Purpose and Meaning

🧭 Purpose = Direction

Purpose is the "why" behind your actions.
It’s the long-game motivator that gives you a sense of aim. It answers the question:
👉 "What am I working toward?"

In Shift Change, this might look like:

• Supporting your family

• Contributing to a cause

• Living in alignment with your deepest values

• Being a mentor, protector, or steward

Purpose is more future-oriented. It helps shape your decisions today by clarifying where you want to go.

🔍 Meaning = Interpretation

Meaning is how you make sense of your experiences.
It’s the story you tell yourself about what your life and experiences signify. It answers the question:
👉 "What does this moment, season, or experience mean to me?"

In Shift Change, meaning might show up as:

• Recognizing the significance of your service

• Integrating your career into your identity without being defined by it

• Finding beauty or insight even in hard moments

• Connecting your past to who you are becoming

Meaning is more present- and past-oriented. It helps you process and integrate what’s happened so you can move forward with wholeness.

Here’s how to teach the difference:

"Purpose is the direction you’re headed. Meaning is what fuels you along the way."

Or:

"Purpose is your North Star. Meaning is how you interpret the terrain you’ve already crossed."

Why they both matter in your course:

• Without purpose, people drift.

• Without meaning, people feel empty — even if they're busy or productive.

Shift Change is about helping people not just retire, but reorient. Meaning helps them reconcile where they’ve been. Purpose helps them decide where to go next.