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later than those who saw their lives

as aimless. It didn’t seem to matter

what meaning participants ascribed

to their lives, whether it was personal

“THE PURPOSE OF

LIFE,” SAID

ROBERT BYRNE, “IS A

LIFE OF PURPOSE.”

your response in less than a minute,

the wisdom-to-effort ratio for this

philosophical exercise could not be

more advantageous. I tend to ponder

such things as the creator of the Wis-

dom Project, a collection of writings

about the wisdom in everyday life

experiences.

Doing this simple exercise might

even help you live longer. According

to two separate studies published in

2014—one with 9,000 participants

around age 65 and another with

6,000 people between 20 and 75—

those who could articulate the mean-

ing and purpose of their lives died

Readers Share What Brings

Meaning to Their Lives

Spreading Warmth

Helping those in need. I make

blankets for children’s hospitals,

pet blankets for animal shelters,

and shawls for the elderly.

—Christen Lippincott atascocita, texas

Collecting Memories, Not Stuff

Stop buying trinkets that give you mo-

mentary pleasure. Rather, make memo-

ries that will last a lifetime. Travel and visit

as many places as you can, reconnect

and build friendships, and take plenty of

photos along the way. Memories have

given me much more long-lasting happi-

ness than any physical object can bring!

—Sriram Sridhar raleigh, north carolina

Building Literacy

I truly believe we can change the world

one person at a time, which is why I

became a literacy volunteer. Nothing

is more memorable than the look in the

eyes of an adult when he or she reads

for the first time. You know for as long

as they live they will remember you.

—Charlotte DiPaola niverville, new york

Reader’s Digest How to Maintain Your Purpose in Life

26 dec 2018 )jan 2019 | rd.com