"The mystery of human existence"

The Russian writer, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, once said, "The mystery of human existence lies not in just staying alive, but in finding something to live for."

Mark Twain also referred to this "mystery of human existence" when he said, "The two most important days in your life are the day that you are born and the day you find out why."

We all want to matter for something.  We are all looking for our lives to have meaning.  You can call it a sense of purpose, life's mission or objective, or even the why and wherefore of living - it makes no difference.  What's important is that we all need a sense of purpose so that we can live a fulfilled, balanced, and healthy life.  For example, having a sense of purpose decreases the risk of mortality and improves the quality of life.   A strong sense of purpose drives our motivation to succeed.  The American self-help guru Napoleon Hill said, "There is one quality that one must possess to win, and that is definiteness of purpose, the knowledge of what one wants, and a burning desire to possess it."

A sense of purpose is one of the foundational principles to life in general.  President John F. Kennedy said, "Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction."

I came across a very interesting study on "sense of purpose" earlier today.  In full disclosure, I had dogleafed a reference to the study in a book I read this past year (given to me by one of my former physician colleagues in Cincinnati) called, How We Work:Live Your Purpose, Reclaim Your Sanity, and Embrace the Daily Grind by Dr. Leah Weiss.  In the study ("Leveling Mountains: Purpose Attenuates Links Between Perceptions of Effort and Steepness"), researchers asked undergraduate college students at Cornell University to climb a famous hill on campus called Libe Slope (the hill is very steep - here's a link to an article called "Six Tips on Hiking Libe Slope That Will Save Your Life").  Before starting their long climb, students were asked to spend a few minutes writing about a recent movie that they had seen or a goal that they wanted to accomplish that same day.  After walking up the hill, they were asked to rate their perceived exertion and degree of difficulty of the hill itself.  Another group of students were asked to write about their purpose in life.  They too were asked to rate their perceived exertion and steepness of the hill.  Guess what these investigators found!  Those students who had reflected upon their sense of purpose found that the hill was easier to climb and less steep!  The study's lead investigator, Dr. Anthony Burrows had this to stay, "When confronted with challenges that would otherwise motivate avoidance, purposeful people may have another gear that helps them reap the benefits of facing those challenges head on. They don’t turn off, avoid it and find easier routes. They seem to stay the course."  I wish I would have known about this study when I tried to climb up The Incline a few years ago!

If you aren't at least a little impressed, do me a favor and look up Libe Slope on the Internet and tell me if you don't think it looks like it would be a tough climb!  Then just imagine what a sense of purpose can do for you today!  Recall that some of the students were told to reflect on what they wanted to accomplish by the end of that same day - their short-term goals if you will.  Reflecting on their short-term goal didn't really help - it all boils down to that all important sense of purpose!

Finding something to live for, having a reason to be, or knowing why you were born.  It really is the mystery of human existence.  Find THAT, and you will have unlocked the secret to a fulfilled, balanced, healthy life.