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.
Kendrick Nelson
I First Had to Find out who Kendrick is and why I exist on this earth . Finding my purpose , had to begin with accepting who I am , accepting all my flaws . I didn’t just wake up and start modeling and being creative with my craft , standing out. I had to figure out what fits me and what goes with my flow. Everything isn’t for everybody , and you have to know that is okay. I had to be okay with that , what is for me is for me and not everybody can get with that . My Purpose is to be Kendrick and no one can take my purpose away. Read more>>
FrankieOG
I was about 18 years old when I found my purpose, I was going through some of the toughest times in my life. I remember feeling completely hopeless, unmotivated, and just straight up defeated. The only thing that kept me going was the inspiration that I felt while listening to music/artists that I could relate to. They would speak life into me, the music would sooth my soul….. Once I was fully aware of the positive impact music had on me, I knew right away I wanted to make the same impact on anyone who came across my music/art. Once I realized I had the ability to do so, there was no stopping me. I pride myself on speaking life into those who listen to my music, and to always BE YOURSELF! No one one can do that better than you can, NEVER GIVE UP! Read more>>
Shaunda Clark
I realized my purpose when I began educating people on the health and maintenance of their hair. I saw how intrigued people were when I would state facts and give real results regarding hair care. Read more>>
Kiari Kirk
How does one find their purpose? I guess everyone’s journey is different. When I sit back and reflect on what has held my interest for the majority of my life. The answer is easy. Dance. Read more>>
Emmitt Henderson III
i found my purpose when i decided to be a voice in the Autoimmune and Lupus community. I was dfiagnosed with Lupus in 1995 and as a man with a disease, it was a hard pill to swallow and admit i was having health issues. LIke most men, we tend to mask our feelings and what we go through to show we are not weak. I didn’t open up to others, other than family, there were no support back then for me to get educated on this disease and since its rare in men, I felt embarrassed to even talk about it. it too, years for me to even open up about it. Having an autoimmune disease, you can’t help but show symptoms or even worse, you can’t hide hospitalization. with all the trials Lupus put me through, i survived major organ failures, system complications, joint replacements, multiple surgeries, transplants and other autoimmune diseases. Read more>>
Razvan Dutu
LoveLifeEnergy’s purpose is to help humanity and wanting to make an impact in the healthcare industry by healing others and improving others’ overall health. Read more>>
D Smooth
My family is very musical , my grandmother would always play music around the house like Michael Jackson, The Bee Gees, ,Brian McKnight, and Etc. , my grandmother always was singing soo she would teach me what notes to hit and certain harmonies to come in on when I would duet with her , after this I would quietly go to my room and practice and study myself until I got real good at it , that’s when I knew my purpose was to be a singer /Songwriter. Read more>>
Rosa Alonzo
I found my purpose through prayer. When I was in high school, I came across a book named “The Purpose Driven Life” by Rick Warren. From that moment on I started to see life a lot differently. I had to ask God through prayer, “what am I here on Earth for?” and only then did I find my true purpose. God set it in my heart since early on to feel empathy for those who have suffered or are suffering physically and emotionally. Read more>>
Ann Osgood
I am a lucky person in that I never had to seek my purpose. As far back as I can remember I felt that being an artist was my purpose. Drawings dated from when I was a toddler attest to this feeling that only came from making marks on a page. I was again blessed with parents who supported me with reams of paper, lessons with teachers and encouragement to fulfill this dream. Luck continued with art teachers who gave me criticism mixed with praise so I did not become discouraged. When failure or rejection came, as it does to anyone showing their art, I had a reserve of confidence built up to fall back on. My luck continues with good friends in the art community and patrons who purchase work. The magical moment when the work seems to come from some place outside yourself is hard to describe and spending a life finding that is a true gift. Read more>>
LaDena Chisum
My purpose was revealed when I had to coach a woman through reuniting with her daughter after not seeing her for 4 years.Empathy immediately kicked in and I began to talk the mother through. I assured her that no matter how much time had passed all she needed to do was spend quality time with her daughter and to love on her every moment she had with her, Once I got off the phone I knew my purpose was to coach and inspire others through the most challenging and difficult times in their lives. I was always the friend to give advice and a listening ear. Coaching lead me to ministry and sharing the word of God! My passion is to see people become the best version of themselves and transform their lives. Read more>>
