Using Purpose and Meaning to Improve Your Well-Being

Thanks to recently watching "Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones" on Netflix, I have been continuously mulling over a missing routine in so many of our lives. Although I’d like to report that it is drinking mineral-rich, locally made Greek wine every day with friends, I’m referring to the Japanese practice of ikigai, which describes an individual’s "reason for being" and, subsequently, how beneficial individually determining our meaning and purpose in our lives is.

We have always been fascinated by ikigai and its synonymous philosophies, but we have also always been confused. Too often than not, meaning and purpose get conflated when they shouldn't. In this increasingly chaotic and turbulent world, we must recognise that these are no longer philosophical laments, but essential components of our internal experiences, with functional roles for navigating our lives.

So how do we understand meaning and purpose, and how do we begin to think about them more personally?

Meaning

Broadly speaking, meaning is what gives you the sense of your life being set against a greater context. It is built from who you are, what you perceive as important in the world and in your life, and/or what sustains and nurtures you. It is multifaceted and doesn’t aspire to anything but your recognition.

One could find meaning in something lofty like nature or religion. On the other hand, you could find meaning in your friendships or in the simple act of running each day. Personally, I find meaning in my family and in good food from around the world.

In my book Meaning Inc., I talk about meaning in the context of work. However, you can start the process of discovering meaning in your life more broadly by

1. Feeding your passions: These are the activities, people, or things that interest and motivate you.
2. Nurturing your relationships: Social connections have repeatedly been linked to a heightened sense of meaning.
3. Taking stock of your moods: Not only are our moods and emotions indicative of our unconscious appraisals of different contexts and tasks, but encouraging positivity can also increase further meaning.

Purpose

Purpose is the motivational and cognitive process that draws on your skills, experience, and ambitions for yourself and the world around you. It is more targeted than meaning and aspires to fulfill itself. Some theorists see it as entirely distinct to meaning, while others believe it is compartmental to it. No matter how you map it, it pertains to the role(s) you want to play in your life.

For many, this will refer to their purpose as a parent or an activist. For others, it may refer to the sense of purpose they get from discussing the issues they care about with people around them or tending to their garden each day.

More so than meaning, purpose can apply directly to one’s work. At Global Future, we help develop purpose-driven leaders because we know that it not only makes them better leaders but it makes them and their teams happier, too. Put simply, we ask leaders to spend time considering the following:

1. Reflect on your "journey"—i.e. the choices you’ve made in life so far, and why—so you may learn a bit more about what you’ve been trying to achieve.
2. Identify your strengths and where you have shown potential.
3. Consider the gaps in your life or the world more broadly so you may identify the areas in which you can have an impact that you will find most rewarding.

Meaning and purpose are by no means straightforward. They can be obvious or covert, simple or complex. We must be prepared to think deeply and constantly workshop our answers, recognising that they—and we—are dynamically engaging with our worlds.

Though it may sound like tiring work, the payoff is invaluable. Meaning and purpose are irreplaceable facets of well-being and have been shown to mediate our suffering, improve our sleep, and increase happiness, life satisfaction, and perceptions of control. Plus, if "Live to 100" is anything to go off, they quite literally give you life!