Before chasing New Year's goals, consider this

A new year often begins with new goals. But have you ever paused to ask yourself: What are those goals really for?

We are constantly encouraged to chase goals, yet rarely pause to reflect on a deeper question: Are your goals serving you, or are you serving your goals?

In other words - what is the meaning behind them? Will they bring you joy, fulfillment, or a sense of purpose?

Recently, I had a conversation with a client about purpose. Does it have to be something big? Global? Career-defining? A lifelong mission? The answer is no. Purpose doesn’t have to be extraordinary. It can live in ordinary experiences that align with your values and passions - experiences that feel intrinsically meaningful to you.

Research in positive psychology shows that having a sense of purpose is essential for flourishing and long-term happiness. Without it, our spiritual well-being suffers, and this imbalance ripples into all areas of life.

A strong sense of purpose supports our physical well-being. It strengthens the immune system and is even linked to longevity. You may have heard stories of people holding on to life just long enough to attend a loved one’s wedding, or the opposite - people who fall ill shortly after retiring. These moments often reflect the presence, or loss, of purpose.

Purpose also nourishes our intellectual well-being. It keeps the mind sharp, fuels curiosity, and increases our desire to learn and explore the world.

Our relationships benefit too. When we live with purpose, we collaborate more easily, connect more deeply, and show up more generously for others.

And emotionally, purpose strengthens resilience. It helps us endure difficult emotions, overcome challenges, and cultivates gratitude, one of the most powerful contributors to well-being.

So how do we find our purpose?

Tal Ben-Shahar reminds us that meaning and purpose are not passive discoveries. They are actively shaped by our choices and daily reflections. He encourages asking ourselves regularly: “What gives my life meaning and purpose? What makes me come alive?” and then turning the answers into daily rituals. For example: 

• If what makes you come alive is connection, your ritual might be a daily check-in message to someone you love, or a weekly coffee date without distractions. 

• If it’s growth or creativity, your ritual could be 20 minutes each morning of writing, learning, or creating - not to achieve perfection, but to stay engaged with what matters to you.

As you explore your purpose, remember this: A purpose doesn’t have to change the world - it only has to change how you show up in it. You don’t need to find purpose in everything you do. Even one to two hours of purposeful activity a day, or a weekly ritual, is enough. And reaching the goal is not the point. Even meaningful goals may never be fully achieved. It is the pursuit that creates a purposeful life. 

So actually goals are simply the means, while the present experience becomes the end.

And happiness is not standing on the peak, but the experience of climbing toward it.

As you step into this new year,

What sense of purpose do you want to bring into your life?