Connect To Others At Work Through Mindful Communication
Workplace interactions are often fraught with tension, commonly due to stress from overwork/undersleep, multi-tasking challenges, power dynamics, economic considerations, and social conflict between people who would prefer not…
Finding True Alignment with a Strong Connection to Self
Alignment is the ultimate goal of genuine connection. It is the physical manifestation of what it feels and looks like to be connected with yourself and living in…
How And Why To Exercise, Astronaut-Style
Everyone knows exercise is good for you…good for your waistline, your stress level, your muscular coordination, your creativity, and your mood. Yet most of us think about exercise…
Why Busy Is Not A Badge of Honor
You know someone like this. Anytime you ask how they are, they reply: “Busy!” It’s an easy answer that used to be considered a complaint, but now is…
The More of Less: How Minimalism Fosters Connection
On some level, we all know that having more possessions doesn’t necessarily make us happier. It might seem like buying that shiny new whatever will boost our spirits…
A "Natural" Remedy That Really Works
One of the quickest and most enjoyable ways to snap out of a funk and restore connection is simply spending time in nature. It sounds old-fashioned, like something…
2 Tips for Cultivating More Meaning in Your Life
Cultivating more meaning in our lives is the primary way to fast-track feeling more connected to yourself, your purpose, and those around you. This is why we spend…
The Surprising Power of Hand Crafts
Lots of people think of traditional hand crafts as old-fashioned, outdated activities that only spinster aunts and tottering grandmothers should be doing. We have machines to do that…
Why We All Should Stop Rushing
The more we learn about connection, the more we learn about the factors that hinder it. And it turns out that many of our society’s most ingrained habits…
How Meaningful Is Your Life?
Human beings are hard-wired to seek meaning in our lives. It’s something we all crave and yearn for, and research shows that having high levels of meaning in…
Lessons from the End of Life: Connect With Your Priorities
Death and dying are challenging concepts for most of us. When I founded and directed a Health Psychology Department, working with seriously ill and dying patients in a…
Which Do You Prioritize: Urgent or Important?
If you’re like most people, you probably spend most of your time handling the urgent demands of life, and the rest of your time doing things that don’t…
The Power of One Simple Question
Whether you’re just starting your journey to become more authentically connected to yourself, others and the world around you…or you’re already at an advanced stage of self-actualization, one…
What IS Self-Connection?
We talk a lot about self-connection on this blog. In many ways, it is the cornerstone for connection more generally – so it would probably be good to…
Why The Pursuit of Happiness Is a Fool's Errand
How many times have you heard someone say their life’s goal is just to be happy? Or a parent say all they really want is for their kids…
Are You Living Your Highest, Best Life?
If you’re lucky, you might feel you have relatively good relationships and a decent job, and are more or less living in control of your life. Things are…
Connecting Through Simplicity
Simplicity is one of the most effective tools for cultivating connection—and a more joyful, present way of life. Henry David Thoreau often observed that when our lives are…
Connect With the Meaning In Your Life
Many people are drawn to connection theory because they feel such a lack of meaning and purpose in their lives. They don’t feel their daily lives are contributing…
Is Connection the Cure for Depression?
According to Dr. John Ratey, who is a clinical associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, practicing psychiatrist, and author of seven books on brain functioning, yes!…
Let Us Introduce Ourselves....
Hello there! Welcome to the Purpose Project. We’re a San Francisco-based research lab and community resource for cultivating authentic, meaningful lives—what we call “connected living.” We want to…