After his life shifted into retirement at 68, John (not his actual name) expected to feel relief.

Instead, after the first few months of feeling open and flexible, his days became harder to navigate. He still exercised, ran errands and kept up with friends. Yet mornings stretched longer, and evenings arrived without much to distinguish one day from the next.

There was no single shift that caused concern. He felt a gradual drifting, and the questions that followed were practical: How do I organize my days now? What is this next chapter for?

'I could keep going, or I could turn back'

Victor Strecher, PhD and professor at University of Michigan School of Public Health, had grappled with those same questions too, but for entirely different reasons.

In 1990, Vic's newborn daughter Julia became seriously ill from a heart condition. Doctors told him she might have only a month or two to live. There was a slim chance for a heart transplant, but the odds were daunting. Even if Julia lived only a few years, Vic and his wife asked themselves whether they could still give her a life worth living.

They decided they could. Vic shifted his focus from career milestones to what would make her days full.

Julia survived into young adulthood, but at 19, she died unexpectedly. Vic lost his footing. Grief showed up as a numb routine: hours of television, drinking, a sense of dissolving.

One early morning, he climbed into a kayak on Lake Michigan and paddled out alone in the dark. As the sun rose and the water turned glassy, he sensed a choice. "I could keep going, or I could turn back," he said. "But if I turned back, I would have to live differently."

He turned back. "I went home, pulled out a sheet of paper and wrote, 'Vic, you have to help yourself.' Then I asked: 'What are you going to do?'"

He listed what mattered most — family, friends — then asked what mattered at work. His answer came quickly: his students. Vic called his university and asked to return to teaching. He committed to teaching every student as if they were his daughter.

Rebuilding a relationship with purpose

Without realizing it, Vic had begun rebuilding his relationship with purpose. He found having purpose changed not just the course of his life, but also the quality. He found greater clarity, a deeper connection, and more meaningful intentions.

"Purpose helps you organize what matters most. It directs your attention and energy toward that," Vic said.

When he researched the impact of purpose in other people's lives, he found the science backed him up.

In one study, participants wore identical 25-pound backpacks and estimated how steep a ramp appeared. One group was told the backpack was "dead weight." The other was told it carried important scientific equipment. Although both packs weighed the same, those who believed the load had meaning perceived the slope as less steep.

Other research linked a stronger sense of purpose with healthier coping strategies. People with greater purpose were more likely to walk, spend time in nature, engage in meaningful rituals and step back during stress. They were less likely to rely on habits that dulled stress in the moment. Studies following people after large-scale trauma found that those who rebuilt purpose showed greater resilience over time.

"When you have a sense of purpose, you're more likely to step back, see the bigger picture and remember this won't last forever."

An app for positive, lasting change

Surprisingly, Vic found purpose isn't a heroic vision or single-minded vocation a person is born with. It's a skill that can be clarified and strengthened, shaping daily behavior.

Always a teacher, Vic began looking for ways to share what he had learned. He wrote the book, "Life On Purpose", gave TED Talks and lectures including at Harvard School of Public Health, structured two online courses rated 4th best in the world by Inc. Magazine, and conducted pioneering research on life purpose, cited in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

In 2015, together with a team of psychologists, behavior designers and data scientists, he launched Kumanu (meaning "nourish" in Maori), a company designed to help people and organizations thrive by connecting deeply to what matters most through its app, Purposeful.

The app is based on decades of research across behavioral science, neuroscience, public health and organizational psychology and more than 1,400 scientific studies. It prompts users to address the aspects of their lives they'd like help with, and guides users through the same steps he took to create positive, lasting change: identifying values, writing a purpose statement and building habits that align with it.

Identifying values, such as family, health, faith, creativity, learning or service, creates direction. Putting those values into words shapes daily choices. From there, small practices create rhythm: a morning intention, a brief reflection, a consistent commitment. The consistency matters more than the scale.

"Users of Purposeful tend to be people who are going through transitions in their lives," Vic says. "I like to say you usually need to rethink your purpose when you need a Hallmark card."

What matters most now?

For users like John, it was exactly what they needed.

"Getting on Purposeful is part of my morning routine," a user said in a recent survey. "I have only missed a couple of days in the last year … it has really helped me stay in the present and be more focused and mindful about my days, relationships and my life."

For others navigating loss, like Vic, the structure has been equally meaningful. The app "gave me a place to share my grief and trauma of loss and channel it toward a meaningful experience … a helpful reminder to keep me connected and do basic self-care tasks," another respondent said.

For both, the shift began with the question "what matters most now?", choosing a direction and returning to it, one day at a time.

To learn more, listen to Vic's podcast, PurposeCast, where he explores the science and stories behind living with purpose. You can also try the Purposeful app with a free account — no credit card required. For those who choose to upgrade, a limited-time discount is available on Purposeful Premium: 29% off ($4.16 per month, billed annually at $49.99). Cancel anytime.

Photo above: Victor Strecher (R), with his daughter Julia Strecher (L) and wife Jeri Rosenberg.