{"id":100699,"date":"2023-04-23T16:04:00","date_gmt":"2023-04-23T20:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=100699"},"modified":"2023-05-02T10:44:08","modified_gmt":"2023-05-02T14:44:08","slug":"discover-your-purpose","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/discover-your-purpose\/","title":{"rendered":"Discover Your Purpose: 3 Ways to Turn Your Interests Into Impact"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What did you enjoy as a child? What makes you different<\/a>? What do you care about<\/a> most?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In The Daily Laws<\/em>, Robert Greene argues that we lead our lives guided by false beliefs. He discusses how you can break free from false notions of success and happiness<\/a> by identifying your unique life purpose<\/a> and pursuing mastery in your field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more for Greene’s advice on how to discover your purpose<\/a> and an exercise to help you implement Greene’s ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

How to Discover Your Purpose<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Greene writes that you can reconnect with reality and live with more clarity by dedicating yourself to your unique purpose<\/strong>. He explains how to discover your purpose by exploring three aspects of yourself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your purpose is a task or skill that you\u2019re naturally <\/em>drawn to do. When you dedicate yourself to your unique purpose, you\u2019ll free yourself from unimportant distractions and find a direction in life<\/a> that will bring you true happiness<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: In Flow<\/em><\/a>, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi argues that there are four stages to developing your life\u2019s purpose<\/a>. The first step in pursuing your unique purpose is to meet your basic needs of survival. Second, Csikszentmihalyi encourages you to seek communities, whether it\u2019s making meaningful connections with your family or a local club. In the third stage, you can begin to differentiate yourself and focus on identifying your personal values<\/a> and strengths. Finally, Csikszentmihalyi suggests you return your focus to your communities and how you can contribute value with your unique abilities.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, what is your life purpose<\/a>? Greene says that chances are, you already know it\u2014deep down you\u2019ve always liked certain things more than others.<\/strong> Some of us devote ourselves to art while others tinker with mathematical puzzles because these activities naturally energize and excite us. Greene argues that, when you learn to shape your unique interests into a life purpose, you can make your greatest personal impact in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: In Minimalism<\/em><\/a>, <\/em>Joshua Fields Millburn<\/a> and Ryan Nicodemus<\/a> argue that there are four main obstacles that prevent us from discovering and pursuing our life\u2019s purpose<\/a>: our sense of identity, status, money, and need for certainty. You might value one of these so much that it gets in the way of pursuing your true calling. For example, you might associate your identity with your current job or fear losing the status of your current position. You might struggle with these obstacles because of the false beliefs about success<\/a> and happiness, which Greene describes.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To develop your unique purpose, Greene offers three suggestions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Reflect on your childhood passions.<\/strong> <\/strong>As children, we weren\u2019t driven by external concerns such as reputation or financial status. Consider asking your parents, grandparents, or former neighbors about what you loved to do as a kid. Likely, you\u2019ll realize that some of your childhood passions still resonate with you today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: In The Success Principles<\/em><\/a>, Jack Canfield explains why we pursue our authentic desires<\/a> as children: Our wants were simpler and easier to get. For example, we might want to play with a toy or eat our favorite snack. However, as adults, we want more complex things, so, for simplicity\u2019s sake, we sometimes default to saying that we don\u2019t have a preference when we really do. To rediscover your genuine wants, Canfield suggests you practice recognizing your personal preferences in every situation, no matter how inconsequential it seems<\/a>. For instance, when deciding whether to meet a friend for lunch or dinner, you might be tempted to say that you don\u2019t have a preference. However, force yourself to determine which one you prefer and state it.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Identify what makes you different.<\/strong> Beyond your childhood passions, consider all of the ways you\u2019re unique\u2014your personality, experiences, desires, and tastes. According to Greene, these traits are valuable simply because no one else has them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: While it\u2019s important to discover your unique interests and strengths, other experts point out that it\u2019s more valuable to choose a path and take action. In The Defining Decade<\/em><\/a>, Meg Jay says focusing too much on being unique can hold you back<\/a> if you try to do everything unconventionally and refuse to try things that don\u2019t align with your personal interests. Instead, she suggests you prioritize taking action and committing to a path, trusting that you\u2019ll find ways to express your individuality no matter what you do.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Develop your unique beliefs<\/strong>. Greene urges you to form values and opinions that aren\u2019t influenced by others. When you\u2019re clear on what you care about, you won\u2019t confuse the pursuits you\u2019re<\/em> passionate about with those society deems valuable. To commit to your beliefs, Greene advises you to deliberately rebel against any false<\/em> beliefs that hold you back. For example, if you have a strong desire to be liked, take pride in defying that desire and embracing your individuality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note:  When you identify your true<\/em> beliefs, you can reach what Gay Hendricks calls the zone of genius<\/a><\/em>\u2014the highest level of happiness and achievement<\/a>. In The Big Leap<\/em><\/a>, Hendricks explains that chasing society\u2019s standards of success can make you look<\/em> successful and trick you into feeling comfortable. However, you\u2019ll end up feeling unfulfilled<\/a>. Hendricks writes that when you get a clear idea of your truly unique values, as Greene suggests, you can enter your genius<\/a> zone, reach your fullest potential, and achieve maximum happiness. Rebelling against false beliefs might be a way to gain such a clear idea of what you truly value.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Exercise: Identify Your Unique Purpose<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

