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Learner Reviews & Feedback for Finding Purpose and Meaning In Life: Living for What Matters Most by University of Michigan

4.8
stars
2,290 ratings

About the Course

Welcome to Finding Purpose and Meaning in Life: Living for What Matters Most! In this course, you’ll learn how science, philosophy and practice all play a role in both finding your purpose and living a purposeful life. You will hear from historical figures and individuals about their journeys to finding and living a purposeful life, and will walk through different exercises to help you find out what matters most to you so you can live a purposeful life. As an added benefit, you will also have complimentary access, for a period of time, to the Purposeful App. This groundbreaking mobile and desktop app is designed to help you build a purposeful rhythm into each day, so you can bring your best self to what matters most. Look for more information in Week 1 of the course! By the end of this course, you will: 1. Understand that having a strong purpose in life is an essential element of human well-being. 2. Know how self-transcending purpose positively affects well-being. 3. Be able to create a purpose for your life (don't be intimidated, this is different from creating "the purpose" for your life). 4. Apply personal approaches and skills to self-change and become and stay connected to your purpose every day. We are thrilled that you are here! We look forward to hearing and learning from you throughout this course!...

Top reviews

SC

Jun 6, 2020

Short and precise course to get some perspective on finding focus on things that really matter. Vic is an excellent professor who just connects so well with the students even from the computer screen.

IG

Jun 23, 2021

I abolutely loved this. It has helped me tremendously in my understanding of self and setting a personal transcending purpose. And Vic, thank you for sharing your story. It made me tear up at the end.

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51 - 75 of 697 Reviews for Finding Purpose and Meaning In Life: Living for What Matters Most

By Roshan S

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May 30, 2020

No full audit option. Requires purchase to submit quiz/ get graded

By keshni r

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Nov 15, 2020

I would like to unenroll from this course but Coursera isnt allowing me to do that >Kindly help

By Vince S

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May 2, 2021

I want to start off by writing that I immensely enjoyed this course. The instructor is engaging and his story is touching. If you are looking for direction in your life, you should take this course.

For pure enjoyment and getting to know a subject which is rarely taught in normal curriculum, you should take this course. It's a lot of fun. The workload is minimal, the assignments are simple, and, it requires about 90 minutes at most for a week's worth of material.

I highly recommend the course. Where I think it falls short is that the discussion forums do not push you to be engaging with the other students. Maybe it's not meant for that and it could be addressed in another course that is more intensive on the subject.

As an introductory course to the subject, it's great. The underlying message is whatever you do after completing the course to pursue your purpose in life is entirely up to you.

By ANGELINA S

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Jan 23, 2023

I am an educator and I have recommended this course to all my students. I have enjoyed the format of this course: exciting videos, challenging question prompts, and difficult quizzes. I never thought about my purpose in life. Although, I am still seeking it, I am much clearer on where to start now. I am carrying a little notebook and writing down anything that might help me identify my purpose. In addition, I am asking people about their purposes. Finally, I am reading books and articles on this subject. I am meditating too. All in all, it was an amazing experience.

By Heena P

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Apr 30, 2021

This course is quite beneficial to me in many ways, especially to my thought process. It has created a huge psychological impact leading to behavioral changes. I have become more grateful on a daily basis. I have developed faith and confidence on a personal level. I have learned to focus on self-transcending values & looking for the greatest purpose in my life.

This course has given me a sense of satisfaction about my purposeful living. This course helps me to find relevant values and my best self. I have learned that my core values will make me more valuable.

By HOANG T M Y

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Nov 30, 2021

This is such an enlightenment, I have learned a lot through 4 precious weeks. I realize that in the past, I focused too much on hedonic purposes. I gonna change my mind and my life right away, now I know that with the right purpose in my life, I can do anything I want and serve myself and the community better. This is the wonderful course that I think everyone should know and learn once time in their life. Give my special thanks to Dr. Victor Strecher, hope to learn more courses of you in the future. I'm so grateful for all the things I have learnt by far.

By Dipanjana M

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Mar 1, 2022

This is an excellent course. It is also based on scientific evidences. It improves insights, enables to think deeper and to think from informed perspectives. I only wish the discussion forum were more live and engaging , exchange of views with the course co ordinators were made possible and more number of referred literatures were made avaialbale for accessing ( few are available in public domain) at least during the course period. However, I shall keep revisiting the lectures as long as these videos remain available here. Thank you Professor

By Ahmed N Z E

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Aug 8, 2021

My Father recommended me this course exactly 3 days ago. It is one of the best most life-changing I’ve ever participated in. I find it special, beneficial & life-changing really:) Especially: •The 7 questions & the headstone test •The loving-kindness meditation. I did it & it does work! •Resilience; Purposes buffer the impacts of extreme stressors & alleviate depressive symptoms, making people more resilient. •Purpose tells us where to put our Energies. Beware of CAFS: Cynicism, anger, frustration, Sarcasm

By Manal S

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Jul 7, 2020

Amazing course! It gets you insights about how to live your life. I get a deep understanding of how to adjust life goals which is a complicated thing for the majority. I became more excited about the current phase I live which is the phase of exploring all life aspects and I figured that this is what I want deeply; heart and soul. It is one of the best chances to enrol in this beautiful, sightful and encouraging course. Thanks a lot and wish you a happy, meaningful and purposeful life :)

By Judi G

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Aug 9, 2020

Excellent. Really helped me to understand purpose and help me establish one for my life. I had been trying to hard before to establish a purpose. Vic Strecher was superb in guiding participants through understanding how important and necessary purpose is to quality of life and how easy it is to define what truly matters to you. I also signed up for Purposeful and have enjoyed the email reminders; they've helped me stay on track. Thank you, thank you, thank you, for this course.

