Tim Jones argues that purpose, doing things larger than yourself, has ancient roots and measurable benefits. He cites the Egyptian Book of the Dead, Socrates, and Aristotle, and lists seven ways purpose improves your life, backed by research.
Oh, kia ora.
Thank you. So since the dawn of civilization, there's this idea that's been known to us, but we've never really fully integrated it into any society. And that's the idea of living a life of purpose. So since we started recording ideas and philosophies, we've known that purpose is the key to the best life that we can live. So in 350 BC, Aristotle, at the intersection where your gifts, talents and abilities meet a human need, therein you'll discover your purpose. A bit before that, at about 420 BC, Socrates. It's not living that matters, but living rightly. And even before that. This is from around about 1500 BC. This is the Book of the Dead from Egyptian civilization. And this is a picture of the Weighing of the heart ceremony. And so the Egyptians believed that all the good and the bad deeds that you did in your life were stored in your heart. And so after death and before attempting to enter the afterlife, your heart would be weighed. So if you'd lived a good life full of good deeds and good things, your heart would be really light and it would be lighter than the feather of truth, which is what the goddess Maat's wearing on top of her head over here.
And so off you'd go and spend eternity with Isis and Osiris in the afterlife, having a great old time. But if you lived a life of bad deeds and not being doing good things, your heart would be heavier than the feather of truth. And so Ammot, who's this little multi animal creature thing here, would eat your heart and that would be it. No afterlife after party for you. Pretty intense.
Right now. I think it's the best possible time in all of history for us to finally make this connection to purpose and really run with it. So imagine with me just for a second, what a future world could look like. It's like a future world we can only barely comprehend. If we all manage to live a life of purpose, it's a world where every human gets to thrive in a way that's regenerative to this planet that we all live on. Pretty audacious dream. Yeah. Probably a bit of a dreamer, but I think we can give it a go. Because I think if we all choose to make this reality, if we all choose to go in pursuit of purpose, we can actually make that happen.
So what is purpose, though? There's a lot of, I guess, misinformation around what this purpose thing actually is. And when you first bump into this idea of purpose, it's actually quite A tricky topic to grapple with. It's not a topic that kind of taught or grow up with. And in many ways I've always found it's like trying to explain the taste and smell of the number three. It's like really ethereal, really hard to get your head around. But at a high level, the best way to think about it is the idea of planting trees that you're not going to see grow. As the American philosopher William James said, the best use of life is to spend it for something that outlasts it. So fundamentally then it's about you finding meaning by doing something that's bigger than you. For others, for shared good.
When you really want to get a true definition though, the dictionary is a good place to go to. And that describes purpose as the reason for which something is done or created and something's use or usefulness. That's the dictionary definition as we try and kind of condense it. And it's like this vortex you're trying to get your head around. What is this thing? It's about being good. Fundamentally, it's about doing things you are good at that does good for you and for others. It's like you get to be this mini superhero every day. That's how I think about it. I also like to think about it as I quite often refer to it as the self sourcing chocolate cake of goodness. Because it's like this cake that just keeps oozing chocolate and it's just like amazing and everyone loves it. And like, why would you not want more of it?
So why is that so vital for us? And that's purpose, not chocolate cake. I'm not saying chocolate cake is vital to your existence, although some people might argue that case so specifically purpose guarantees you seven major life benefits. It gives you focus, it gives you health, it gives you hope, it gives you meaning, it gives you motivation, it gives you resilience. And I think most importantly it'll mean you leave a real cool legacy.
So the research is in. So this kind of gone a bit from the woo woo and we're going to go into the science. So the research is absolutely clear. Hands up who's keen for an overall doubling in life satisfaction.
On average, a 31% increase in levels of attraction, sexual pleasure and love.
42% better memory, cognition and executive function. A 63% increase in income, wealth and leadership effectiveness. And 64% increase in fulfillment. Four times engagement and five times productivity on tasks. And I'll even throw in stronger DNA and sales that will give you an extra seven years of this amazing life. Does that sound like a.
