Meaning and purpose are key variables for health and wellness. This fact has been shown in study after study.

For instance, a recent Washington Post article points out, “People who believe their existence has meaning have lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol and more favorable gene expression related to inflammation. If a 90-year-old with a clear purpose in life develops Alzheimer’s disease, that person will probably keep functioning relatively well despite real pathological changes in the brain, one study found. Another meta-analysis of 10 studies involving more than 136,000 people found that having purpose in life can lower your mortality risk by about 17 percent — about as much as following the famed Mediterranean diet.”

Then why do we overlook meaning and purpose when we’re seeking “health and wellness”? Is it because meaning and purpose seem so much harder to “find” than nutritional supplements and exercise regimens?

The secret, though, is that we don’t “find” meaning and purpose in our lives and work - we CREATE it. Given that they’re made, not found, both are well within the reach of any of us if we are willing to change our mindsets, notice and maximize sources of meaning when they naturally arise, job craft toward fulfillment, and use design thinking to make incremental, intentional changes in our lives. These actions are possible even when we’re operating within many constraints (which most of us are during a pandemic!)

If you’d like ideas on the “how” of creating meaning and purpose, The Power of Meaning by Emily Esfahani Smith, Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl, and Designing Your Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans are great places to start.

Here’s to deep, grounded health in your year ahead!