Deepika Haldankar
Purpose- I feel it is generic but, at the same time, quite an intimate term. Purpose defines what we what to achieve in the end. For me, It is finding my true self and sharing it with people through my work. Read more>>
Thomas Renner
Purpose is such an interesting question and I work with my clients a lot on this subject. I believe purpose has to be something that can do two things: Read more>>
Amanda Dasteel
My purpose is something I have been searching high and low for since I graduated college. Finding my “north star” became an evolving existential crisis throughout my twenties and early thirties. I always assumed that when I discovered my life purpose, it would be an unmistakable moment where a lightbulb goes on in my brain and I would inherently know that I was on the path toward my career destiny. When I graduated college with a degree in Theatre Arts, I knew I wanted to remain in the arts but I knew in my gut that trying to make it as a performer in New York or Los Angeles was not for me. I wanted something more stable; plus, I didn’t like the idea of having a career that didn’t involve fine art or design in any way. I have always loved drawing and painting since I can remember, but kept questioning whether it was something I could pursue as a lucrative career path. Read more>>
Tonya Saidi
My family owned restaurants when I was young, so food was always very important to me in many ways. My mother worked a lot and that left me and my sisters home without her most of the time so we ate TV dinners and frozen pot pies quite often. When my mother cooked a meal at home it was a very nurturing gesture. I felt loved when I was cooked for. I started baking pies in 1995 after my mother died. I worked in a Residential Care home as a nurses aid and made my first pie for the ladies I cared for. The nurse that worked with me couldn’t stop talking about how delicious the Raspberry pie was that I made and didn’t believe me when I told her it was my first time. The nurse I worked with gave me the confidence to continue baking pies for all my family and friends. I was only 24 years old when my mother passed away and I took on feeding people as a gesture of my love, my love for humanity. Read more>>
Morgan Easley
Finding purpose is a hot topic for so many people. Purpose is defined as “the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists.” There is no doubt in my mind that we each were placed on this earth to serve a divine purpose, I am learning that purpose evolves! The way we view purpose, how we discover purpose and how we live our purpose evolves as we go through the lifespan. Read more>>
Tysen Knight
I had a friend come to my exhibit. She asked me what was my purpose with my art. I answered I’m not sure what my purpose is regrading my artwork. After that I started practicing Buddhism and found balance and purpose in my life and art. Read more>>
Marco Apicella
As a musician, I found my purpose through a combination of passion and hard work. From a young age, I was drawn to music and spent countless hours practicing and learning to play the piano. As I grew older, I began to perform and write my own songs, and it was through these experiences that I discovered my true passion for creating and sharing music with others. I found that my purpose was to express my emotions and ideas through my art, and to connect with people through the shared human experience. I believe that art has the power to bring people together and inspire change, and that is what drives me to continue creating. Read more>>
Sara Wilson
I’ve always, always loved dance and everything about all forms of it. I remember being in 3rd grade, just knowing I wanted to dance forever. I wanted to dance until I couldn’t anymore and then teach others to love it. In retrospect and in all honesty, I never was a great dancer. BUT, I was great at catching choreography and concepts and explaining to others. I knew I was meant to teach when I went to one of my first auditions. I caught the choreography really quickly. We had a break to get water and touch up hair and make up. A handful of other dancers came over asking for me to help them because they couldn’t catch the choreography. Of course, I helped them. They all made it to the next round and I was cut. It occurred to me right then that I’m not a performer, but my purpose is in helping others reach their goals. I am good at making others good! Since that one audition, I’ve helped so many dancers reach their goals and I think I’m happier for them than I would have been for myself. Read more>>
Kiara Aguillon
Growing up, my zone of joy was always creativity. I was ready to be a theatrical actress or a high-powered fashion buyer pounding the streets of New York when I first graduated high school. Through some trial and error, I eventually found that this just wasn’t right for me and through a series of oddly aligned events, I found myself in Los Angeles, 23 years old, graduated from college with no job prospects, which is actually an exceedingly common story. Read more>>