According to Greene, having a unique purpose allows you to reconnect with reality by directing you toward what truly matters. Reflect on your passions and interests to find your purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  • Think back to your childhood. What natural interests did you have? Are you interested in the same things now?<\/li>
  • Reflect on your personality traits, background, experiences, and personal tastes. How does the unique combination of these make you different from other people?<\/li>
  • According to Greene, you should form and stick to your own values and beliefs to help clarify your life’s purpose. List three to five beliefs you have that others might find unusual or even disagree with.<\/li>
  • Based on your answers, what do you think your unique purpose is? How can you prioritize or pursue this purpose in your daily life?<\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    What did you enjoy as a child? What makes you different? What do you care about most? In The Daily Laws, Robert Greene argues that we lead our lives guided by false beliefs. He discusses how you can break free from false notions of success and happiness by identifying your unique life purpose and pursuing mastery in your field. Read more for Greene’s advice on how to discover your purpose and an exercise to help you implement Greene’s ideas.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":44140,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[29,43],"tags":[998],"class_list":["post-100699","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-career","category-self-improvement","tag-the-daily-laws","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nDiscover Your Purpose: 3 Ways to Turn Your Interests Into Impact - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Deep down, you probably know your life purpose. Learn how to discover your purpose by digging deep and seeing what's been there all along.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/discover-your-purpose\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Discover Your Purpose: 3 Ways to Turn Your Interests Into Impact\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Deep down, you probably know your life purpose. Learn how to discover your purpose by digging deep and seeing what's been there all along.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/discover-your-purpose\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Shortform Books\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-04-23T20:04:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-05-02T14:44:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/wordpress.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/purpose.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"495\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Elizabeth Whitworth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Elizabeth Whitworth\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/discover-your-purpose\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/discover-your-purpose\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Elizabeth Whitworth\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2928cf6c11a69ced1491d6a5b74fb13\"},\"headline\":\"Discover Your Purpose: 3 Ways to Turn Your Interests Into Impact\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-04-23T20:04:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-05-02T14:44:08+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/discover-your-purpose\/\"},\"wordCount\":1078,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/discover-your-purpose\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/purpose.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"The Daily Laws\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Career\",\"Self-Improvement\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/discover-your-purpose\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/discover-your-purpose\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/discover-your-purpose\/\",\"name\":\"Discover Your Purpose: 3 Ways to Turn Your Interests Into Impact - Shortform Books\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/discover-your-purpose\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/discover-your-purpose\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/purpose.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-04-23T20:04:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-05-02T14:44:08+00:00\",\"description\":\"Deep down, you probably know your life purpose. Learn how to discover your purpose by digging deep and seeing what's been there all along.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/discover-your-purpose\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/discover-your-purpose\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/discover-your-purpose\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/purpose.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/purpose.jpg\",\"width\":800,\"height\":495,\"caption\":\"How to Find Your Major Definite Purpose in Life\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/discover-your-purpose\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Discover Your Purpose: 3 Ways to Turn Your Interests Into Impact\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Shortform Books\",\"description\":\"The World's Best Book Summaries\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Shortform Books\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png\",\"width\":500,\"height\":74,\"caption\":\"Shortform Books\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2928cf6c11a69ced1491d6a5b74fb13\",\"name\":\"Elizabeth Whitworth\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1fff9d65a52ac4340660218e7b63ee5e365cf08e7aa7adff79a0142cd4b96f84?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1fff9d65a52ac4340660218e7b63ee5e365cf08e7aa7adff79a0142cd4b96f84?