Over the years of writing, podcasting, and public speaking about purpose, I have encountered a number of people who are unimpressed with the concept. In what I have previously described as purpose nihilism, many of these people have not only expressed the opinion that it doesn’t exist, but go a step further to say that the concept is downright negative—a four letter word.
While I view arguments of this nature as manifestations of purpose anxiety, there are a few key claims that commonly support this perspective.
“I have searched long and hard to find my purpose and I can’t find one. Given my own failed search, purpose must not exist. It is a grand fraud that sets people up for feeling poorly about themselves and sends them off on a wild goose chase.” There is no prize at the end of this treasure hunt.
“Does the lion have purpose when she stalks in the jungle? Does the pig? The fox? For other animals, life boils down to biologic imperative. We must eat, sleep, and procreate to pass on our biologic material.” Purpose, they say, is a made up concept that masks the fact that we are just organisms in a random and possibly Darwinian (survival of the fittest) simulation.
Or one of my favorites stolen from a reddit thread: “it’s post industrial revolution societies. Historically it was totally ok to do nothing half of the year when fields harvests are done. Damn go into any 2nd 3rd world country village and see how people live. Sitting on a chair daydreaming for 5 hours is totally normal there”. In other words, after the industrial revolution we had a bunch more time and energy on our hands, so we made up this concept of purpose to keep us busy.
No matter which claim you ascribe to above, I will quickly concede the argument. I cannot prove you are wrong, nor would you believe me if I tried. Instead, I would say that whether purpose is a life-altering concept, or just some modern-day hallucination, the reality remains the same. Whether placebo effect or not, study after study shows that having a sense of purpose in life is good for you. There are so many studies, in fact, that I am not going to bother quoting any of them here. You can look them up on your own.
But, believe me when I say, that it has been well studied that having a sense of purpose is strongly associated with health, longevity, and happiness. Think about how incredible this is. If we were to prove that taking a pill could lead to all these wonderful things…wouldn’t you take it?
I would.
I’m trying to be less existential here and more pragmatic. Regardless of how much you agree with the idea of purpose, spending a little time investing in it will benefit you. Period. So what is the hesitation?
Today’s Poll
Did you catch this week’s episode of Earn & Invest (Click to listen)?
Path to Purpose Coaching
Over the last year, writing my new book The Purpose Code, I have spent a huge amount of time thinking about, writing about, and discussing purpose. I have offered one-on-one and group coaching to my mastermind group, Wealth With Purpose. These discussions stem from my real life encounters with dying hospice patients as well as the numerous interactions I have had with people after reading Taking Stock.
What I've found is that most of us who listen to the Earn & Invest Podcast struggle with three basic issues:
How do I define purpose in my life?
How do I transition to a more fulfilling career?
What is enough money look like? Enough life?
To help navigate these waters, I have decided to offer the Path to Purpose coaching program. This is one-on-one coaching with me to help you further define purpose, direction, and career. Sessions will be spread over five weeks with a goal to provide a more concrete and enjoyable path to crack the purpose code and start living your life now whether you are broke, pre financial independence, financially independent, or beyond.
https://www.earnandinvest.com/coaching
It's a little like saying "love" doesn't exit.
If you don't have it, it's hard to understand and you may feel disbelief and resentful toward those who purport to have it.
But if you do have it, you know exactly what it is and know it's worth having.