Having a sense of purpose for your life is Important.
“Purpose” is defined as the reason for which something is made, done or used. Having a sense of purpose is important to your physical, mental and emotional health.
So, what’s your purpose? According to William Damon, author of A Path to Purpose, it’s “a stable and generalized intention to accomplish something that is at the same time meaningful to the self and consequential for the world beyond the self.”
That meaningful intention can help you stay focused on the things that matter most—your family, friends, and career. It helps you prioritize your life, allowing you to walk away from certain people or activities that don’t serve your purpose. It’s the main reason to stay motivated when things get tough, so you can set and meet short- and long-term goals. It makes you feel like you are making a difference in the world.
When you have a sense of purpose, you tend to have:
- Increased optimism, resilience, and hope
- Experience feelings of joy, happiness, and satisfaction
- Better physical health
- Increased career satisfaction
- Being a leader in the workplace
- Higher income
Damon believes people fall into one of four categories when it comes to having a sense of purpose:
- Purposeful: You’ve found something that is personally meaningful to you that contributes to the greater good. You’ve sustained interest over a long period of time, and you can clearly articulate your “why.”
- Dreamers: You think about, and express, great ideas, but you have not yet taken any practical action.
- Dabblers: You’ve engaged in potentially purposeful activities without committing to one in particular or sustaining your efforts over a long period of time. You may struggle to articulate your “why.”
- Disengaged: You don’t have a sense of purpose in life and don’t have any desire or need to find one.
Which category do you think you fall into at this point in your life? Purpose is not something we simply “find” and we're done with it. It’s a journey. And on this journey, we are taking action to better understand and fulfill our purpose.
