25 May Live with a, and on purpose!
Within positive psychology, there has for many years now been a debate about whether happiness is pleasure or meaning.
Personally, I think turning any debate into a dichotomy is not very helpful and especially in this instance because I believe, and I believe the research supports the notion that happiness is…both.
Clearly, pleasure is important. It's hard to be happy without pleasure.
But just as clearly, meaning and purpose are also important. A meaningless and directionless life is hardly one any of us would strive for.
So I encourage people to accept and include BOTH constructs within their definitions of happiness but today, I'm going to focus more on the purpose aspect because this great article from Greater Good argues that living with purpose changes everything…
…by Jill Suttie
Victor Strecher, a behavioral scientist at the University of Michigan’s School of Public Health, lost his 19-year-old daughter to a sudden heart attack in 2010; she had been living with a rare heart condition for years. Her fragility and eventual death upended his thoughts on what life should be about and how to live it—and it moved him to write a book called Life on Purpose.
The book is a meditative, at times inspirational, exploration of the nature of purpose—it both considers how philosophers have long debated the relationship between purpose and happiness and also shares uplifting stories of individuals who have discovered their purpose. It includes Strecher’s personal revelations as well as those of others who’ve found their purpose and changed the trajectory of their lives.
But the book is also a review of the science of purpose, which has blossomed in recent years. According to Strecher, the strength of one’s life purpose—which involves a combination of living according to your values and goals, and striving to make a positive difference in the world—can be measured, and it correlates highly with psychological wellness and even markers of physical health and longevity…
…keep reading the full & original article HERE