“Happy Days Are Here Again,
The Time Is Right For Makin’ Friends,
Let’s Get Together, How ‘Bout A Quarter To Ten,
Come Tomorrow, Let’s All Do It Again”
From “Good Times” by Chic
What do we mean when we say “purpose?” In one sense, purpose can simply be a belief or a state of being – a passive experience that fills us with a sense of satisfaction. And that alone is certainly valuable — knowing that there is meaning in our lives and that we exist for a reason. But another, more powerful way of conceptualizing purpose is to see it as an active process. In this context, purpose can be understood as an organizing force that directs us to work towards specific and tangible goals. Purpose defined in this way has been shown to have many benefits, including living a longer life, increased workplace happiness and improved stress management.
In our interview for The Hardcore Humanism Podcast, musician, producer, activist and entrepreneur Nile Rodgers articulated how he conceptualized his utopian vision of a diverse, open and accepting world and how it guided his behavior both as a person and activist. “I started to care for people — love people, appreciate people, help people,” Rodgers told me. “My parents taught me to treat people the way that you want them to treat you.” And particularly inspired by the open and communal feeling of disco, he sought to actively express his worldview in his music – as a co-founding member of the band Chic and then as a writer, musician and producer on countless projects. “As an artist, I actively chose to talk about the world that I wanted to see, rather than the world that I was in. Maybe I was a dreamer,” Rodgers said.
But what Rodgers is describing goes beyond simple dreaming. Whether intentionally or not, he was able to conceptualize and methodically work towards a vision of the world that gave his life purpose and meaning. More, what Rodgers did was he invested in his purpose. He put in time, money, effort and resources into building something. And look at what he accomplished! He was a co-founding member of the band Chic, is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, a three-time Grammy winner, having co-written or produced Chic’s hit songs as well as Sister Sledge’s “We Are Family,” Madonna’s “Like A Virgin,” David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance” and Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky.” And as a member of The Black Panther Party in New York as a teenager all the way to founding the We Are Family Foundation, Rodgers has worked incessantly to put his vision of the world into action. His music and his activism brought us closer to the utopian world that he envisioned.
So how do we learn from Rodgers’ example so that we too are investing in and growing our purpose?
First, we can articulate our sense of purpose. To be sure, we do not need to have one unifying sense of purpose. Our purpose can be many things. Often people have a sense of purpose in four areas – achievement (e.g. productive work), connection (e.g. romantic, platonic and familial relationships), well-being (e.g. physical and mental health) and interests (activities that inspire passion and joy).
Next, we need to examine how our purpose can be put into action. If we want to be a lawyer, what are the steps we need to take? If we want to have closer relationships with family members, what can we do to foster those bonds? If we want to feel less angry and improve our mood, what coping strategies do we need to practice? And if we want to be a great artist or musician, what type of practice can we pursue?
Third, we need to view our purpose as an ongoing investment. For the most part, very few things that can serve as a part of our purpose can be accomplished overnight. Rodgers did not write all of his hit songs in one sitting – it was an accumulation of five decades of practice and productivity. We need to dig in for the long haul.
And finally, our sense of purpose is not only an active process, but also a dynamic one. For many of us, our purpose changes over the course of our lives. We may have started out determined to be a professional musician, but as we got older, got married and had children, we decided that music was a passion we wanted to continue but not as our primary source of income. Investing in our purpose does not mean being static. We can examine, evaluate and update our purpose, and the actions needed to attain our purpose, on a regular basis.
So, there we have it. If we follow Rodgers’ example, and identify and invest in our purpose – maybe we too can attain “Good Times.”
To hear Dr. Mike’s conversation with Nile Rodgers click here.
Photo credit: Nancy Hunt
