In this book, the author brings about his thinking of the last decade or so where he attempts to understand the contemporary events of life with the teachings of our rich scriptures, Vedanta, in particular. The author brings about the hidden virtues of human beings, that of compassion, kindness, being holistic and harmonious through an insightful take on leadership, the relevance of guides and attempts to bring to context the vices or challenges, that of fear and greed. The true power within all of us which can be invigorated with approaches well established and the deeds that may be performed with that power. The author emphasizes the pertinence of choices that we make, which make all the difference and provide a path for us. There is a take on where real value might be. What must be most important for us? The book contains many real-life anecdotes which may be very interesting to read and more so as they are very relatable to each life. With these very modest, yet deep thoughts, the author wishes, if we can convince ourselves of some important choices.

A remarkable guide to the quests that give our lives meaning—and how to find your own—from the New York Times bestselling author of The $100 Startup and 100 Side Hustles “If you like complacency and mediocrity, do not read this book. It’s dangerously inspiring.”—A. J. Jacobs, author of The Know-It-All When he set out to visit all of the planet’s countries by age thirty-five, compulsive goal-seeker Chris Guillebeau never imagined that his journey’s biggest revelation would be how many people like himself exist—each pursuing a challenging quest. These quests are as diverse as humanity itself, involving exploration, the pursuit of athletic or artistic excellence, or battling against injustice and poverty. Everywhere that Chris visited he found ordinary people working toward extraordinary goals, making daily down payments on their dreams. These “questers” included a suburban mom pursuing a wildly ambitious culinary project, a DJ producing the world’s largest symphony, a young widower completing the tasks his wife would never accomplish—and scores of others writing themselves into the record books. The more Chris spoke with these strivers, the more he began to appreciate the direct link between questing and long-term happiness, and he was compelled to complete a comprehensive study of the phenomenon. In The Happiness of Pursuit, he draws on interviews with hundreds of questers, revealing their secret motivations, their selection criteria, the role played by friends and family, their tricks for solving logistics, and the importance of documentation. Equally fascinating is Chris’s examination of questing’s other side. What happens after the summit is climbed, the painting hung, the endurance record broken, the at-risk community saved? A book that challenges each of us to take control—to make our lives be about something while at the same time remaining clear-eyed about the commitment—The Happiness of Pursuit will inspire readers of every age and aspiration. It’s a playbook for making your life count. “The Happiness of Pursuit is smart, honest, and dangerous. Why dangerous? Because it is as practical as it is inspiring. You won’t just be daydreaming about your quest—you’ll be packing for it!”—Brené Brown, Ph.D., LMSW, author of Daring Greatly

Demonstrates how students and educators can resist narrow, utilitarian views of higher education’s purpose. While the search for meaning and purpose appears to be a constant throughout human history, there are characteristics about our current time period that make this search different from any other previous time, particularly for college students. In this book, Perry L. Glanzer, Jonathan P. Hill, and Byron R. Johnson explore college students’ search for meaning and purpose and the role that higher education plays. To shed empirical light on this complex issue, the authors draw on in-depth interviews with four hundred college students from different types of institutions across the United States. They also analyze three sets of national survey data: the National Study of Youth and Religion, College Students Beliefs and Values, and their own Gallup-conducted survey of 2,500 college students. Their research identifies important social, educational, and cultural influences that shape students’ quests and the answers they find. Arguing against a utilitarian view of education, Glanzer, Hill, and Johnson conclude that colleges and universities can and should cultivate and aid students in their journeys, and they offer suggestions for doing so.

Fifty-five-year-old Anthony DiSarlo is a recent retiree still deep in mourning over the tragic loss of his wife of thirty years. Even worse, he has lost the will to live and sees no purpose in his life. Shortly after he wins his multimillion-dollar medical malpractice lawsuit against those responsible for his wife’s death, Anthony’s sister and her husband invite him to join them on their annual visit to Florence, Italy. As he reluctantly accepts and heads home to pack and prepare, Anthony has no idea that all hell is about to break loose and that someone wants him dead. After a series of clues lead the police to arrest the suspect, Anthony goes on the trip of a lifetime across majestic Italy to find the purpose he so desperately seeks. But when his path crosses with that of a true Italian goddess, Anthony is left wondering if he can fall in love again and whether the best is really yet to be. The Quest for Purpose is an international tale of sorrow, love, and passion as a widower journeys to Italy to find his purpose after his wife dies from a tragic accident.

This wide-ranging volume of essays brings a contemporary perspective to the timeless questions concerned with the nature of life and death, meaning and purpose, and how we can live more harmoniously together, issues with which all thinking people are concerned and engaged.

What happens when higher education is introduced to the exploration of meaning and purpose? Liberal Learning as a Quest for Purpose analyzes a remarkable experiment--lasting over a decade and encompassing 88 independent campuses--to reconfigure undergraduate education as a journey toward life purpose. It ties together the liberal arts, personal development, and preparation for life all through the exploration of vocation.

The first edition of The Human Quest for Meaning was a major publication on the empirical research of meaning in life and its vital role in well-being, resilience, and psychotherapy. This new edition continues that quest and seeks to answer the questions, what is the meaning of life? How do we explain what constitutes meaningful relationships, work, and living? The answers, as the eminent scholars and practitioners who contributed to this text find, are neither simple nor straightforward. While seeking to clarify subjective vs. objective meaning in 21 new and 7 revised chapters, the authors also address the differences in cultural contexts, and identify 8 different sources of meaning, as well as at least 6 different stages in the process of the search for meaning. They also address different perspectives, including positive psychology, self-determination, integrative, narrative, and relational perspectives, to ensure that readers obtain the most thorough information possible. Mental health practitioners will find the numerous meaning-centered interventions, such as the PURE and ABCDE methods, highly useful in their own work with facilitating healing and personal growth in their clients. The Human Quest for Meaning represents a bold new vision for the future of meaning-oriented research and applications. No one seeking to truly understand the human condition should be without it.