How Finding a Sense of Meaning Can Be Your Greatest Asset
By Eloise Skinner, author and psychotherapist, with a specialism in existential therapy.
What comes to mind when you think about ‘finding your purpose’? If you’re thinking of wellbeing and mental health, you’re right - partly. Finding your purpose can certainly be a foundation of living well. But it can also provide so much more. For those pursuing high-intensity careers, or looking to accelerate high performance, a sense of purpose can deliver fuel, direction and energy - let’s explore how.
Purpose, passion, ambition
Purpose is often defined as ‘the reason for which something is done or created’. When we think about our own sense of purpose, we often look for a singular idea - a simple summary of what drives us; our “why”. We can often think of purpose as the reason we do what we do, or the reason we get up in the morning. But it might be more realistic to think of a sense of purpose, rather than seeing purpose as a singular object or goal. When we think of purpose as an ever-evolving personal sense or experience, we can see that it aligns closer to our sense of passion, and to our own experiences of ambition - and this is where it can become a practical tool.
Purpose for high performers
Multiple studies have demonstrated the link between purpose and excellence at work. The findings, across a variety of research methods and publications, indicate a higher rate of career fulfilment for purpose-led employees, as well as higher retention rates at companies that have a strong sense of mission. In terms of profitability, companies with a focus on purpose also appear to outperform the market average - showing that this is not only an employee priority, but a company-wide priority (and a key aspect of team management and leadership).
In the research-led book ‘Grit’, Angela Duckworth looks at the power of drive, focus and ambition as a driving force for success. The term itself, ‘grit’, is defined as “perseverance and passion for long-term goals”. It’s easy to draw a parallel to a sense of purpose here - purpose is usually a factor that drives our willingness to persevere and develop our passions. In some ways, purpose could be said to be the foundational element from which passion, perseverance and determination are often derived. And in terms of the practical benefits, ‘grit’ is described by Duckworth (in conversation with CFA Institute, 2022) as “a common denominator of high achievers across very different fields”.
All that to say, then, that purpose is a key aspect of high performance, and especially high performance that is sustained over a long period of time. But how to find it? In the next section, we’ll look at a practical exercise to begin to identify and cultivate our sense of purpose.
How to find purpose: a practical exercise
For this exercise, you’ll need a blank sheet of paper and a pen. Take a few moments to find a time and space you won’t be easily disturbed - this exercise should take around 10-15 minutes to complete. This exercise is sometimes called ‘the meaning tracker’, although we’ll be taking a more practical approach, focusing on a sense of everyday purpose.
On the paper, draw out four columns. The headings for these columns will be: People, Places, Objects and Experiences. As you go through your week, your task is to fill out the columns with examples in each of times you felt a sense of meaning, fulfilment or personal connection to your life. It doesn’t have to be an extreme experience of enlightenment or realisation - it could just be a small moment where you felt present, connected and engaged with whatever you were doing. Identify what it was, exactly, that made you feel that way, and then add a note under each column heading.
For example, if you feel a sense of meaning and fulfilment when visiting an old friend in your home town, you could add that as an example under ‘People’ and ‘Places’. If you felt a sense of connection and engagement when buying a gift for a family member, you could add that under ‘Objects’ or ‘Experiences’. The classifications are just there for guidance - you don’t need to stick to anything too strictly.
Once you have your list at the end of the week (or longer if you need), go back through it. See if you can draw parallels, connections and consistencies between the different columns, noting where there were overlaps or recurring themes. For example, if you’re noticing that a certain place always gives you a sense of fulfilment or meaning, make a note of that connection.
Once you have your notes and possible connections, you can use the findings in a couple of ways. You might like to step back from the exercise and look at your week - and, on a more general level, your life - from a broader perspective, noting all the times and spaces in which you find meaning. This type of perspective shift can help you to reframe your everyday experience of life, seeing it as an opportunity to find greater meaning and purpose in all kinds of experiences, and noticing the diversity of meaning that does already exist for you.
Or, if you’d like to use the meaning tracker in a more practical way, you can notice any absences or areas you feel are missing. For example, if you notice you’re getting a lot of connection and meaning in your relationships, but not too much in your career or working life, you might start to look closer at the things you’re working on, to see how they align with your overall sense of purpose. You can also use the meaning tracker to help you rebalance your priorities and preferences - for example, if you know that a meaningful career is a priority for you, but you don’t see it showing up on the meaning tracker, this might be a sign to look closely at the career goals you set going forward, and make changes where appropriate.
To focus with more specificity on your career, you might redesign the meaning tracker to track a working week or month, and use column headings such as ‘Leadership’, ‘Responsibility’, ‘Achievement’ and ‘Creativity’, noting down examples of work or experiences in each column that feel meaningful to you.
The meaning tracker is an ongoing, evolving exercise, so it can be helpful to repeat it periodically over time - and remember that there are no right or wrong answers, just an exploration of your life! As always, with personal development exercises and goals, make sure the activity works for you - if it resonates, spend time with it; if not, you can redesign or edit the exercise as you feel works best.
