"A central purpose is your top productive goal"

"A central purpose is your top productive goal. It’s stylised and utterly selfish ...     To refresh your recollection,'a central purpose is the long-range goal that constitutes the primary claimant on a man’s time, energy, and resources.' (Leonard Peikoff, OPAR)
    "A central purpose is important to adults of all ages, whether you are starting out, mid-career, or retired. If you want to lead a happy, selfish life, you need to integrate your values. You do this through a properly set and pursued central purpose. ...
    "Done right, a central purpose provides three psychological benefits:It simplifies everyday decision-making by clarifying your top priority and setting a standard for judging lesser ones
    "It connects mundane actions to a selfish end, thereby making them meaningful and motivating
    "It ensures you make visible progress across the years of your life, rather than falling into a rut or burning out ...
    "Recently I’ve been chewing how a central purpose makes you happier, and I thought I’d share my current perspective on that.

"1. A central purpose can transform routine work into a rich source of values
"A long-range goal makes the difference in whether productive work provides spiritual fuel or not. ... If you view work as 'punching the clock' to get money, it may fill your stomach, but it will not fill your soul.   But you can make any honest work into soul-nourishing activity by linking it to your central purpose. ...

"2. A central purpose is essential to reducing internal conflict
"... You feel conflict when you are pulled in two directions and either you don’t want to decide or you can’t decide which direction to go. This is particularly problematic for people who have a 'flat' value-hierarchy, meaning all of their values are of similar importance. ...
    "You need strong values to experience great joy. When you choose a central purpose, you create a standard for prioritising your values. This makes it easier to choose between them. ...

"3. A central purpose adds deep meaning to your life
"... The only source of meaning for your life that is entirely under your volitional control is your central purpose. It is your choice of what you want to create with your life. It is your vision of the future that you commit to. With a central purpose, you decide what would be meaningful. That it’s your long-range goal can make the journey itself become meaningful."

~ Jean Moroney, from her posts 'How a Central Purpose Integrates Your Life' and 'Three Ways a Central Purpose Makes You Happier'