Why Purpose Matters a Lot More Than You Think
Why Purpose Matters a Lot More Than You Think
PLUS: Understand How Your Brain Builds Who You Become
July 12, 2026
“The first principle is that you must not fool yourself and you are the easiest person to fool.”
\- Richard Feynman
This week’s newsletter is a deeply personal one.
I had coffee with a leading executive recently. On a surface level, his life looked like the epitome of success - high-flying role, wonderful family and a great lifestyle.
In reality, he was broken and burnt out. At the heart of that was a loss of purpose.
We tend to think of purpose as ethereal at best and performative at worst. The evidence says otherwise.
THE SCIENCE
Purpose has been studied seriously for decades, and while researchers don't fully agree on one singular definition, there is a shared acceptance that it’s tied to intention and action. Doing things meaningful to you that are also bigger than you.
Patrick Hill, a psychologist at Carleton University, tracked adults for 14 years and found that people with a strong sense of purpose had a significantly lower risk of death across that period, regardless of age or whether they'd retired, independent of every other known predictor of longevity.
Forget the idea that purpose is ‘woo woo’. Instead, understand that it’s one of the most consistently measurable predictors of how long, and how well, you live.
THE PROOF
I mentioned this week's newsletter was deeply personal, and that's because hearing that executive’s story took me back two years. At that point I was a global COO. My two main clients were Google and Apple. Wonderful wife. Great lifestyle. Epitome of success, right?
The reality? I was on the brink of burnout. People tend to look at burnout purely through the lens of working too many hours. While that can be a contributing factor, my experience is that loss of purpose is a far bigger cause.
When you’re in a business where you don’t have agency and autonomy, your ability to do meaningful work is severely constrained. It left me feeling like I was walking around in a straitjacket. And it weighed me down. My sleep was broken. My energy was low. My mood was poor. I was a shadow of myself.
Resigning allowed me to cast it off and breathe again.
THE APPLICATION
Why did I get to that stage? We all tell ourselves stories. Mine was that I’d be fine and I just needed to muscle through it. That my resilience would be enough. That brighter days lay ahead.
I fooled myself. I was the easiest person to fool, because my story was wrapped up in my identity. Because I didn’t realise the very real consequences of losing my sense of purpose.
My purpose with this newsletter is to give you the insights and tools to show up better. In leadership. In life.
So if you only do one thing this week, hold up that mirror. Reflect. Do you know your purpose? Are you living a life that allows you to express it?
Change is tough and it starts with not fooling yourself. Only then can the work begin.
I said this week would be a personal one and that works both ways. If you’re struggling and want to speak to me, I’ll make the time for you. No fee, no obligation. Just a safe space to talk about where you’re feeling stuck.
That’s my sense of purpose.
Message me directly on jason@primeperformancelabs.com
🔥 LIVE BETTER, LEAD BETTER
The best content I researched this week:
1. “So much advantage in life comes from being willing to look like an idiot in the short term,” says Brain Food author Shane Parrish. Some great insights here about the power of contribution and purpose.
2. Everyday moments are the foundation of a gratifying life, explains Dr Ian Bogost, in this podcast. I feel this is a critical and often overlooked point - the small stuff truly matters.
3. And finally, change really is tough, so you need to understand how your brain builds who you become. 1 simple slide. 4 simple tips.
Share this with a fellow leader - we’re stronger together.
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