Helping Our Children Find Their Calling
In The Path to Purpose, Stanford psychologist William Damon explores what he calls the culmination of thirty years of research on moral commitment, character education and human development, or, put more succinctly, the role of purpose in youth development. Damon’s conclusion is straightforward. For young people, “finding a clear purpose in life is essential for their achievement of happiness.”
Unfortunately, even in many of today’s best schools, Damon explains, rather than helping students explore this all-important question of purpose, most teachers instead focus on “narrow, instrumental goals” such as “study assignments, exam instructions, and lots of drills and practice.” While this traditional approach is good for building basic skills, it unfortunately leaves a vast majority of young people directionless.
Thankfully, Damon does not only outline the problem. He also provides practical advice for both parents and educators about how to address this issue. For example, to help support this all important search for purpose, he encourages parents to “embrace your child’s interests,” “express confidence in what your child is trying to do” and “introduce your children to adults outside the home who might trigger sparks of interest.” Damon also urges us to steer clear of what he calls “short-horizon thinking,” the kind of mentality from which we encourage youth to “pursue short term victories at the expense of enduring aspirations.”
Instead, he suggests that we cultivate an environment “that fires their imaginations,” “encourages their higher aspirations,” “inspires rather than demoralizes them” and, in the end, instills in young people the confidence to pursue a life of purpose. We strive every day at LifeWorks to create such an environment for students, to inspire them to achieve their best in school and beyond.
-Jai Flicker
