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Pierina Parraga
Jessie Morton
UWRT 1102-013
8 November 2016
Annotated Bibliography: Finding the Source of Happiness

Biali, Susan, M.D. "Helping You Find Your Life Purpose." Psychology Today. 08 Nov. 2013.
Web. 31 Oct. 2016.
In Doctor Susan Bialis article on the process of finding happiness, the reader is
granted an open accessed journey through her quest to search for a purpose in life. Additionally,
Bialis introductory piece on finding a purpose offers a large amount of information regarding
how individuals can overcome this challenge. She uses her own life as an example, and goes on
to divulge her own journey. For the most part, she offers an honest perspective on how purpose
can be created, and gives the reader an outline on how to do so. In a welcoming tone, she informs
people on the numerous ways of finding happiness through discovering their purpose. She goes
on to further say your purpose doesnt at all have to be something BIG, either. The value of
your impact on others and on the world has nothing to do with its scale (Biali 2013). By saying
this, the reader feels no pressure to find their purpose, but rather a sense of understanding
deriving from Bialis article. Through her article, Biali shares her personal story of finding a
purpose, which allows the reader to see the process in motion. For my chosen topic, I plan on
following up on this piece that she wrote, and truly understanding the factors that contribute to
her becoming a content person. Ultimately, I found this article to be very accurate as to how
people can come create their own happiness in life. Unlike other articles, Biali addresses the

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uncertainties that come with the process of seeking a purpose. Furthermore, she acknowledges
the downfalls that can come from this endeavor by using her life to truly test out the process.
Through reading this article, readers should feel the need to reference the Dalai Lamas book the
Art of Happiness, as it contains a message very similar to the one that the Dalai Lama convokes
in his writings. Though the Dalai Lama may be more experienced in the subject of encountering
fulfillment in life, Biali too expresses her expertise on this matter through her own life
experiences. Through my topic, I found it very important to have a source which implements
their experience of finding purpose and ultimately happiness in life. From an outside, non-biased
perspective, I will be able to truly see and analyze the factors that contributed to Biali finding a
purpose. For this reason, Susan Bialis article is an indispensable source to my research.

"Goal Setting." The Peak Performance Center. Web. 31 Oct. 2016.

In this piece written by the Peak Performance Center, there is clarification as to what
occurs after an individual has set certain goals in their life. In particular, it illustrates how a
routine is created, which then allows people to regenerate goals in constant pattern that helps
them establish a purpose in their life. These long terms goals are thus the force which fuels an
individuals purpose and gives their life meaning. This piece of writing is very well thought out,
and even takes into consideration the different stages of goal formation. As the institute states
by clarifying your expectations and by challenging yourself, you become more intrinsically
motivated (The Peak Performance Center), which allows a person to evolve from a state of
having to create goals to automatically generating them without having to tediously find the
motivation to do so. This proves to clarify that this piece is a valid source of information, as it
educates its readers on how to independently create a sense of purpose in life. Another factor that

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made this source approachable to all audiences was the fact that it did not necessarily single out
any sort of individual. For many individuals, it is not uncommon to be lost in finding a purpose
in life, and through this piece they are encouraged to find this meaning at their own pace
regardless of where they may be throughout the process. This piece, is similar to the source
written by Brian Mackenzie on goal setting. It differentiates from Mackenzies by giving
information as to what occurs after the formation of goal has already taken place. Furthermore, it
allows the reader to see how they can find a purpose in life through their new-found goals. This
is crucial information to my research, as I plan on trying to explain how purpose is ultimately
created from an individuals goals, and how individuals carry on throughout their life after they
have found their purpose.

Kashdan, Todd B., Ph.D. "What Do Scientists Know About Finding a Purpose in Life?"
Psychology Today. 24 Feb. 2015. Web. 31 Oct. 2016.
In this pragmatic source, Todd Kashdan goes into depth of where the purpose-creating
aspect of human beings originates from. He later goes onto explain how identity is created
through the use of goal formation, which translates into a lifes purpose. Additionally, Kashdan
condenses all of the possible ways that purpose can derive from into ten pathways that
individuals may encounter. In choosing this source, this factor of having numerous options
allowed this source to stand out from many others. Unlike other sources who narrowed finding a
purpose into one factor, this source accepts the fact that purpose can originate from ones
environment, culture, biological makeup, etc. It takes into account that human beings are
resilient creatures who are motivated in different ways. For example, Kashdan states purpose
may influence and be influenced by religious conviction at different times in a persons life.