Cory Rhodes
I found my purpose through trial and error. My brand (Misunderstood) is simply that, MISUNDERSTOOD. It’s fitting for anyone in the world. Man, woman, child, or adult. Everyone has felt misunderstood about something. It’s our duty to eliminate the judgement from others by continuing to be unique in our own misunderstood way! Read more>>
Ulises Rodriguez
I believe that finding our purpose in life a revolving quest, as our purpose depends in the goal at hand. One day my purpose in life might be to help a person in need, the next day it might be to mediate and find some self care, or it could be to fail at a goal and learn from that experience. I believe that no one person has one purpose, we strive to be happy, to better ourselves, and to learn from our experiences, the important thing is to working towards a goals and remember that is okay to decide that we want to do something else. Read more>>
Kayla Got The 411
I found my purpose once I became spiritually woke. Taking time out to know who is “Kayla”. It’s hard to know your purpose in life if you don’t know exactly who you are. Once I started learning about my natal chart in detail, also my life path number which is 3. Everything from when I was a child made since. Spending time alone without negative distractions. What I learned is creating makes me happy and brings me peace. It isn’t about the money, or being around celebrities. I just love to create. Read more>>
Stephanie Baudhuin
It was difficult for me growing up and seeing, what felt like, everyone else being successful, confident, “their best selves”. Everyone from Celebrities, my parents, friends, siblings, etc. I always felt like I was looking at what life should resemble instead of forming my own, personal journey. I always had friends and was very nice and funny but never much more than on the surface. I went through my adolescences and into early adulthood with no real substance to my beliefs, dreams, goals, etc. Read more>>
Mireille Siné
Some people are born knowing what they are meant to do. Others discover it along the course of life. When I was younger, I had a general understanding of what I wanted to do when I “grew up” – I wanted to be of service. Doing what I’m not sure, but I knew that I wanted to help people so early on I pursued careers that I thought were a good match. I once wanted to go into politics, then landed on Physical Therapy before shifting to Social Services where I finally realized how I had diverged from my path. Read more>>
Geovanna Burgess White
It took me a long time to find my purpose, close to 20 years to be exact. We are taught at a young age by our upbringing and society how we should identify, what we should do and in what order. It wasn’t till early to mid 30’s, I started to listen to the voice in my head and reacting to the feeling in my soul. Read more>>
Patti A. Smith, R.N.
I found my purpose through several different life experiences. The first by watching my Mother give of her time and kindness to others in our North Dakota farming community. She was a RN and drove 30 miles to work from our farm to our closest town of 900 folks. Every day for 12 years, whether she arrived home at 5PM or 1AM, she would stop up to Margaret and Oscars farm and help Margaret get ready for bed. you see, they lived in a two story farm house and Margaret had such bad arthritis she could neither walk the stairs nor get herself undressed. My Mother would help her get undressed and her bed ready on the couch in their living room on the 1st floor as Oscar would either head upstairs or would already be in bed. That is only one example. Read more>>
Rachel Burch
My journey to flowers came much later in life. I knew I wanted to do something for work that I loved but also satisfied all the creativity I felt. I started out thinking I would end up doing something in music (which is still a love of mine) but that industry is very hard to successfully work in and not get burnt out quickly. I found I didn’t love the environment of the music industry and started looking for something else to fulfill my purpose. After working in a few tech start ups and the non-profit world for a bit I sort of fell into flowers by accident. A good friend of mine from high school, Kelsea Gaynor, started a floral creative agency called East Olivia that was flourishing and she brought me along on a project and I just fell in love with floral design. It was so fulfilling because it touched on all the elements I love: design, creativity, and hard work. From there I soaked up and much as I could from fellow florists and learned as I went. I mentored with the talented Laura Williams of Poppy Hill Flowers and between her and my good friend Kelsea of East Olivia I started Velvet Blooms! Read more>>
Manan Bachkaniwala
I was born in a very small city named Surat which is located in the western part of India. The main occupation that the people had in this city was mainly textiles and diamonds. Due to the nature of the business and the city, majority of the factories and import export houses were family owned and amongst them there was one company named Himson, started by my great grandfather which pioneered the whole textile market in the city and in India. Read more>>
