Dr. Angela Duckworth

There is a research study that asked this question in the form of an intervention.

And it was run by David Yeager, who David Yeager at UT Austin is actually a protege of his mentor, Carol Dweck.

So it's all, you know, full circle.

And the question that he posed to teenagers in the study is like, what's something that really annoys you?

Like, what is a problem in the world that really makes you mad?

Write about it, right?

And that was the treatment condition.

And there was a control condition where you wrote about something else.

And it was a purpose intervention because that is an opening question to a problem that maybe you want to work on.

we can't all work on everything, right?

So one person might really care about the environment.

Another person might be really angry at the litter they see in their neighborhood.

That would be my husband.

Another person might think of, you know, they don't like the way women are treated and they've experienced something, you know, in their own lives that really motivates them.

I think everybody can answer that question.

You know, what is a thing that really...

irritates you, angers you, outrages you, write about it.

I think that is not the obvious entree into purpose, but I think it is a wonderful doorway into what is in your heart that hurts.

What do you think ought to be different?

It's the first step to saying, hey, maybe I can make that difference.