Not knowing why you are going wherever it is that you are going sounds silly, but so often folks live life without thinking about their purpose. We believe that thinking about your purpose and trying to identify what it might be is one of the most impactful things you can do to level up your life, career, and general level of happiness and fulfillment. Having a sense of what your why is will help you become a better decision maker which inevitably will improve your life. Below, you’ll find some interesting discussions, stories and perspectives around find your purpose.
Cassandra Neece
This was a question that I felt so deeply lost on for quite awhile. I think we all go through moments in our lives where we wonder, ‘what is my purpose?’ or ‘how can I feel more purposeful in my day to day life?’ I don’t think that we ever truly find a singular purpose and everything feels like it’s aligned in an instant. Read More>>
Chef Elizabeth Willard
In 2017, I started working with a functional practitioner who specialized in the autoimmune disorder, Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. The first thing he did was change my diet, removing gluten, dairy, soy, and any ingredients to which I was sensitive. The symptoms I had been experiencing – brain fog, fatigue, bloating, headaches, insomnia – almost completely abated after about three weeks. Read more>>
Klara Furst
My sense of purpose has grown over time. Different pieces of the puzzle have clicked into place at different phases of my life. In the last few years my purpose has come into focus around the understanding that healing takes place at three interdependent and mutually generative levels: individual, community and planet. Read More>>
Ariel Adkins
My purpose started taking shape long before I knew I’d build a life bridging art and community. I grew up as the only child of a single mother who was an artist, and even when she was juggling three jobs, she always found ways to keep creativity at the center of our world. Read More>>
Seedne Bujaidar
I studied finance, but I was always drawn to creative work. During a school exchange in Florence, I took an art class and something clicked, I completely fell in love with painting. Life took me in many directions after that, but I kept painting quietly on the side. Read More>>
Jared Hernandez
I love this question and it is also complex. Firstly, I believe purpose is, whether we realize it or not, inherent. We have intrinsic worth simply because we exist, and with that comes a reason to exist. Read More>>
Kristie Macogay
It’s Elementary, my dear Watson.’ Haha just kidding, but I mean literally it all started in Elementary school. It was at my first primary school k-8 when I was a student there. I finally had the opportunity to be part of the after school music programs. I was in the San Diego Children’s Choir, ballet, and musical theatre. Read More>>
Marcin Gorski
I found my purpose through hospitality, long before I ever had language for it. From the start of my career, I was drawn to the human side of the work: making people feel welcome, safe, and seen in moments when they were far from home. Over time, I realized it wasn’t just about hotels or service standards, it was about connection. Read More>>
Dr. Louis
Purpose is a tough question because I think it’s ever-changing . My purpose growing up was to not struggle. My mom came here from another country and I never wanted to disappoint her and the sacrifices she made to give me a shot at success. Read More>>
Kurt Leal
My fitness journey began when I was an overweight high school student searching for balance, confidence, and direction. Growing up in a broken home and having no healthy outlets. Fitness slowly became my outlet for self-regulation and emotional stability. I started by running late at night, often five or more miles at a time. Which helped build both my confidence and discipline. Read More>>
Marc-Antoine Duguay
I found my purpose long before I turned videography into a business. It started with deep passion for creating local content, showcasing people, places, and moments around me that deserve more visibility. At the time, I wasn’t even the one behind the camera. Read More>>
Nicole Rippee
I didn’t find my purpose all at once – it revealed itself slowly, through lived experience, setbacks, and a lot of trial and error. For years, I was creative, but disconnected. I knew I was meant to build something meaningful, but I didn’t yet have the clarity or confidence to trust myself. Read More>>
Jake Ali
I get my resilience from going through moments where quitting felt like the most logical option. I started Custom Tees about four to five years ago as a one man operation in a very small kiosk in the middle of the mall at Kentucky oaks mall. Read More>>
kelsey champagne-smith
I found my purpose during a season when life felt heavy and uncertain. While going through IVF, I started making art as a way to cope; it was something small I could control when so much felt out of my hands. Read More>>
Jessica Hall
So for me, purpose isn’t something I discover once and hold onto forever. It’s something I keep uncovering as I grow … as a woman, as a mother, and as a mentor. Every season of my life has revealed a new layer of who I am and what I’m meant to give. Read More>>
Romello Smith
