Hardiness

CHAPTER 2Commitment: Why Pursuing Purpose in Life Matters

“He who has a why to live for, can bear almost any how.”

—Friedrich Nietzsche (German philosopher)

Probably one of the most difficult questions we have ever asked is, “Why are we here?” Most people go through life, day by day, just trying to get to tomorrow. It’s usually when tragedy strikes around us that we stop and think about what life is all about and whether we are making the most of our own lives. People who are hardy, especially in the factor we’ve identified as commitment, have already thought about their lives and what is meaningful to them.

How do we embrace commitment in our lives? Many of us have set specific goals for ourselves in life. We might want to do a certain type of work, become rich and famous, have a loving family, change the world, have lots of friends, help others, travel, party, or any number of things. These goals become our purpose, the things we wake up and get out of bed for in the morning. Some people are pretty nonchalant about their goals—they just get up and go to work—if they move forward in life today, that’s fine, if not, that’s okay too. Other people are driven—they may want to stop world poverty, make a million dollars, or become the next Beyoncé. These people work towards their goals relentlessly.

Having goals, or a purpose in life, is like having a destination you want to visit. You may have always wanted to go to Rome, but somehow never quite made it there. However, commitment ...