Aspies: Having a Purpose–Key to Health and Happiness?
In my book, Unforgiving, Memoir of an Asperger Teen, I show the vividness of life when purpose is found and pursued, and the sense of disconnection a teen has when that purpose is lost.
And if you ask some Aspies, they will tell you the thing they know most about happiness, is how elusive it is.
Having a purpose can change that. It will not only fuel your passion and get you out in the world doing something meaningful, “Purpose” also, according to Dr. Patricia A. Boyle PhD, a neuropsychologist with the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center, “somehow gives your brain resilience”.
And according to another study by cardiologist Randy Cohen of St. Lukes-Roosevelt Hospital in New York, Purpose can protect your heart health and contribute to your longevity.
So what is “Purpose” and how do you find it? One thing at least two people agree on, is that action is the key.
“Passion plus Daily Action Equals a Purposeful Life” writes author Shannon Kaiser in her article Three Unexpected Ways to Find Purpose.
In Mark Manson’s article, Seven Strange Questions that Help You Find Your Life Purpose, he states important truths about purpose-finding. “Get off your ass and discover what feels important to you,” Manson directs, adding: “Embrace embarrassment.” and “Everything sucks some of the time.”
Like Kaiser, Manson insists “Passion is the result of action, not the cause of it.”
Want to live longer, have a healthier heart and brain and do something you actually love? First you have to find out what that is. These authors give you fuel for the journey.
Margaret Jean 