Esteem

Lets suppose that...
1. My self esteem is an indicator of how well I am doing.
2. I am doing well if I add value to my community.

My self esteem can be expressed as the quotient of the value I have added to the community divided by the value that I reckon I should have added. If I am as good as I can be, my self esteem is 1.00 (or 100%). If I did not make my best effort to prepare my class, then my self esteem is hurt, and I may get 0.95.

Self esteem (aka conscience) is the measure of what I do compared with what I should do.
Subjective? You bet!

If my Project-to-Live includes respecting others, and I don't respect them, my self esteem lowers.

The late Mr. Alphonse Capone's Plan-to-Live included zero tolerance for people who did not pay on time. Late payments would have affected his Plan to Live, and his self respect (and his self esteem) would have lowered.

Fungus

Purpose

I am probably naive.

As I see it, you need to focus on one vital thing.
There is one thing that is all important to you.

Something you would not trade for anything.
Something you just have to get.
Something you just have to do.
Something that is it's own reason.

No explanation is possible or necessary.
That is your overriding purpose.

Once you find your purpose, the rest falls into perspective.
Some people say you can find your purpose through systems thinking, others say you need religion, some say you have to study the B-Values.

By the way, I'm still looking for it.

Fungus

Purpose (clarity)

Maslow lists 14 "Being - Values" that are appreciated by self actualizing individuals.
1. Truth
2. Goodness
3. Beauty
4. Wholeness
5. Aliveness
6. Uniqueness
7. Perfection
8. Completion
9. Justice
10. Simplicity
11. Richness
12 Effortlessness
13 Playfulness
14. Self-sufficiency.

Of course, he explains and exemplifies further. ("The Farther Reaches of Human Nature", A. H. Maslow, 1971, pages 128 ss). When we talk about clarity of purpose, "The Purpose" would be to produce "good things" that excel in those 14 values, and "Clarity of Purpose" would be the ability to see --clearly-- that we must improve this world (by finding and producing good things).
How do we develop our own clarity of purpose? Well. It seems that we have to go through the first four steps of the pyramid (including finding friendship, true love and peer acceptance), and then we can start self-actualizing.

Sounds like a quest for Princess Leia, Frodo Baggins and Harry Potter does it not?

Fungus