206: Discovering the Pathways to Discovering Purpose
“ I was pushed into exploring purpose by feeling miserable, by not having it. Something was missing.“ — Bradley Wright
Bradley Wright PhD. Bradley is a professor of sociology at the University of Connecticut and host of the “School of Purpose” podcast. Bradley had had me and Kirsten, my former co-host, on his show last year to discuss how purpose-setting relates to the work of schools in fulfilling their unique goal or mission.
When I began to investigate curiosity, Bradley’s focus on purpose was one of the first ideas that intrigued me because, complete transparency here, I don’t remember that V-8 juice slap-in-forehead moment decades ago when I said to myself, “That’s why I’m here! That’s what I meant to do in life!” Instead, it was more like, “Well, I could teach.” And there was no exclamation point at the end of that sentence.
I had also just finished a 35-part series on trauma in schools – the pain that kids carry with them resulting from traumatic and adverse experiences. That got me thinking of the environmental and institutional barriers that kids may perceive standing in the way of developing and exercising their life purpose(s).
So I naturally had some questions for Bradley:
Is purpose the same as “life meaning”? And how does contributing to others factor into life purpose if at all?
Is life purpose singular or can it be plural? Can purpose change over time?
What’s the relationship between living a purposeful life and well-being?
Does one naturally find or cultivate purpose, or does purpose come to us serendipitously; does purpose find you, e.g. a life calling?
Why do many people struggle to define a life purpose?
“Purpose really is the quintessential act of curiosity because you're asking ‘What could be in my life?’”
Connect with Bradley
Referenced
Kendall Cotton Bronk
Project Wayfinder
my interview with Patrick Cook-Deegan
Paulo Coelho
Show Credits
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