By Deniss S

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Jan 12, 2021

This is a great course, which really explains the necessity of having a purpose. Like someone said here in the review, it's really not explaining how to find one. But it provides materials and books during the lecture, which you can use to find the purpose. This course is focused on explaining why purpose is important and how it effects our lives. Would definitely recommend that course to other people. Thank you prof. Vic Strecher, your course definitely effected my life!

By Charles C

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Jul 19, 2021

The course contained new content for me on the nature of our neurophysiology and our improving ability to observe, measure and interpret the mapping of mental & emotional states such as imagining 'reflecting' on a theme. In this case 'purpose'; a representative term for one's sense (rational and emotional) of meaning or relevance in the present-state world, and to varying degrees the greater cosmos, and perhaps transcendent states (e.g.) the afterlife and beyond.

By Clarissa M

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Sep 20, 2020

This has been one of the most rewarding learning experiences that I have gone through in a while. It is well organised, logical and very well put together. The theory and practical application dove tails very well and I really feel that I have benefitted from completing this course. I will complete any course compiled by Prof Strecher any day. He is a wonderful presenter, his passion shows and his engaging learning style really makes the student feel at ease.

By Huu T P N

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Apr 15, 2021

I recommend the course to someone who does not know what to do in your life. The course does not really teach you how to make a purpose, but it creates the notions about how important it is to have purposes in life. Many scientific researches mentioned in the course also strengthen the ideas. You can take the course to find out about yourself or just to get to know of what is crucial about purposes in life and how it can affect your life.

By Lina L

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Sep 27, 2020

This course is a must take for anyone who is interested in finding the meaning to their own existence, or anyone who is needing guidance in finding their purpose in life. I thought the section about retirement and aging is quite profound. I'm glad that I already know my purpose before taking this class. If you don't know your purpose in life, this class will give you that nugget of wisdom you need to think about having your purpose.

By Kshitya N S

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Aug 18, 2020

I m a hedonic purpose driven person this course helped me take a pause n reflect on my own life and pushed me to start finding some transcending goals which matter to me.

The course is clear , straight forward and well researched and scientifically backed and the instructor has done a tremendous job. During this difficult times this course really helped me self reflect and I will definitely recommend this course to all my friends.

By Russel O

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Dec 7, 2020

I am grateful thatbI have grabbed the opportunity offered by our government office - DOST, t9 take a free online course with Coursera. Thru this course, I am in the process of realigning my personal goals and finding valuable purpose not only for my age right now, but to ky future self as well. I would recommend this course to my friends and family, in order for us to set self transcending goals qnd find meaning in our lives :)

By Luis N H

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Jul 27, 2020

The objective of the course is very human.

Our present civilization lacks guidelines for true personal fulfillment.

If people were guided from their childhood to make the most of their existence based on what counts most, and outlining goals to achieve personal and collective harmony, the result would be very different from what we have on the planet now.

I thank Professor Strecher, Coursera, and the University of Michigan

By Annie L

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Jan 5, 2023

Finding the right direction for ourselves is better than working hard towards something that we have no idea why we did it in the first place.

Finding out why we do the things that we do might be an answer for self-fulfillment or perhaps the root to some of our problems in life.

Victor's lecture is straight forward and practical, no matter which life stage your are in. Give it a go, you might gain more than you think.

By Mengnuch P

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Aug 5, 2020

After I learned this course, I feel so proud to myself what I am having right now. Importantly, I want to say thank you very much to the professor who gave an educated to students around the world are participating in part of this course. The best suggestion for who is looking for a self-improvement course. Here is Finding Purpose and Meaning In Life: Living for What Matters Most that your first choice.

By Kendra H

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May 19, 2020

Probably one of the best online courses I have ever taken online! I really appreciated his style. I am a visual learner and I loved his visuals incorporated inside the PowerPoints. Also, I felt that in his lectures he spoke TO me and not AT me. He did a wonderful job with this course and it really made me think about my purpose in life overall. The facts in this course and presentation were excellent!

By Lorenzo C

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Sep 15, 2020

I have found this course very helpful and motivating. I had origianlly decided to take this course out of curiosity, but very much enjoyed going through it and leaning from it. This course really helps motivate students taking other courses as well, especially during these times when the Covid-19 pandemic has left many of us unable to physically engage in purposeful activities in our own communities.

By Widiasatria U

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Sep 28, 2020

An excellent course to get some perspective on finding focus on things that really matter in life that conducted in a short and precise way to make students realize what should they do during their life to achieve a purposeful living. With his profesional and personal experience, Mr.Vic is an excellent professor who just connects so well with the students even in online learning method.

By Jennfier G

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Feb 25, 2021

I went into this course not sure if being purposeful or having a purpose was important. Taking this class has given me answers to those questions and given me tools to use to continue learning. If you're trying to figure out who you are and what you want in life, or if you're not sure of what you want to do with your life, please take this course. It may very well change your life.

By Vicki T

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May 26, 2020

First "thank you", this class was an amazing eye opener in many ways. It truly is the steppingstone or maybe the set-up card to life. The set-up card is like the course correction to a bad day, week or year. If we can remember to re-focus and go back to our purpose, I think we could gain clarity sooner. Unfortunately, it's a simple solution but no always easy to do.