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Most people engage in religious activities early in life because of their parents beliefs (Kashdan
2016). By mentioning this factor, Kashdan considers that religion is a major system that can
encourage a sense of purpose in a persons life. Additionally, Kashdan analyzes the possible
outcome of never being able to find a purpose. This would essentially demonstrate how even
through the formation of goals, purpose is not that easily found. He then goes on to describe that
being without a purpose, does not necessarily imply that there is a lack of happiness or
fulfillment, as he mentions people without the ability to form a purpose may live long, happy
and fruitful lives but not by the mechanism proposed (Kashdan 2016). For being a refreshing
piece that proposes new ideas into the mechanics that involve purpose searching, this source
cannot be compared to another source directly. This source is very useful towards my inquiry
topic as it questions numerous factors that contribute to a lifes purpose, and provides clear
explanations pertaining to each one.

Lama, Dalai, XIV. The Art of Happiness. Ed. Cutler C. Howard. Easton Press, 1998. Print. 31
Oct. 2016.
In this captivating book, written by the Dalai Lama, he shares with his audience what he
believes is the foundation of being happy in life. Through a structured writing style, the Dalai
Lama introduces readers to the elements that leads them towards a life of content. He goes on to
mention that the true formation of happiness is found through humility and acceptance of
external factors in the world. Though this may be what he is essentially attempting to convey,
there are other numerous factor that contribute an individuals ability to find purpose in life.
Many people struggle to find a purpose, let alone happiness, because of the external factors that
discourage them daily. For example, the Dalai Lama mentions that happiness is determined

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more by one's state of mind than by external events (Lama 20-21). Since coming across various
studies that prove other factors are also responsible for generating happiness in a persons life,
this statement leaves to question the Dalai Lamas certainty regarding this matter. Through the
research that has been conducted for the inquiry topic, it has been stated numerous times that
external factors are essential towards generating a state of mind capable of forming a purpose in
life. Apart from internal factors that contribute how an individual finds happiness, external
factors such as the environment, religion and economic standing are also significant in forming
this criterion. This source can be related to another article written by Susan Biali, which
addresses similar topics. The Dalai Lama and Biali can both agree that an individual must first
wish to seek a purpose before they can truly uncover their own happiness.
Though this book fails to acknowledge the external factors that contribute to happiness,
it considers the process of individuality that one must first go through in order to find a purpose
in life. This would make this source truly relevant to my inquiry topic as goes into depth into this
unknown matter.

Mackenzie, Brian. Goal Setting Brian Mac Sports Coach. 13 Sept. 2016. Web. 31 Oct. 2016.
Through this constructive piece written by Brian Mackenzie, any individual who is
seeking information on how to effectively create goals in their life can find it. Many people lack
structure in their life and will then turn to Mackenzies goal setting plan to reboot their life. A
key point that is mentioned in this piece of writing is that purpose is found through the formation
of goals. These goals should be taken in moderate intervals that are in accordance with a persons
age and growth. Essentially, Brian references Locke to explain his process of goal setting, which
validates his points to a greater extent. John Locke, as many know, was a pioneer of the method

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that helps people restructure goals to their favor. By having such a well-known individual as one
of his references, one can immediately interpret that Mackenzie has a strong foundation that he
has formed his consensus from. All throughout, Mackenzie makes a vivid point to make his
statements understandable for all individuals, but fails to take into consideration the steps that
one must consider if goal setting fails. As Mackenzie states performance goals can be used to
monitor achievement of Process Goals and progress towards the desired outcome goal
(Mackenzie 2016), which leaves to question what if an individual fails to accomplish their goals.
Will this leave them with a void were their purpose is supposed to be? Apart from this single
factor, this guide is a very well structured piece that serves to demonstrate how goal
implementing improves the lives of millions. This piece is very similar to another source written
by the Peak Performance Center. In the alternative piece, the Peak Performance Center describes
the after effects that come from forming goals. Moreover, it analyzes the benefits that come from
the implementing these strategies into ones long term goals. This article is useful for my
research, as it grants an insight into the process of goal setting that my chosen inquiry topic is
about. How individuals form their goals is ultimately tied in with how they have found their
purpose in life, which is what my topic is attempting to prove and explain.