The Purpose Handbook
A beginner’s guide to figuring out what you’re here to do
Eloise Skinner
Description
It’s Monday morning, 9am. How do you feel?
Imagine waking up to start another week. In a perfect world, how would you like to feel? Maybe you imagine feeling motivated and energized. Maybe you imagine starting your week with a sense of purpose, peace and intention.
The goal of this book is simple: to help you live with a sense of purpose. Part-manual, part-manifesto, this book is not a quick fix for happiness; it’s not a five-day plan promising a fast result. Instead, it’s a companion, your personal guide to navigating your own sense of purpose as it evolves throughout your life.
Eloise Skinner is an author, therapist and teacher. She’s also the founder of The Purpose Workshop, an agency helping clients to navigate their purpose and redesign their lives.
Eloise studied at Cambridge, trained at Oxford and practised as a corporate lawyer, but after some soul-searching (including a year training to be a monk!) she followed her passion into psychotherapy.
Above all, Eloise is driven by the idea of integration – the power of bringing together all aspects of work and life; to live fully, with intention, integrity and purpose.
Reviews
I really enjoyed this book, it exceeded my expectations. Full of practical exercises and sound advice, I think many readers will get something useful out of it. I was genuinely excited at points as I began figuring out what my purpose in life is, something which has been bothering me for the last few years. The book encourages you to find a balance between doing something you love, that ideally helps others and is something that you can make a living from.
NetGalley
I am a strong believer that everyone has their own purpose in life and every one of us has something to offer to the world, and The Purpose Handbook helps readers find out exactly what their purpose is. Although this is written with a professional or career-minded individual in mind, the concepts discussed and introduced are adaptable, making this suitable for all situations. This is of high quality and definitely worth purchasing.
NetGalley
..’we are ‘meaning-seeking animals’ – if you’re interested in determining your purpose and need ideas to help put it into practice, then this is definitely the right book for you’
HR Director
Packed with guidance and practical exercises, the book takes you through a process and has downloadable resources.
What it’s all about, why it matters, purpose-finding exercises and finding the support around you are all topics covered in this useful book, recommended for any stage in your life when you are asking yourself “what is my purpose?”.
NetGalley
Contents
The Purpose Handbook: Table of Contents
Preface
About This Book: an introduction
1 The Topic of Purpose: what it’s all about, and three initial exercises
2 The Purpose Manifesto: why it matters
3 Finding Your Path: eight purpose-finding exercises for your toolkit
4 Developing Your Path: five further exercises
5 The Practice of Purpose: developing a rhythm to your life
6 Your Compass: the support you can find around you
7 Your Foundations: the fundamentals that enable you to live a purpose-driven life
8 Frequently Asked Questions: everything you need to know going forwards
9 Some Inspiration: thoughts from a few purpose-led individuals, to inspire your own journey
Resources: a few recommendations
Appendix 1: a checklist of values
Appendix 2: a weekly wellness checklist
Editions
FORMAT / ISBN / PUBLICATION DATE / RRP
Paperback / 9781788602846 / October 5, 2021 / £12.99
Ebook / 9781788602839 / October 4, 2021 / £7.99
Paperback and eBook Bundle / £14.99
Authors
Eloise Skinner
Born on an East London council estate, having studied at Cambridge and Oxford, and now an author, teacher, and entrepreneur, Eloise Skinner – over-achieving, formerly purposeless millennial – is well-placed to write on this topic. Over seven years she undertook a personal purpose-finding project, and now, having crafted and tailored her own life to reflect her values, identity and sense of purpose, she shares the lessons she learned in this book.
During her own journey, she trained for a year as a monk, as part of a small community run by the Archbishop of Canterbury, exploring the topic of individual purpose. She also trained in Logotherapy (also known as ‘existential analysis’), the therapeutic approach based on the work of Viktor Frankl that emphasizes the need to find meaning and purpose in life. Eloise incorporates its practical tools and techniques here.
Eloise holds qualifications in meditation and mindfulness, yoga, Pilates, nutrition, massage and ballet (as well as that triple First Class Law degree from Cambridge University). The combination gives her writing a holistic, integrated approach – balancing body, mind and soul.
Her first book, the Junior Lawyers’ Handbook (The Law Society, 2019) was described as a ‘must-have guide for all junior lawyers’, and in 2020 she was named as one of the University of Law’s ‘Pioneers’ for her work advocating for an emphasis on wellbeing and purpose in the legal profession. She has a strong presence on social media and hosts her own podcast.
Above all, she is passionate about living life fully – about intentionally creating and designing everyday life, and doing so with a sense of purpose.
