10 Best Articles on Purpose
The most useful articles on purpose from around the web—beginners to advanced—curated by thought leaders and our community. We focus on timeless pieces and update the list whenever we discover new, must-read articles or videos—make sure to bookmark and revisit this page.
Top 5 Purpose Articles
At a glance: these are the articles that have been most read, shared, and saved on purpose by Refind users in 2023 so far.
How to ...?
How to know what you really want
From career choices to new purchases, use René Girard’s mimetic theory to resist the herd and forge your own path in life
«These are people whose desires are in some sense intertwined with your own – they can affect your desires, and you can in turn affect theirs»
How to Find Your Life Purpose
How to obtain direction, meaning, and motivation
«Your values not only tell you where to focus your efforts and energies but also provide you with a new source of motivation»
How to Create Purposeful Change in Uncertain Times
Four tips to help you find more purpose, impact, and fulfillment in your work
Short Articles
Short on time? Check out these useful short articles on purpose—all under 10 minutes.
Purpose Anxiety: The Fear of not Knowing your Purpose in Life
Our search for purpose can be associated with psychological distress, such as worry, fear, stress, frustration, and even jealousy. But we can make the search a lot less excruciating by applying simple…
«purpose has become a choice instead of a calling, we are no longer provided with a map outlining what it looks like to live “the good life”.»
'Make Something Wonderful' by the Steve Jobs Archive: How Steve Jobs communicated purpose
This collection of Steve Jobs's words demonstrates his talent for communicating the missions of Apple and NeXT, providing valuable lessons for any current or aspiring leader.
Start Finding Your Purpose and Unlock Your Best Life
Finding purpose can give your life meaning and help improve your overall health. Discover 12 ways to find your purpose and live your most fulfilling life.
«A personal sense of purpose is less of a specific end goal and more of an ongoing impact on the world, large or small. Purpose is your why.»
Finding Meaning
In different stages of life, we seek different things.
«You might find meaning in growth. You may or may not need a goal as the destination. But the sole purpose is to experience growth–to experience life.»
Here's what Aristotle thought it meant to be truly wealthy
Everything in life has a purpose and it's natural to satisfy that. But when it comes to hoarding money, what exactly is the point?
«Third, we have buying low and selling high. This is where people come to market not for things they need, but things they want to sell for a profit.»
Long Articles
These are some of the most-read long-form articles on purpose.
The Purpose Of Life Is Not Happiness: It’s Usefulness
For the longest time, I believed that there’s only one purpose of life: And that is to be happy. Right? Why else go through all the pain and hardship? It’s to achieve happiness in some way. And I’m…
7 Strange Questions That Help You Find Your Life Purpose
No clue what you want to do with your life? Here are some crazy and thought-provoking questions to help you out.
Publications
We monitor hundreds of publications, blogs, newsletters, and news sources in Purpose, including:
Leo Babauta
Creator of Zen Habits. Training in uncertainty. Zen student, vegan, dad, husband.
Aeon+Psyche
Aeon is a magazine of ideas and culture. Psyche is our sister magazine focused on the human condition. Visit http://aeon.co and http://psyche.co for more.
LifeHack
LifeHack helps busy people get the most out of their lives in the shortest amount of time, through actionable, step-by-step systems that multiply results.
Mark Manson
3x #1 NYTimes bestselling author. Best known for F-Bombs and uncomfortable truths. Giving life advice that doesn't suck since 2008.
Ness Labs
The learning community for ambitious knowledge workers. Join us to think better, learn faster, and work happier: http://nesslabs.com/membership 🧠✨
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We monitor 10k+ content sources on hundreds of topics—publications, blogs, news sites, newsletters, Substack, Medium, Twitter, etc.
Which sources does Refind monitor on purpose?
We monitor hundreds of sources on purpose, including Leo Babauta, Aeon+Psyche, LifeHack, Mark Manson, Ness Labs, and many more.
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