Meaning is connective. Purpose is directive. And each is also the other. The direction of purpose connects. And the connection of meaning directs. Answers to “Why?” bridge them both.
We all need a sense of both meaning and purpose. Meaning is about connecting up our lives and actions with broader horizons of value. Purpose is about directing our steps in accordance with meaning. Both are about our deepest commitments and ideals in action, within a bigger picture and along a better path.
Meaning connects up the details of your life with a broader landscape of value and importance, and cause and effect, positioning you within a larger story that makes sense, brings a concept of identity, and ennobles. It provides orientation and guidance at the deepest level. Purpose involves the why that leads to the what and when. Its forward guidance and related guardrails come from deep within and enrich everything else.
Meaning and purpose inspire us, empower us, and draw us together into creative partnerships like nothing else can. Socrates said that the least important things, we tend to think about and talk about the most; while the most important things, we tend to think about and talk about the least. We need to turn that around.
Spend a little time thinking through your own sense of meaning and purpose. It can light your path in vital new ways.