My purpose begins with listening to the inner voice that many people seem to avoid. I believe purpose is the feeling we create through the art we share with the world. For me, finding purpose has always been about channeling the energy of inspiration within our people and giving them the courage to change their world. Read More>>
Rebecca Deese
This has been a long-awaited answer for me. I longed for purpose for years. Growing up, you are constantly asked what you want to do with your life. I never thought art was a very practical career choice, even though it was a clearly defined talent I had. Learning about different artists in art history class didn’t make the path seem very glamorous either. Read More>>
Naomi Jemison
Growing up, I always knew I wanted to help people. For a long time, that looked like a very traditional path. I actually tried going into healthcare, but after one anatomy and physiology class, I realized pretty quickly that I would not be doing anyone any favors if their care was in my hands. Let’s just say science is not my strong suit. Read More>>
Dora Jenkins
I found my purpose through lived experience and listening closely to what was missing, not just in the market, but in myself. As a woman with larger feet, I spent years feeling overlooked by the fashion industry. Shoes were rarely designed with comfort, confidence, or dignity in mind for women like me. Read More>>
Victoria Jackson
I cannot truly say that I have 100% found my purpose because I believe that people are meant to grow and evolve every single day of our lives. So I will fall and learn every day moving towards my purpose but I now know that I am on the right path to get there. Read More>>
Islam Balbaa
I found my purpose through performance long before I understood it intellectually. Stepping onstage was the first place where my voice, body, and identity fully aligned. Over time, my purpose in life became clearer through the work itself, especially when performing stories that carry cultural weight and emotional complexity. Read More>>
Maggie Lee
Buddha For You Gifts & Books began as a means to continue a tradition of providing peaceful gifts to the community. It was known as “Your Peaceful Place” and became an additional space for the community to grow. It was a place people wandered into for meditation, processing whatever was happening inside them. Read More>>
Nas Anderson
I found my purpose by paying attention to the problems that kept showing up around me — not just once, but repeatedly. Every school I worked with struggled with the same things: disorganization, overwhelm, and a lack of systems to support their students. And instead of ignoring it, I started leaning into it. Read More>>
Sean Aeon
I see finding purpose as an exercise in listening and understanding. The more we’re able to understand about what our choices are and what purpose is, the more effectively we’re able to discover and choose our own aligned paths. Read More>>
Susan Campanaro
When I was young I enjoyed drinking and using recreational drugs(HaHa) But also loved tennis, swimming & creativity. I loved to dance, sing, act and make others laugh. Once I realized my Primary Purpose was to be a sober human having a spiritual experience through love and service I became who I am suppost to be. I live a life beyond my wildest dreams. To serve others through my natural talents. Read More>>
Briggs Wallis
I would say that I am continually allowing my purpose to find me. I started being receptive to my purpose by cultivating clarity around what my highest values are. That clarity gave me a compass that pointed me in the direction of each “next right step” along my path. The path is still unfolding and I just keep taking the “next right step” that feels in alignment with those same values. I allow myself to be guided to where I can be of service, add value to others lives, and experience curiosity, enthusiasm, and joy. That is the intersection where my purpose finds me. Read More>>
Philip Trossarello
I’m not sure anyone really has a purpose; I preface that by the fact I’m like an Ant talking about what I think the subject of Geometry could be about. The meaning of the Universe is such a vast prospect with a lot of moving parts that I of course feel foolish saying anything I think is more than just speculation. BUT, in my own personal opinion at this specific point of my life: I think this place is just a giant playground. Read More>>
Dammon Johnson
Ahhh, so… first and foremost, thank you for welcoming me back to your platform and for holding space for me. Secondly—whew!—the sheer number of questions had me clutching my imaginary pearls for a second. As a writer, and someone who spends their mornings helping folks set the tone for a good day (or at least a day that meets them where they’re at), I had to laugh a little. Y’all did not come to play! Read More>>
Kelly Huskins
Finding Purpose in the Messy Middle: How Creativity Became My Compass
Purpose isn’t something I found neatly wrapped in clarity. It wasn’t a lightning-bolt moment or a perfectly aligned plan. It arrived slowly, quietly, through messy beginnings, heartbreaking detours, and the stubborn whisper that creativity was the only place I ever truly felt like me. Read More>>
Renee Malone
“Experience is the best teacher.”- Julius Caesar. When I started in 2015, we were homeless in a motel, in transition to move into an apartment, and at the time, I did not have a car. I had to catch the bus to sell at events and make money to help my family, and 10 years later, I can say that I am proud of the journey I’ve come from. Read More>>
