“How can I change my life?” seems like such a huge question. How do you help clients narrow it down?The first question I ask is, “What is it you want to change?” Sometimes it’s something very specific but sometimes people say, “I need to change my work, my relationships, everything.”

How do you define life path?It’s the thing or things in a person’s life that really matter to them. I’m not thinking necessarily about a job, although for some people it’s that, but what gives a person’s life meaning. What do they care about, what really takes precedence in their lives?

Philosopher Roman Krznaric explores the age-old question of how to make a career out of what you love doing in the book How to Find Fulfilling Work. According to Krznaric, the very idea that work should be satisfying and provide purpose is an extremely new notion indeed.

Camille Sweeney and Josh Gosfield, authors of The Art of Doing: How Superachievers Do What They Do and How They Do It So Well, indicate that Chris Argyris, Professor Emeritus at Harvard Business School, may have the formula for success.

New York Times science writer John Tierney and psychologist Roy F. Baumeister have collaborated on a recently published book, Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength. The book reviewer, Maria Popova, contends that, while the book in general is fascinating,…

If you’ve read my previous blog posts, you probably know that I don’t believe there are always easy answers to psychological problems. One problem that often defies simple solutions is self-sabotage. Why do we do things that keep us from doing our best in work, in relationships, in life in general?

Why do some people whose lives are going well-- who have satisfying relationships and work that matters to them-- have trouble appreciating what they have? Why do they continually focus on what they they don’t have-- a more prestigious job, a partner who shares more of their interests or other things they feel they’re missing?

I belatedly discovered the Drive-By Truckers last fall when I stumbled upon “The Secret To A Happy Ending”on tv. I bought all their CDs and soon found myself listening repeatedly to Jason Isbell’s “Outfit”.I've spent the last several days thinking about why I find this song so moving.

Regarding the secret of happiness, philosopher Dan Dennett said, “Find something more important than you are, and dedicate your life to it.” How do we find that something? Certainly not by luck. Gathered in this article are insights from people who have contemplated the art/science of making your life’s calling a living.

Levon Helm, the great drummer and singer of The Band, died on April 19, 2012. In his obituaryin the New York Times, Jon Pareles wrote “Mr. Helm didn’t call attention to himself. Three bass-drum thumps at the start of one of the Band’s anthems, “The Weight”, were all that he needed to establish the song’s gravity. His playing served the song.”

“You see, to me, the art of music is listening to it, not playing it. The real art of it is hearing it”. (Keith Richards in Keith:Standing In The Shadows by Stanley Booth)I’ve loved these words of Keith Richards ever since I first read them over ten years ago.

“You're so afraid of being somebody's foolNot walkin' tough, baby, not walkin' coolYou walk cool, but darlin', can you walk the lineAnd face the ties that bind….Now you can't break the ties that bind.”Bruce Springsteen, “The Ties That Bind”These lyrics from Bruce Springsteen describe the aching ambivalence that many people feel about romantic relationships.

"Standing next to me in this lonely crowdIs a man who swears he's not to blameAll day long I hear him shout so loud,Crying out that he was framed." Bob Dylan, "I Shall Be Released"In my last post, I talked about how depression caused by lack of adequate mirroring can forestall the process of finding your life purpose.

"Take me and love me if you want meDon't ever treat me unkind'Cause I had that trouble alreadyAnd it left me with a dark turn of mind." Gillian Welch, "Dark Turn of Mind" In my last post, I talked about how all of us need people in our lives who "mirror" us--who see and admire us for who we are

"And when we meet againAnd introduced as friendsPlease don't let on that you knew me whenI was hungry and it was your world." Bob Dylan, "Just Like A Woman" In this verse from "Just Like A Woman", Bob Dylan describes a situation most of us have experienced at some time in our lives.

“Somewhere along the line I slipped off track/One step up and two steps back.” Bruce Springsteen, “One Step Up”In my previous blog posts, I’ve talked about how you can know if you’re on the right track to finding your life path.

"It ain't no sin to be glad you're alive". (Bruce Springsteen, "Badlands")"It ain't no sin to be glad you're alive" is one of my favorite lines from any song I know. I often quote it to people I see in my psychotherapy practice because it so accurately captures their struggle to find happiness and their life purpose.

In my post , “Don’t Write A Resume”, I talked about the five ways you can know that you’re doing something that matters to you. Those five ways are:1) You’re willing to put in a lot more work than is actually required;2) You’re willing to give up other things that are important to you—time with my friends, going out, free time—in order to do what matters to you;

“Twenty thousand roads I went down, down, down/ And they all led me straight back home to you.” Gram Parsons, Return of the Grievous Angel. No matter how many roads you’ve gone down in search of your life path, I believe you can find the one that’s right for you.

I experienced writer’s block for the first time when I finished graduate school and started teaching at Indiana University. When I got to Indiana, I was expected to revise my dissertation for publication. After a year and a half of work, I had revised less than half of it.