About Choosing Purpose

About the author

I’m Mary Vining Radomski, PhD, OTR/L. 

Like many of you, I’m a Purpose Person. That is, I aspire to engage in everyday life using my gifts, informed by my values, and moving in a virtuous direction that brings me joy and contributes something Good. At my best, this aspiration guides my choices as a mom, wife, grandma, sister, friend; as a rehabilitation researcher and occupational therapist; and as a creative wannabe.  I created the watercolors for this site.

I helped create the Compass Course, an 8-session virtual group to renew or support purpose in life, and conduct research on purpose in life renewal after health transitions. Facilitating the Compass Course and our related research informs my thoughts about living with purpose, which are reflected one way or another throughout ChoosingPurpose.com.

I believe that most people want to live each day grounded in the knowledge that their lives matter – that THEY matter.  I most certainly do! For as long as I can remember, I’ve aspired to live with the vitality and joie de vivre that results from living with a sense of authentic purpose.  

My purpose orientation accelerated about 6 years ago when hearing patient stories about how they felt lost and directionless after completing treatment for cancer. The growing and compelling scientific literature affirms the importance of having a sense of purpose but offers little guidance about how to renew purpose in life after life transitions that are inflicted or chosen. This confluence – patient need and service gap – was a call to action for my colleagues and I, which resulted in the development of the Compass Course.*  Our team now facilitates purpose renewal groups in the community and continues to conduct purpose in life renewal research involving people dealing with health transitions. 

All of this fuels my desire to learn more, live truer, and connect with and affirm other Purpose People, which I define as those who aspire to make authentic and intentional everyday choices that move them in a virtuous direction. I created ChoosingPurpose for us. 

All of the content on ChoosingPurpose aligns with my central assumptions about living on purpose. 

  • Every person’s life has purpose, whether they know it or not.  

  • Our values, strengths, and sources of personal meaning (i.e., inner Compass) point us towards everyday enterprises that are uniquely purposeful for us.

  • As we individually engage in our own unique purpose outlets, we experience authentic contribution and joy and together become a mosaic of Good in the world.

  • Living with purpose is a lifelong project. Life transitions and challenges often provoke purpose disruption and the opportunity to re-examine what matters. 

  • A purpose-oriented life requires intention and commitment, made easier by scientific research on the topic and ideas from other Purpose People. As such your ideas about living with purpose are always welcome!