Pillar 4 of 9
Purpose & Meaning
The master blueprint.
Dreading Monday, even after the promotion? You are not alone. I am Chris Ellison (BSW, MSW, MBA), and in nearly thirty years as a therapist I have heard that sinking Sunday feeling from people who looked successful on paper.
What it means: purpose is knowing what you are living for, so your days point toward something that matters to you. The Work-Identity Trap is putting your whole identity on your job. Your career is a tool. Your purpose is the mark you leave on people, and one restructuring cannot take that away.
How it shows up in your life: Sunday dread, a promotion that satisfied you for three days, introducing yourself only by your job title, and a calling you set aside years ago that is still waiting.
Try this today: the Sailing Principle. Moving forward takes three things: a destination, wind in the sails, and the decision to pull up the sail. Write one sentence about where you want your life to head. Then take one small step toward it this week.
This is one of nine pillars in my book, A Life Well-Lived. Get the first word when it is ready. Next: Pillar 5, Spiritual Well-being →
General information for reflection, not therapy, career or treatment advice.