Shalisa Smith
I found my purpose by finding something that I was passionate about. When you are passionate about something it becomes organic for you to share your experiences as well as being able to convey a message to others about what you are passionate about. I also found my purpose by learning at a young age that you have to be able to put in the effort in order to be able to accomplish your goals. It takes hard work and dedication know what it is that you really want. Read more>>
Joseph Pacheco
A job can feed a man, but I think it’s better you teach a man to hunt and fish. Then he can bring food back to his family for a lifetime and teach the generations to come that same skill as a hunter. It’s Definitely a blessing when you can find your purpose! We all have a purpose in life. First We have to experience the painful process to build ourselves up. From day to day life struggles to even losing everything we worked hard for in life. Then we can really find ourselves and our purpose here in the world. Matthew 16:25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. Read more>>
Jeannie Kulwin
Being on a long, grueling and mysterious chronic pain journey forced me to do a lot of inner work early on. It was incredibly painful and lonely. Doing the emotional work, along with the never-ending medical appointments wasn’t easy. I was emotionally devastated and physically depleted when I didn’t see results or I experienced a medical setback. Read more>>
Cordney McClain
The origin of finding my purpose came from the occurrences of three events happening very closely in duration. The first – during my time in the aerospace industry, hungry for promotion and understanding, I brought my work home often but disliked my job. My wife asked a pivotal question to me one evening while I was working overtime for no pay, “Why do you bring your laptop home every night for a job that you don’t even like”. The second – I was approached randomly at my job site by a man that I had never seen a day in my life and he told me, “Son, take more days off because if you walk out these doors and get hit by a truck, this company will post your job replacement before your obituary is written”. The third, my team lead told me, “Cordney, time is so expensive and you can not get it back. I have worked here for over two decades and I hate my job”. All of these instances happened so close together and made me look up from the rat race that I was stuck in and focus on the things that I love. The orator and motivational speaker, Dr. E.T. Thomas stated, “find what you love to do, become great at it, and someone will pay you for it”. I always understood that I wanted to help young marginalized students find resources that I never had access to and I wanted to perform spoken word. I found a way to merge the worlds. Read more>>
Katrina Jones
I found my purpose from paying attention to what I was always looking forward to doing and what made me get excited! I am always excited to plan any event from the beginning to the end. Picking out the perfect plates, napkins, and telling a story or celebrating someone’s answered prayers is how I knew it was my purpose to be a cookbook author and party planner! Read more>>
Hannah Lorsch
I used to look for a sense of purpose in everything I did. At times, my need for “purpose” was overwhelming and anxiety filled. I often felt the need to do something BIG or grandiose, because without a larger, extravagant purpose I felt small and like I wasn’t doing enough. In 2020, I started therapy & really worked on the relationship I had with “my purpose”. Read more>>
Anni
I think no one has one set ‘purpose’ but I feel deep down we know our ‘purpose’ or ‘reason’ why we all do what we do. Mine came when I was little, writing poetry and learning piano. I think I always knew I needed, not just wanted, to write. It was the only way for me to express myself as I was pretty shy as a kid. I overcame being shy but I still find it a release, a therapy session in a way, to write and play music and hope that even one person may relate to what I have to say. I think my calling to host events and build community came at an older age when I started doing ‘Saturdays at Seven’. That has become my passion project in the last few years and has become another ‘purpose’ I have been starting to follow. I think two of the most important things in life are community and music and I believe both go hand in hand. Read more>>
BARUCH
I’ve learned that in order to have a healthy pursuit of purpose, I must redefine what success is. in the secular world, we are constantly bombarded with images and messages on social media that tell with imperialistic assertiveness what success is. Usually, it’s along the lines of fame, money, fast cars, the use and disposal of people, lots of followers, and of course, a big social circle. I intentionally fight that box, and have realized that none of those unrealistic standards are sustainable, or an ultimate measure of true self-worth. I’ve learned that my standard for success, which hails from a Biblical perspective makes much more sense. Read more>>
