Finding Purpose & Meaning: A practical guide
Happy 2020 to you all! I hope you had an opportunity to reflect and recharge over the summer break. I caught up on some reading and an article titled "Life Crafting as a Way to Find Purpose and Meaning in Life" caught my eye because it touches on some of the topics I covered in my reflections on the importance of personal legacy. In essence, if your personal and professional goals have a greater purpose then you will be energised and motivated to achieve them.
The article describes research from the Rotterdam School of Management in which the students were asked to do 3 practical things to help them set and strive for innately meaningful goals:
write and reflect on their own personal values and passions, their ideal life and the life they wish to avoid;
describe specific goals and plans, including ways to overcome identified obstacles; and
make a public commitment to the goal.
The above practical steps (which the researchers called "Life Crafting") were all completely evidence-based and therefore should result in significant improvements in student well-being and goal achievement. I will keep an eye on this study to see if any results are published and will keep you all updated.
In the meantime, while you are planning your goals for 2020, I'd encourage you take some time to think about about the above study and whether some of the steps above might help you find and achieve goals which are personally meaningful and energising.
If you would like help with this process please get in touch through LinkedIn Messages or at info@dimitybrown.com to arrange an obligation free call to discuss.