The Role of Life Planning in Finding Purpose and Living Out Ones Career Calling
Abstract
The ability to plan effectively has been reported to have a positive effect on one’s life
satisfaction, sense of direction, and future positive experiences. As emerging adults begin to
discover what they want to be, they must also choose what kind of career they will pursue. The
current perspective on career development views planning one’s career as a part of one’s larger
life planning. Surprisingly, research examining how planning contributes to one’s presence of
purpose and career is still lacking. The aim of this research is to assess the effect of planning on
one’s career calling and purpose. The results show that planning positively predicted presence of
purpose and living out one’s career calling. Planning was not a significant predictor of the search
for purpose, while the search for purpose negatively predicted the presence of purpose.

