Many people I’ve talked to feel that they’re missing a larger sense of purpose in their lives. Being good at their jobs, and getting recognition for their work, hasn’t been enough to sustain them through these difficult times. They want to feel that they’re making a contribution to the world and not just to their company’s bottom line.
We’re in a time of tremendous uncertainty. I doubt our uncertainties will be resolved any time soon. So, I think people need to continue to try to identify what they’d like to do and who they’d like to be while taking into account that things still feel a little precarious right now. It’s really an issue of striking a balance between urgency and patience.
If patients can have a relationship with me that makes them feel understood, taken seriously, and cared for, that experience can be the gateway to being able to find their life path and to set out on it with confidence. It’s a complicated process, and it’s not linear, but, in the end, it can provide a firm foundation for having a life of meaning and purpose.
It might seem counter-intuitive to think that you could discover your life’s purpose during a global pandemic. However, a crisis can sometimes open up possibilities that didn’t exist before. It can also help us to clarify what really matters to us. Jane Rubin, Ph.D., has more insight on finding your purpose even during a pandemic.
Many people struggle with finding their life direction. While finding your purpose in life might sound like a luxury, or a pursuit best left to philosophers or spiritual seekers, most people want to feel that their lives have meaning. If you’re struggling to find meaning in your life, what do you do? We’re talking with Jane Rubin, Ph.D., about how to go about finding your life purpose.
One of the more difficult situations in life is recognizing that an important life choice hasn’t worked out. We’re very aware of how difficult it is to end a long-term relationship, but we often don’t fully grasp how difficult it is to come to terms with other life choices that don’t go as we had hoped. That’s why we’re talking to Dr. Jane Rubin about what to do when our life plans don’t work out.
When we think of people who lack direction in life, we’re often tempted to think of them as “lazy” or “unmotivated”. But blaming people for their lack of direction in life doesn’t help them find it. This month, we’re talking to Dr. Jane Rubin specifically about idealization and its role in providing direction in life.
Many people are burdened by feelings of shame. They feel there is something deeply wrong with them, even though they often can’t identify what it is. What they often don’t recognize is how their feelings of shame can prevent them from finding their direction in life. Dr. Jane Rubin explains how shame can interfere with your ability to make good life choices.
I wrote previously about how self-sabotage negatively affects those who have been in abusive relationships. However, did you know that people who have been subject to neglect growing up also self-sabotage? Learned in childhood, it will have a negative effect on one’s life well into adulthood, including making life choices.
In my last few posts, I’ve talked about self-sabotage—what it is and why some people are particularly susceptible to it. In my experience, people who self-sabotage fall into two broad categories. Some experienced significant abuse in their childhoods. Others experienced significant neglect. In this post, I want to talk about how early experiences of abuse can cause self-sabotage later in life.
Does it ever seem as if you are on a roll, about to achieve your goals or dreams, when something happens to derail your plans? Is this a pattern that occurs again and again in your life?It may be that self-sabotage is preventing you from making good life choices and achieving what you want in life. Dr. Jane Rubin gives us some thoughts about what self-sabotage is and what you can do about it.
Have you felt pressure from family, friends, or teachers to find your life passion? Do you feel like you’re trying to catch up, while others have already found what they want to do? A recent article in the New York Times describes how graduates struggle with this issue. By having the self-confidence to be open to learning and change, the author argues, it’s possible to find your passion.
