The thing I like about purpose is, not surprisingly, the thing I like about journaling: discovering meaningful points of connection between our inner selves and the outer world.
In my journal, there’s a certain rhythm to it — looking inward to observe thoughts, feelings, and experiences; looking outward to notice things, events, and outcomes; then thinking about ways to make sense of them together in order to learn, grow, and move forward. Along the way, it’s the delightful details, the unexpected parallels and juxtapositions, the wonderful a-ha moments, and the mysteries still waiting to be unravelled that keep me coming back for more.
Thinking about purpose shares that same rhythm with, perhaps, a more focused lens: looking inward to recognize personal skills and knowledge, looking outward at the range of issues that impact your world, and thinking about ways to apply your inner strengths out in the world. Looking for points of connection between the two.
I made a page late last year to think through the specifics:
It can be tricky, I think, to articulate how and why we do what we do, especially when it evolves and changes over time. So this page is a little different from my other pages in that I’ve included a few informational blurbs in addition to writing prompts, as a reminder about the nuts and bolts of purpose — and why it’s a good thing to think about in relation to daily living.
If you’d like dive into one of your purposes — because the experts say we often have more than one — click here or on the image above to download this page.
P.S. The PDF file includes two page sizes: letter and A4.
P.P.S. If you’d like to learn more about purpose, here are two resources I found helpful while making this page:
What is Purpose? The Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley
6 Things Nobody Told You About Purpose. Stanford University Alumni Magazine