your feedback means so much to me.

Expand full comment
Nov 6Liked by Todd Kashdan, Jeff Perron

Truly helpful. Thank you

Expand full comment
author

Glad to hear that, Jasmine.

Expand full comment
Oct 29Liked by Todd Kashdan, Jeff Perron

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!

Expand full comment
author

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.

Expand full comment
author

Appreciate being interviewed by you.

Expand full comment
author

Thank Selda 🙏

Expand full comment
Oct 30Liked by Todd Kashdan

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?"

Expand full comment
author

I Love those additional questions. This is really helpful as we are writing a lot of new papers on this topic.

Expand full comment

Oh, I am glad! That’s great!

Expand full comment