Purpose Lab's FREEÂ MAINTENANCE VS. MEANING MAP
It's Time to Stop Saving the Best Parts of Your Life for Later
A free guided workbook to help you explore your patterns in relationships and try 3 practical actions: contribute in a meaningful way, ask for or accept support, and create an opportunity for belonging.
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Sometimes, the people you care about are technically in your life, but connection still needs more room.
You think about reaching out, but another week goes by without making plans. You could use some help, but you tell yourself it’s easier to handle things alone. You want to feel like you're part of a community, but you haven’t quite found your way into participating.
Or maybe you’re already doing plenty: checking in, organizing, listening, making sure everyone feels included. You care about being there for people. You’d also like to feel that there’s room for you to be the one to need something and get support.
The Reciprocity Experiment invites you to take a closer look at how connection happens in your life—and your part in creating it.
You’ll explore where you give, where you receive, and how you participate in your relationships and communities. Then you’ll choose 3 small actions to try over the next few weeks:
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Give meaningfully: Offer your time, care, skills, or resources in a way that feels worthwhile and sustainable.
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Practice receiving: Ask for help, accept an offer, or let someone contribute without immediately trying to repay them.
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Help create belonging: Extend a specific invitation, show up to a group, or help someone feel welcomed and included.
Afterward, you’ll reflect on what happened, how it felt, and what you want to carry forward. You may discover that you want more opportunities to contribute, more practice letting people support you, or a more active place in a community you care about.Â
WHAT'S INSIDE
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Guided prompts to explore how you currently give, receive, and create connection
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A checklist to help you recognize patterns, from overextending yourself to waiting for invitations
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3Â experiments to plan, with concrete examples of actions you could take
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Guidance for navigating vulnerability, disappointing responses, and your own needs and limits
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Follow-up prompts to reflect on each experience and choose what to keep practicing
Hi, I’m Amanda—the founder of Purpose Lab
M.A. Psychology, Columbia University
My work is about helping thoughtful, values-driven people build lives that feel like theirs and connect them to something larger: lives shaped not only by what needs to get done, but by what gives them meaning, connection, and a sense of contribution.
I created these monthly journals because I believe purpose is something we practice, not something we figure out or "discover" once and for all. My hope is that each edition gives you a place to pause, ask better questions, and make what matters to you a little more visible in the way you actually live.
