The Power of Purpose
Dick Leider, author of The Power of Purpose, asked adults over 65, “If
you could live your life over again, what would you do differently?” The
answers consistently included these three themes:
- Be more reflective
- Be more courageous
- Be clear earlier about purpose
- People seem to have a natural desire and capacity to contribute to life.
- Purpose is unique to each individual.
- People can learn from, but not adopt, the purpose of another.
- People typically bring up the question of purpose about every ten years throughout their lives.
- The key to acting on purpose is for people to bring together the needs of the world with their unique gifts in a vocation.
- Working on purpose gives people a sense of direction.
As Leider says, “Life begins with questions and nothing shapes our lives as much as the questions we ask – or refuse to ask – throughout our lives.”
