Bradley Wright, Life Purpose Lab

How can sacrificing for someone else create purpose for us? Monica Spooner has eight children-six biological and two adopted. Her youngest biological child, Abby, has Down Syndrome. Over the years, Monica has made many changes to her life to love and nurture Abby. In recent years, she created a weaving workshop where Abby and other disabled young adults come together and create beautiful textiles. This gives them--as well as Monica--a joyful sense of purpose.In this episode, you're learn about:* Bringing purpose out of what might initially feel like tragedy  * How to create purpose for other people * The role of creativity and productivity in purpose* The sometimes sacrificial nature of purposeLearn more about Monica's textile workshop at: https://www.threadbendertextiles.org/ ****Questions? Comments? Just want to say "hi"? Send me an email at bradleywrightphd@gmail.com. Would love to hear from you.Learn more at schoolofpurpose.org.Want to start your own podcast? This podcast is edited and produced (and music too) by Josh Gilbert. He does a great job and is a joy to work with. Contact him at   joshgilbertmedia@gmail.com

Everyone's path to purpose looks different. Yet, is there a way of answering this question-"How do I find my purpose in life?"-that is helpful to everyone?

How can being in a very dark place in our lives into finding purpose?Sarah Jenkins was there. Nine years ago, she was facing five years in prison on a felony charge rooted in her substance abuse. Her life was tragic. Now, she's is clean and sober and thriving. She's found her purpose as a psychotherapist helping others--often with their addiction issues. In this episode, she shares her journey. In this episode, you'll learn about:* The impact of self-image on finding purpose* The need to both connect and separate from other people as we pursue purpose* How purpose can feel like a calling* The use of love as a proxy for our purpose* The relationship between pain and purpose****The School of Purpose is a place to learn the process of finding purpose in life. Visit us at schoolofpurpose.org.Questions? Comments? Just want to say "hi"? Send me an email at bradleywrightphd@gmail.com. Would love to hear from you.Edited and Produced by Josh Gilbert, Music also by Josh Gilbert. Are you interested in starting your own podcast? Send Josh an email. He will get you going and make you sound good. joshgilbertmedia@gmail.com 

Many people find themselves getting older every year. Some of us have had this happen long enough that we're officially old--at least not young anymore. How does this affect finding purpose? This mini-lesson explores the pros and cons of age when it comes to finding purpose.

How can college students effectively find purpose in their lives? They have so many options--which is best?Today's guest is Lily Forand. She is gifted at finding purpose. Though just a sophomore, she has already made courageous--at times risky--decisions to pursue purpose. She turned down  acceptance at an Ivy League school because she believed that attending a state university would better fit her discovery of purpose.  At 17 she took a gap year to intern for a Senator  in Washington DC. She even tried out beekeeping. From Lily's story, we learn important principles about finding purpose. They include:* The true cost of pursuing conventional success for its own sake* The need to prioritize our day-to-day emotions and experiences in planning a career* How to assess opportunities in our life in terms of how they will affect our purpose* The value of sampling small experiences for discerning what is purposeful* How we can be the director of our own life experience****The School of Purpose is a place to learn the process of finding purpose in life. Visit us at schoolofpurpose.org. Questions? Comments? Just want to say "hi"? Send me an email at bradleywrightphd@gmail.com. Would love to hear from you. Edited and Produced by Josh Gilbert, Music also by Josh Gilbert. Are you interested in starting your own podcast? Send Josh an email. He will get you going and make you sound good. joshgilbertmedia@gmail.com 

Here are three ways of thinking about whether purpose can be intentionally found.

Spirituality and life purpose are closely intertwined for many people. This raises an interesting question: Can spiritual practices lead us into greater purpose?Jaime Kucinskas is an accomplished sociologist at Hamilton College where she studies religion, morality, and social inequality. Due to a series of tragedies in her life, Jaime turned to various spiritual practices while in graduate school. From this blossomed an interest in studying spirituality, which she did in an award-winning book The Mindful Elite. She has also researched the everyday experience of purpose and meaning. In this episode, you'll learn about:* The role that mindfulness plays in finding purpose* The connection between short-term planning and long-term purpose* The interplay between spirituality and meaning* How our immediate social environment affects our experience of purpose* The impact of social roles on the discovery of purpose****The School of Purpose is a place to learn about finding purpose in life. Visit us at schoolofpurpose.org.  Questions? Comments? Just want to say "hi"? Send me an email at bradleywrightphd@gmail.com. Would love to hear from you.  Edited and Produced by Josh Gilbert, Music also by Josh Gilbert. Are you interested in starting your own podcast? Send Josh an email. He will get you going and make you sound really good. joshgilbertmedia@gmail.com 

This week we start something new. Every Monday there will be mini-lessons on purpose. These are short, practical ideas about how to think about purpose and act on it most effectively. Enjoy!

When does purpose first show up in our life? Does it span our life, taking different forms at different ages? Holly Woods has made a career of helping other people find their life purpose. She is a coach, consultant, and author. In addition, she founded the group Global Purpose Leaders. Holly's work focuses on what happened in our childhood and how it affects our pursuit of purpose as adults. On one hand, themes of life purpose often show up in childhood, and our task as adults is to remember them and enact them. On the other hand, childhood suffering can create dark spots, shadows, in our lives which we need to work through to find purpose. Holly explains how this works with the clarity and wisdom of someone who has made a life of studying purpose. In this episode, you'll  learn about:* How to identify our childhood expressions of purpose* The relationship between our past wounds and our current purpose* Whether we waste steps toward purpose by taking "wrong" turns* The discrete, nuanced nature of purpose* The value of not doing things that aren't purposefulYou can find Holly online at https://emergenceinstitute.net/. Her book is entitled: The Golden Thread: Where to Find Purpose in the Stages of Your Life****The School of Purpose is a place to learn the process of finding purpose in life. Visit us at schoolofpurpose.org.  Questions? Comments? Just want to say "hi"? Send me an email at bradleywrightphd@gmail.com. Would love to hear from you.  Edited and Produced by Josh Gilbert, Music also by Josh Gilbert. Are you interested in starting your own podcast? Send Josh an email. He will get you going and make you sound good. joshgilbertmedia@gmail.com 

How can reading books and other forms of learning be gateways into finding our purpose in life?Glenn Stanton is the Director of Global Family Formation Studies at Focus on the Family. He's also a recent convert to Catholicism. Glenn spends his days engaging morally-related social issues that matter deeply to him. He researches and teaches about these issues with speaking and writing. But, he wasn't always engaged. In high school, he was the epitome of an apathetic student. In fact, he didn't read his first book until his early twenties, but that book set him on fire for engaging moral issues. Ever sense then, reading and learning have played an instrumental role in Glenn living out his purpose. In this episode you'll learn about:* The powerful role that books can play in our finding our purpose* Why failure can actually make it easier to find our purpose* What it feels like at an emotional level to have found your purpose* How purpose intermingles with our religious beliefs* The challenges and beauty of helping our children find their purposeThe School of Purpose is a place to learn the process of finding purpose in life. Visit us at schoolofpurpose.org.  Questions? Comments? Just want to say "hi"? Send me an email at bradleywrightphd@gmail.com. Would love to hear from you.  Edited and Produced by Josh Gilbert, Music also by Josh Gilbert. Are you interested in starting your own podcast? Send Josh an email. He will get you going and make you sound good. joshgilbertmedia@gmail.com