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Elizabeth Whitworth\"},\"description\":\"Elizabeth has a lifelong love of books. She devours nonfiction, especially in the areas of history, theology, and philosophy. A switch to audiobooks has kindled her enjoyment of well-narrated fiction, particularly Victorian and early 20th-century works. She appreciates idea-driven books\u2014and a classic murder mystery now and then. Elizabeth has a Substack and is writing a book about what the Bible says about death and hell.\",\"sameAs\":[\"rina@shortform.com\"],\"award\":[\"Contributions to joint task force efforts (FBI)\",\"Contributions to Special Operations Division (DOJ & DEA)\",\"Efforts to fight the war on drugs (NSA)\",\"Contributions to Operation Storm Front (US Customs Service)\"],\"knowsAbout\":[\"History\",\"Theology\",\"Government\"],\"jobTitle\":\"Senior SEO Writer\",\"worksFor\":\"Shortform\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/author\/elizabeth\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Discover Your Purpose: 3 Ways to Turn Your Interests Into Impact - Shortform Books","description":"Deep down, you probably know your life purpose. Learn how to discover your purpose by digging deep and seeing what's been there all along.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/discover-your-purpose\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Discover Your Purpose: 3 Ways to Turn Your Interests Into Impact","og_description":"Deep down, you probably know your life purpose. Learn how to discover your purpose by digging deep and seeing what's been there all along.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/discover-your-purpose\/","og_site_name":"Shortform Books","article_published_time":"2023-04-23T20:04:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-05-02T14:44:08+00:00","og_image":[{"width":800,"height":495,"url":"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/wordpress.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/purpose.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Elizabeth Whitworth","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Elizabeth Whitworth","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/discover-your-purpose\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/discover-your-purpose\/"},"author":{"name":"Elizabeth Whitworth","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2928cf6c11a69ced1491d6a5b74fb13"},"headline":"Discover Your Purpose: 3 Ways to Turn Your Interests Into Impact","datePublished":"2023-04-23T20:04:00+00:00","dateModified":"2023-05-02T14:44:08+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/discover-your-purpose\/"},"wordCount":1078,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/discover-your-purpose\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/purpose.jpg","keywords":["The Daily Laws"],"articleSection":["Career","Self-Improvement"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/discover-your-purpose\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/discover-your-purpose\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/discover-your-purpose\/","name":"Discover Your Purpose: 3 Ways to Turn Your Interests Into Impact - Shortform Books","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/discover-your-purpose\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/discover-your-purpose\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/purpose.jpg","datePublished":"2023-04-23T20:04:00+00:00","dateModified":"2023-05-02T14:44:08+00:00","description":"Deep down, you probably know your life purpose. Learn how to discover your purpose by digging deep and seeing what's been there all along.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/discover-your-purpose\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/discover-your-purpose\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/discover-your-purpose\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/purpose.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/purpose.jpg","width":800,"height":495,"caption":"How to Find Your Major Definite Purpose in Life"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/discover-your-purpose\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Discover Your Purpose: 3 Ways to Turn Your Interests Into Impact"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/","name":"Shortform Books","description":"The World's Best Book Summaries","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Shortform Books","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png","width":500,"height":74,"caption":"Shortform Books"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2928cf6c11a69ced1491d6a5b74fb13","name":"Elizabeth Whitworth","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1fff9d65a52ac4340660218e7b63ee5e365cf08e7aa7adff79a0142cd4b96f84?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1fff9d65a52ac4340660218e7b63ee5e365cf08e7aa7adff79a0142cd4b96f84?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Elizabeth Whitworth"},"description":"Elizabeth has a lifelong love of books. She devours nonfiction, especially in the areas of history, theology, and philosophy. A switch to audiobooks has kindled her enjoyment of well-narrated fiction, particularly Victorian and early 20th-century works. She appreciates idea-driven books\u2014and a classic murder mystery now and then. Elizabeth has a Substack and is writing a book about what the Bible says about death and hell.","sameAs":["rina@shortform.com"],"award":["Contributions to joint task force efforts (FBI)","Contributions to Special Operations Division (DOJ & DEA)","Efforts to fight the war on drugs (NSA)","Contributions to Operation Storm Front (US Customs Service)"],"knowsAbout":["History","Theology","Government"],"jobTitle":"Senior SEO Writer","worksFor":"Shortform","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/author\/elizabeth\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/purpose.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100699","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=100699"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100699\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":100762,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100699\/revisions\/100762"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44140"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=100699"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=100699"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=100699"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}