Amen University
From hustle culture to burnout to mental health breakdowns, it's easy to forget that life is not meant to be lived in a constant state of stress, worry, and uncertainty. The question: “What is my purpose?” often follows.
As human beings, we’re wired to seek comfort, safety, and meaning. Many of us spend years chasing someone else's version of success.
If you've ever questioned your purpose or it felt like something was missing, you’re not the only one. Research shows that living with purpose can boost happiness, reduce depression, and even improve sleep and longevity.
Dr. Daniel Amen, double board-certified psychiatrist and founder of Amen University, teaches that purpose is essential for brain health and emotional well-being. Along with former ICU trauma nurse and bestselling author Tana Amen, BSN, RN, he co-hosts the 30-Day Happiness Challenge to explore the connection between purpose and mental health.
In this blog, you’ll discover why it’s important to live a meaningful life and how to find your purpose to boost your mental well-being.
WHAT IS PURPOSE?
Purpose is about finding deeper meaning within your own life. This could be a connection to a higher power, the planet, your ancestors, or your future legacy. It’s also about discovering your own inner compass to know that your life matters and your presence has a purpose.
In his book Your Brain Is Always Listening, Dr. Amen shares how identifying your life’s purpose can radically shift how you feel day to day and align your actions with what truly matters.
One powerful example comes from business executive Adam Leipzig, who discovered at his Yale reunion that nearly 80% of his successful classmates were unhappy. The key difference? Those who were happy had found their purpose.
Leipzig suggests you can discover your life purpose in five minutes by answering a few core questions—starting with something as simple as knowing your own name and what makes you come alive.
If you’re wondering how to find your purpose in life, identify what gives your day meaning beyond just checking tasks off a to-do list.
1) LOOK INWARD: WHAT DO YOU LOVE?
Finding your purpose begins with looking within. Ask yourself: What activities bring me joy? What do I love doing so much I lose track of time?
For some, it’s writing poetry, baking a new dessert, designing a new outfit, or building something with their hands. For others, it’s problem-solving puzzles, teaching new subjects, or inspiring others.
Dr. Amen found clarity by identifying what he genuinely loves—working with patients, studying the brain, teaching, writing, and spending time with his wife Tana.
Aligning your daily activities with your values boosts both happiness and productivity. According to a 2022 study, people who engage in activities they enjoy report significantly higher levels of well-being and lower levels of anxiety and depression.
Find one thing you love and feel confident teaching others and start there. When you live with purpose, even the smallest daily actions feel fulfilling.
2) LOOK OUTWARD: WHO ARE YOU DOING IT FOR?
Purpose is more than what you do and is rooted in who benefits from your efforts. Think about the people you help, serve, teach, or influence. Your purpose expands when you can connect to others.
Dr. Amen’s work touches patients, readers, students, and families who want to understand their brains and live healthier lives. Likewise, your purpose might impact your family, your local community, or even a global audience.
Maybe you write stories to help people feel seen, cook meals to nourish others, or solve problems to make life easier for those around you. Regardless, knowing who you want to help matters.
Research shows people who regularly help others have lower stress levels and better brain function. So, if you’re searching for how to live with purpose, look at the impact you already have on the people in your life.
3) LOOK BACK: HOW CAN YOU TURN PAIN INTO PURPOSE?
Some of the most powerful stories of finding meaning in life come from turning past pain into present purpose. If you’ve ever experienced hardship through trauma, illness, grief, or heartbreak, it can become fuel for healing for yourself and for others.
Dr. Amen was driven to deepen his work after someone he loved tried to take their own life. That heart-wrenching experience shaped his mission to help others to heal mental health through brain health.
His wife, Tana, turned her own childhood trauma into a force for good through her powerful memoir, The Relentless Courage of a Scared Child, which inspires others to heal their personal wounds.
Is there a struggle in your life that someone else could learn from? Can you use that pain to make someone else’s journey easier?
A 2021 study found that people who experienced trauma but found meaning in their suffering reported higher psychological resilience and life satisfaction.
Sharing moments of empathy and compassion is one of the deepest forms of purpose and the clearest paths to healing.
4) LOOK BEYOND YOURSELF: WHAT DO OTHERS NEED?
Purpose is also about meeting the needs of others. What do people ask of you? What are the challenges you’re specifically equipped to help solve?
Everyone wants to feel better, improve their memory, reduce anxiety, and take charge of their mental health. Unfortunately, the world around us and our personal circumstances can make that difficult. Dr. Amen and Tana created the 30-Day Happiness Challenge to help you experience real, practical change.
Research shows that having a sense of purpose was associated with lower mortality risk and better overall health. The clearer you are about how you help others, the healthier and more resilient you become.
Your purpose may be as simple as listening well, creating beauty, offering encouragement, or organizing solutions for those who aren’t in the same stage of healing as you are right now.
When you start identifying what others come to you for, and give back with intention, stepping into your purpose feels natural.
5) LOOK FOR TRANSFORMATION: HOW ARE LIVES CHANGED BY WHAT YOU DO?
Your life and the lives of others improve dramatically when you're aligned with purpose. Ask yourself how people are better off because of you. What changes in their mindset, health, or happiness happen because you showed up?
The goal is to find ways to live in clearer thinking, less suffering, and new hope. Remember, these transformations ripple outward to your families, workplaces, and communities. According to a 2021 Gallup study, employees who feel their work has purpose report higher job satisfaction, better performance, and less burnout.
Transformation is at the heart of your purpose. Start tracking how your efforts change lives, even in small ways like helping someone smile, feel heard, or move forward.
6) LOOK TO THE END: WHAT LEGACY DO YOU WANT TO LEAVE?
It’s easy to get caught up in daily drama or temporary problems, but you can start to focus on what really matters when you zoom out and ask: “Does this have long-lasting or eternal value?”
For example, Dr. Amen shares his desire to be a man who helped people suffer less and live better lives as a devoted husband, teacher, and brain health pioneer. That kind of clarity in purpose doesn’t just shape a legacy, it shapes your daily priorities.
Take a moment and reflect on how you want to be remembered. Is it as someone who made people feel seen? Who built something meaningful? Who lived with love and purpose? When you find meaning in life, your values lead the way when things get hard.
PURPOSE STARTS WITH YOU, BUT IT GROWS THROUGH OTHERS
Your purpose may come from within, but it grows stronger when it’s shared to help those in need. Out of the six questions above, only two were about you. The other four are about others—who you serve, how you help, and the impact you leave behind.
That’s the real secret to happiness.
Sign up for Amen University’s 30-Day Happiness Challenge to find out more about the important of purpose and its impact on your happiness.
