Finding Purpose

Those with a purpose or theme to their lives, whether discovered through their religion or from experiences of living, are more resilient to the stresses and strains of life because they attain and retain focus. Such people have goals. Daily changes in fortune are seen in reference to longer-term goals. They set and keep priorities according to their purposes.

Dr. Csikszentmihalyi discusses the importance of purpose in his book Flow in this way: “Each of us has a picture, however vague, of what we would like to accomplish before we die. How close we get to attaining this goal becomes the measure of the quality of our lives. If it remains beyond reach, we grow resentful or resigned; if it is at least in part achieved, we experience a sense of happiness and satisfaction.” (p. 9)

But all too often we define our purpose in terms that lead only to emptiness. Victor Frankl in Man’s Search for Meaning warns: “Don’t aim at success – the more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue…as the unintended side-effect of one’s personal dedication to a course greater than oneself.”

Surveys have shown that a person’s financial situation is one of the least important factors affecting overall satisfaction with life. In fact the waiting rooms of psychiatrists are filled with rich and successful patients who wake up in their forties to discover that their BMWs, expensive homes and country club membership have not brought them peace of mind. Money, like success, should be a by-product of the pursuit of purpose.