Fan Wu
I think the way I find out my purpose is step by step. First, I’ll make a general direction. Then, at each stage of the work, I like to make a summary, reflecting on my shortcomings and aspirations at this stage. I’ll find out what I want to achieve for the next stage, and keep going. Since things will change all the time, so what I can do is just keep going my way and meet all the changes with constancy. Read more>>
Lisa Roark
I loved my career in the beauty industry; making people feel even more beautiful filled my cup daily. One year, I was applying for a promotion. The regional manager asked me where I saw myself in 5 years. That’s always been a difficult question for me, as my life has always been full of movement, and I’d never felt comfortable making a long-term plan. I surprised myself and her after answering, “I’d like to be working in the lab.” Read more>>
Dexter Nunnery
My purpose sort of organically found me. Prior to the pandemic, I was known in the community for being a community guy who put on hip hop events to help people. During the pandemic, I created two different platforms (ROUND4 & PROJECT50) that combined my love of hip hop and helping people. Read more>>
FranCine Gadsden
I found my purpose at the early age of 10 years old when I was part of integration in the public school system in Brooklyn, NY during the 60’s. I was taking the school bus from the section of Bedford Stuyvesant (all Black neighborhood) to Bensonhurst (all white neighborhood) and there was defined racial divide. At an early age I wanted everyone to be treated fairly and respected. I spoke up against unfair treatment and stereotypes not knowing that later in life my efforts would form into an art form to bring awareness to injustice and stereotypes, which I now call changing the narrative. Read more>>
Brandie Pyburn-Smith
By spending time with myself and God learning to understand his voice and his directions concerning my life. I began studying to show myself approved in everything that lined up with my life. Read more>>
Peter Watts
Finding your purpose can be an incredibly rewarding and fulfilling journey. It took me some time to figure out what my purpose was, but I eventually realized it by reflecting on my values and interests, and by exploring different activities and opportunities. I also sought out advice from family and friends, and followed my intuition. I have had many jobs and careers before discovering what my true purpose was in life. It wasn’t until I realized that when I gave back to others by being a role model, supporter, donor, and encourager that my purpose began to develop. When I was a teacher in the classroom I always knew that I had the gift to break down difficult concepts into ways that people could understand. When I got the opportunity to be a principal I was able to use that same gift with the adults that I was leading. Today, I am taking all of my experiences as an educator, father, community leader and pouring all of those experiences back into the lives of other young black men who are coming up in the education system. This journey to discovering my purpose took the time to think about what topics I was passionate about, and what I could do to make a positive impact on the world. Once I had a better understanding of my strengths and weaknesses, I was better able to identify my true purpose and put it into action. Read more>>
Anne Kupillas
That’s a great question! I’ve always loved art and felt like I was destined to be an artist, but for a long time, I worked in other fields. I thought I could fulfill my creative needs as part of these jobs, and I tried to do that, working in creative fields where my skills were helpful but not front and center. I would tell myself that I’d go all-in on my art when I reached retirement age. Getting sick in 2017 helped me to realize that I really did want art to be my career, and to take the scary leap into becoming a full-time artist. The timing of the pandemic was beneficial for my career change- lots of people were rethinking their purpose, switching jobs, and small businesses and makers were getting more support than ever. So, thankfully, it was a lot less scary than I’d imagined it. Now I’m much healthier, and I can’t imagine doing anything else. Read more>>
Yancy Perez
I always dreamed of being an actor since I was pretty young, growing up in Hells Kitchen, NYC I had the opportunity to work professionally at a young age. By the time I graduated High School I’ve performed on 12 Broadway stages and have won a plethora of awards. So for quite a while I knew I wanted to do something along the lines of performing. I fell in love with music at a young age but it wasn’t until around 5 or 6 years ago that I realized it was something attainable. Being able to create music not just for myself but for many others who resonate with what I have to say. I moved from New York City to Los Angeles right after I turned 20 years old and since then it has been a wild ride to say the very least. Read more>>
