Anne Eley: Hello, and thank you for joining me today on this podcast. I am Annie Eley. I am the attorney, the general counsel for the hospital. And today, I'm going to talk with you all a little bit about finding purpose in your life or finding meaning in your life.

Researchers' definitions of finding meaning in life typically incorporate three themes that I could find. So, the first one is the belief that your life and contributions matter to others and yourself. The second one, the feeling your life makes sense. And the third, the feeling that you are actively pursuing fulfilling goals. So, those are pretty big.

So, breaking it down, the first one, the belief that your life and contributions matter to others and yourself, the first thing you can do is helping others. And so, I encourage you all, which I don't even think I have to, to go ahead and help someone today. I think all of you who are probably listening to this, doing the work that you do, you help multiple people, multiple times a day, if not hundreds. Another example of this is helping a stranger that you pass by wherever you are. You know, holding a door for someone, something as simple as that, helping someone carry their groceries. And then, another example of that is being a good friend, being a reliable friend. And then, another example is selfless helping, those that can't help themselves. Also, when you're doing this type of help, you're expecting nothing in return. You're not doing it to get the credit. And I think all of you need to take your hand and pat yourselves on the back, because what you do every day is significant in helping others. And it's no small feat, it's pretty darn big. So, thank you for that.

The second one, the feeling your life makes sense. And so, sensing coherence is sometimes defined as the feeling that your life makes sense. Knowing the why of your actions puts value into your life's purpose. So Nietzsche, one of the great philosophers from long ago, once said, "A person who has a why to live can bear almost any how." And so, how do you do this? You set goals, enjoy the journey while you're achieving those goals. And if you're not enjoying it, then get off that bus and set a new goal or a new set of goals. So if you're pursuing a goal, just because your supervisor, your manager asked you to do it, you're probably pretty unlikely to enjoy or have a sense of purpose while performing that feeling. So, do it because you're enjoying it and it makes you feel good.

And the third one, the feeling that you are actively pursuing fulfilling goals. So the feeling, that you are actively pursuing fulfilling goals, in order to find more purpose in your goals, it's more of an intrinsic reason that you need to have related to one of your core identities. So, take some time to think about what those might be for you individually. Meaning is not just found in one place. It is all around us and in our relationships, our work, our spiritual, beliefs, as well as through, just appreciating life itself. Taking that time to be grateful and thankful is huge. And, you know, do it in the morning when you wake up, do it before you go to bed, when you're having lunch, whenever it makes sense for you, just appreciating the life that you have to live.

And then, another thing to do is taking time to reflect on your dreams. So, your dreams could also be your goals, right? So, to write the next chapters of your life story can help you connect everyday life and daily goals to broader aspirations instead of wandering around aimlessly. Having your eyes clear gives you a sense of direction and the motivation to help you achieve your goals and allow those accomplishments to give your life meaning.

Thanks for listening to me today, and I hope you all go out and have a purposed-filled day.