In my world of work with older adults, we often talk about purpose and how vital it is to for everyone to have a sense of purpose. Regardless of abilities or challenges, we can all find meaning in our lives. What we must remember is that it may look different for each of us.

Purpose does not necessarily equate to some big goal we are hoping to achieve. Rather, it can be the desire for self expression through sharing experiences or creating art. Purpose may be the opportunity to spend time with loved ones, with no greater goal than putting your arms around the people that you care about.

In our careers, we think about the next step. We think about the advancement we desire or the project we are working on. But how often do we consider if there is a larger purpose? Is the underlying purpose in what we do to help others? Is it to provide for our family? Is it to leave our “mark” on the world around us?

So often our lives become just putting one foot in front of the other. We start our day and we move through it as if by rote. One day blends into the next, one week into the week that follows. But what if we stopped for a moment and thought about our bigger picture? Not anyone else’s but ours alone. And what if, each day, just for a moment, we thought about what we are doing and how it supports, or doesn’t, our larger purpose? To give ourselves that framing matters, I think, an opportunity to breathe, to be grateful, to realign when we need to and to continue to fill our full hearts.