Writer Bruce Feiler is a pro at examining life stories and looking for patterns to help us live with more meaning, purpose and joy. Here’s what he found when he applied his skills to commencement speeches.
Have you been working heads down for so long that you’re not sure what you find interesting anymore? Or are you bored in your work life, confused, or unsure where to even start? Here are three strategies to zoom in on what lights you up, from consultant and speaker Dorie Clark.
Often the best and easiest way to improve your own sense of well-being and meaningfulness is to switch your lens: Concentrate less on yourself and more on being connected with others, says philosopher and psychology researcher Frank Martela. Identify the people who give you vitality, strength and love, and spend time with them.
These are the moments when a new passion is silently conceived and we are forever after entranced, says columnist David Brooks. And they can happen at any time.
We’ve all created our own personal histories, marked by highs and lows, that we share with the world — and we can shape them to live with more meaning and purpose.
“Words over time have a way of just oozing around,” says linguist John McWhorter. He traces the evolution of five words that have spent millennia drifting from one meaning into another.
