Professor of Health Behavior and Health Equity
Finding Purpose and Meaning In Life: Living for What Matters Most
What You'll Learn
- Understand that having a strong purpose in life is an essential element of human well-being
- Know how self-transcending purpose positively affects well-being
- Create a purpose for your life
- Apply personal approaches and skills to self-change and become and stay connected to your purpose every day
4 Modules
8 Hours
2 hrs per module (approx.)
Rating
About Finding Purpose and Meaning In Life: Living for What Matters Most
Welcome to Finding Purpose and Meaning in Life: Living for What Matters Most!
In this course, you’ll learn how science, philosophy and practice all play a role in both finding your purpose and living a purposeful life. You will hear from historical figures and individuals about their journeys to finding and living a purposeful life, and will walk through different exercises to help you find out what matters most to you so you can live a purposeful life.
As an added benefit, you will also have complimentary access, for a period of time, to the Purposeful App. This groundbreaking mobile and desktop app is designed to help you build a purposeful rhythm into each day, so you can bring your best self to what matters most. Look for more information in Week 1 of the course!
By the end of this course, you will:
1. Understand that having a strong purpose in life is an essential element of human well-being.
2. Know how self-transcending purpose positively affects well-being.
3. Be able to create a purpose for your life (don't be intimidated, this is different from creating "the purpose" for your life).
4. Apply personal approaches and skills to self-change and become and stay connected to your purpose every day.
We are thrilled that you are here! We look forward to hearing and learning from you throughout this course!
Skills You'll Gain
- Planning
- Positivity
- Resilience
What You'll Earn
- Certificate of Completion
- Certificates of completion acknowledge knowledge acquired upon completion of a non-credit course or program.
Welcome Message
Welcome to Finding Purpose and Meaning in Life: Living for What Matters Most, an online course that explores how purpose is discovered, developed, and lived. Drawing from science, philosophy, and real-world practice, you will examine ideas from influential thinkers and reflect on your own values. Through guided exercises and examples, this course helps you clarify what matters most and apply purpose to everyday life.
This abbreviated syllabus description was created with the help of AI tools and reviewed by staff. The full syllabus is available to those who enroll in the course.
Course Schedule
Module 1: What Is a Purpose in Life?
- Video: Welcome to Finding Purpose and Meaning in Life
- Reading: Who is This Course For?
- Reading: Access to Purposeful by Kumanu
- Video: Course Overview
- Reading: Course Syllabus
- Discussion Prompt: What is your interest in finding purpose in life?
- Reading: Help us learn more about you!
- Video: Aims, People & Themes
- Video: A Story: Nietzsche’s Walking Stick
- Video: Who Am I?
- Discussion Prompt: Reflecting on “Who Am I?”
- Reading: Dialogue with Coursera Coach
- Dialogue: What is My Best Self?
- Video: What Do I Value?
- Video: 7 Questions Exercise Introduction
- Dialogue: Reflecting on the 7 Questions
- Video: How do you want to be remembered?
- Video: The Headstone Test: Exercise Introduction
- Discussion Prompt: The Headstone Test: Reflection
- Dialogue: Dialogue About Your Headstone
- Video: Purpose: A central, self-organizing life aim
- Video: Purposeful: Engaging Best Self to Life Purpose
- Dialogue: Finding your “BE” Goals
- Discussion Prompt: Crafting and Sharing a Purpose Statement
- Video: The 2500-year-old MRI
- Video: Eudaimonic or Hedonic
- Video: Self-Transcending or Self-Enhancing
- Video: Loving-Kindness Meditation
- Dialogue: Are You Self-Transcending or Self-Enhancing?
- Video: Loving-Kindness Meditation Practice
- Graded Assignment: Week 1 Quiz
- Reading: Supplementary Readings for the Course
Module 2: How Purpose Organizes Our Lives
- Video: Welcome to Week 2
- Dialogue: Self-Determined vs “Thou Shalt” Values
- Discussion Prompt: “Thou Shalt” Reflection
- Video: A Story: 2001 A Space Odyssey
- Video: Learning about Purpose from Camus, Sartre, and Nietzsche
- Video: A Story: Albert Camus
- Video: Purposeful: Be, Do, and Action Goals
- Video: Living a “Big” Life
- Video: Meet a Few Purposeful People
- Video: Life that Transformed with a Purpose
- Dialogue: Purposeful People You Know
- Video: Identifying Your Be, Do, and Action Goals
- Dialogue: Identify Your Goals
- Discussion Prompt: Share Your “Be,” “Do,” and “Action” Goals
- Video: Week 2 Summary
- Graded Assignment: Week 2 Quiz
- Reading: Supplemental Readings for the Course
Module 3: How Purpose Changes Our Lives
- Video: Why Purpose Works: Psychological Pathway, Part 1
- Video: Why Purpose Works: Psychological Pathway, Part 2
- Video: Post-traumatic Growth, Part 1
- Video: Post-traumatic Growth, Part 2
- Dialogue: Grow from Your Difficult Experiences
- Video: Why Purpose Works: Behavioral Pathway
- Video: The Cookie Study
- Video: Looking Ahead
- Video: Why Purpose Works: Biological Pathway
- Reading: Purpose Changes Your Life
- Dialogue: Taking Action
- Discussion Prompt: Action Goals and Barriers
- Graded Assignment: Week 3 Quiz
- Reading: Supplemental Readings for the Course
Module 4: How Purpose Works in Real Life
- Reading: Welcome to Week 4
- Video: How Purpose Works: College & Military
- Video: How Purpose Works: Work & Workplaces
- Video: How Purpose Works: Aging & Retirement
- Video: How Purpose Works: Family and Community
- Video: Living with Purpose as a Student with Jim Loehr
- Dialogue: Purpose in Your Chosen Context
- Graded Assignment: Week 4 Quiz
- Video: Vic’s Story
- Reading: Post-Course Survey
Grading Policy
Learners pursuing a course certificate must complete all required assessments. To pass the course, you must earn an overall grade of 80% or higher and successfully pass each end-of-module quiz, worth 25% each for a total of 100%.
Course content developed by U-M faculty and managed by the university. Faculty titles and affiliations are updated periodically.
Beginner Level
No prior experience required
Course Video
What Learners Are Saying
Stop and think about a time in your life when you experienced the greatest amount of personal growth? Was it when you were on the beach drinking martinis? Or was it from a period of great challenge? Consider using the challenge of COVID-19 to build strength and self-tr…
Victor J. Strecher, PhD Professor of Health Behavior & Health Education, U-M School of Public Health
One of the things that having a purpose can provide is the motivation to become one’s best self. Building strength and self-transcending purpose could not only allow you to live longer, but to live better.
Victor J. Strecher Professor of Health Behavior & Health Education, U-M School of Public Health
