What's Your Purpose?

Jon Kitna played 15 seasons as an NFL quarterback. After all of that, he went back to his hometown in Tacoma, Washington… to become a high school math teacher and football coach at the very school he once attended.

From the outside, that might look like a dramatic change. From the inside, it’s a move toward something very specific: a clear sense of purpose. Pouring into kids, teaching algebra, and trying to change the trajectory of a community he cares about. It’s the kind of decision that might’ve surprised his 20-year-old self—and made perfect sense to who he is now.

On the research side, a lot of studies point in the same direction: people who feel a strong sense of purpose in life tend to report better mental health, higher life satisfaction, and a lower risk of early death than people who feel their life or work lacks direction.

In one large study of nearly 7,000 adults over 50, those with the highest sense of purpose were significantly less likely to die over the next four years—especially from heart and blood-related conditions—than those with low purpose, even after accounting for other health and social factors.