Tom's Life Bits

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===== Sense of Purpose =====

Why Having Purpose is the Secret to a Longer, Healthier Life

I played baseball for 17 years. I had incredible teammates. I spent thousands of
hours practicing and training. And after my senior season, I was named an ESPN
Academic All–American. It’s safe to say that being a baseball player was an
important part of my identity. It gave me a sense of purpose. And then, one day,
I graduated and my career was over.

As soon as I finished playing, I felt lost. On the outside everything looked
fine. I went to graduate school. I graduated with my MBA. I started my first
business. But on the inside, it seemed like I was wandering through life without
a sense of direction. I did the things that were in front of me, but never with
a sense of true conviction.

When you’re an athlete, you wake up with a sense of purpose each morning. You
know what you’re working toward (a championship), you know who you’re working
for (your teammates), you know why you’re training so hard (to become your
best). I didn’t know it at the time, but having a sense of purpose—like the one
I had from baseball—is critical for feeling fulfilled, happy, and healthy. As
human beings we need something to direct our attention toward and something to
set our sights on.

But it’s not just my personal experiences that say a sense of purpose is
important for your health and well being, the medical research says the same.
Here’s why a sense of purpose can help you live a long, healthy, and happy life…

Why Do Some People Survive While Others Die?

In 1955, a physician named Robert Butler joined the National Institute of
Health. In the years that followed, Butler and his research team would study the
health and longevity of people over the age of 65 in great detail. Butler became
fascinated with aging and would publish a wide array of ideas about how the
elderly could live happy, healthy, and fulfilling lives in their final years. In
1976, he wrote about many of his findings in the book Why Survive? Being Old in
America and won the Pulitzer Prize for his work.

Butler’s research focused on subjects that were between 65 and 92 years old,
which meant that he had a front row seat for examining the factors that led to
longer life spans. As his career evolved, his research led to important
discoveries about what was required to live a long, healthy life.

One of the key discoveries that came from Butler and his research team involved
the importance of a sense of purpose. As it turns out, people who had a strong
sense of purpose in their lives lived longer than those who didn’t have a
clearly defined purpose. Moreover, people who woke up each morning with clear
goals for their life not only lived longer, they also lived better than their
peers (higher quality of life).

Most important of all, this wasn’t a finding that came from a single study, but
rather was repeated dozens of times in studies not only from Butler’s team, but
also from many other researchers. For example, take recent research from Dan
Buettner that looked at the women of Okinawa, Japan…

Why the Japanese Outlive the Rest of Us

Okinawa is the southernmost region of Japan and consists of thousands of tiny
islands dotting the blue waters of the Pacific Ocean. Those islands happen to be
the home of some of the healthiest people on the planet. The Japanese have an
average life expectancy of 83 years old, the highest in the world.

In particular, the women are incredibly resilient with an average life span of
86 years, according to the World Health Organization. But in Okinawa, the story
is even more remarkable. Despite being the poorest prefecture in Japan, the
residents of Okinawa have the “longest disability–free life expectancy in the
world.” (You can see further research on the life expectancy of Okinawans in the
studies here, here, and here.)

Why?

There are many reasons, of course, but one of the most important is that
Okinawans have a strong sense of purpose. Okinawans are known for maintaining a
positive outlook on life and for pursuing their ikigai, which is a concept that
means “reason for being” or “reason for waking up in the morning.” Whether it be
taking care of their grandchildren, working in the community, tending to a
garden, or anything in between, each person has an ikigai. And as their long
life spans reveal, having a sense of purpose is critical for your health and
happiness.

All of this begs the question, how can you find a sense of purpose in your life?

Applying This to Your Life

There are two parts to every journey. Where you are now (Point A) and we’re
you’re headed (Point B). One of the reasons we often feel stuck when thinking
about our purpose in life is because we have a tendency to get hung up on Point
A and how that makes us feel.

Want to lose weight? It’s easy to spend all of your time thinking, “I hate how I
look. I can’t believe I let myself get like this. I want to lose 30 pounds.”

Want to become more creative? It’s easy to spend all of your time thinking, “I’m
not naturally creative. There isn’t enough time in the day to pursue something
fun. I have too many responsibilities that I need to focus on.”

Want to accomplish just about any goal you’ve been delaying? It’s easy to spend
all of your time thinking, “I can’t stick to anything. I’m easily distracted and
I always end up procrastinating on things. I always start with good intentions,
but I can never seem to maintain it.”

The problem with these statements is that they are totally focused on Point A.
When you get wrapped up in your feelings about where you are now, you end up
focusing on the problem rather than the path forward. (This is exactly why I
wrote about the importance of building identity–based habits.) Thankfully, there
is an alternative.

Live Longer: Purpose Comes With Practice

The problem with focusing on Point A is that you end up thinking too much and
doing too little. In my experience, the idea that you can “find your purpose”
simply by sitting around and thinking about it is a myth. Thought is good, but
purpose is the result of practice. It took me 17 years to become any good at
baseball, but by the end I loved it with everything I had. I’m still not that
great at writing, but after doing it twice per week for the last nine months,
I’m beginning to love it.

A lot of people like to volunteer, but it never becomes their purpose because
they never schedule time to practice it.

A lot of people like writing, but it never becomes their purpose because they
never schedule time to practice it.

A lot of people like to exercise or to garden or to teach or to do any number of
things, but it never becomes their purpose because they never schedule time to
practice it.

Imagine the opposite scenario. Imagine having something important that pulls you
out of bed each morning. Imagine focusing your energy on something that is
important to you and that fulfills you. Most people think they need a better
plan or more resources or more experience or better advice, but really what they
need is to commit to a schedule and practice. Passion, purpose, and mastery
aren’t the result of inconsistent effort.

Pick something that seems fun or useful and start working on it. Choosing
something and moving forward is more important than choosing the right thing.
You can always practice something else later if this doesn’t work out. Too
often, we wait until we find the “right thing,” which means we end up finding
nothing. Purpose comes with practice.

James Clear writes at JamesClear.com, where he uses behavior science to help you
master your habits and improve your health. For useful ideas on improving your
mental and physical performance, join his free newsletter. Or, download his 38-
page guide on Transforming Your Habits.

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