Do you know new studies suggest that having a sense of purpose makes dads healthier, happier, and more robust in the face of challenges we’re all facing?

Sooner or later, our kids will make us suffer. When they’re babies, their crying keeps us up at night. Later, their teenage shenanigans might rob us of more sleep. Some of us stay at jobs we hate so that our kids will never have to wonder where their next meal will come from. We can battle with our co-parents over housework and discipline, testing love we might have once thought would last forever.

These stresses and sacrifices can be painful, but studies are finding one thing that can help us to weather them: a sense of purpose. That is to say, our long-term, meaningful goals as fathers.

A sense of purpose shapes daily goals and behavior. Seeing a destination on the horizon helps us to lift our eyes over the dirty dishes and temper tantrums to a future that is better than the present. Purpose makes that pile of dishes matter. It reminds us that we matter, if only to our kids. The goal is to keep us at home with them when we wish we were elsewhere.

While purposes can vary, recent studies suggest that having one is good for you and your family. So, what does the definition look like in a father’s life? How can you find your goal as a father? These are existential questions that every man must answer for himself. But research does provide some insights to help us understand ourselves better—and see the fathers we want to become.