In my workshop tomorrow, Visioning and Goal Setting, I will be drawing from a terrific new book, On Purpose, by my friend and University of Michigan professor, Victor Strecher. Vic wrote this graphic novel to help him rediscover life, after his family lost their 19 year old daughter, Julia, to a rare heart disease that had plagued her since infancy.
His powerful story reinforces a truth which I strongly believe: for life to be meaningfully lived, we must have a purpose. Without purpose, we drift aimlessly from one activity to another with no coherent or sustained focus. Once we have defined our purpose, we will live life for a reason that transcends self and leads us towards personal growth and well being, for self and others.
Here are some ideas on how to find your purpose:
- Your purpose has to be based on what you value in life. A values clarification exercise can help you with this.
- If you are in a relationship, you need to be sure that your individual purposes align with one another
- You need to write down your purpose and reflect upon it on a regular basis.
- It’s alright if your purpose changes, but it must grow out of careful examination of how you are living your life
- Remember that you can have more than one purpose
- Dr. Strecher suggests to ask yourself “What do you hope people will say at your memorial service?”
- Dr. Strecher also quotes Rachel Remen who said “Often, finding meaning is not about doing things differently, it is about seeing familiar things in new ways.”
I am pleased to share that Dr. Strecher will be a featured speaker at our CEO/Leaders Connect Breakfast in the Spring. His book is available at Nicholas and Literati in Ann Arbor. (Buy local!)
I am interested in hearing how you found your purpose in life and would love for you to share them with me, if you are willing!