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.

Jocelyne Garcia

What a loaded question, haha, I think that purpose is an ever evolving concept. I believe that “purpose” doesn’t have to be one sole definitive descriptor or objective. For myself, I’ve found purpose in service to others, such as community service through providing families with rescued produce, artivism/activism like protesting half naked with the words “Genocide” and “My body is not a weapon” painted in red across my breasts and back in front of ICE facilities when a whistleblower nurse exposed illegal hysterectomies being performed on undocumented women to keep them from getting citizenship through child birthrights. Read more>>

Kat Scarlett

I found my purpose in a slightly unconventional way. I found my purpose in not only what lit me up but also in what was making me so angry and sad that I could no longer look away. My purpose is doing everything in my power to fight climate change by being a part of the solution, preserving nature, and inspiring other women to get involved as well.  Read more>>

Jo-Anne Suriel

Rather than searching outside of myself, finding my purpose was a journey of going deeply within. It was also a journey of self-acceptance and self-celebration. Like most of us, I grew up wanting to “fit in” and wanting to belong. There is something very primal about belonging—there’s a strong sense of safety and security in community. Read more>>

Milana Schaffer

Before I stumbled upon my purpose, I embarked on a spiritual journey with the Lord. It was through His divine guidance that I uncovered my mission in this world. We are all crafted for a significant purpose—a pursuit that aligns with our passions, skills, and enriches the lives of others. Through prayer and yielding to His will for my life, I discovered my deep passion for photography.  Read more>>

Daya Brown

Through the hardships and trials I faced throughout my childhood my spark for poetry emerged. I quickly learned that by conveying my thoughts, experiences, and feelings into poetry allowed for me to heal myself and heal others as well. My purpose expanded and there I found my love for film. Since I have always been good at public speaking, portraying my pieces to an audience was like second nature for me. Read more>>

Whitney St. Andre

When the COVID pandemic hit and the lockdown ensued, I had no clue what my purpose was. I have always been the person that is the first to volunteer for things. Whether it was at my kid’s school, in volunteer organizations, or just within the community. The lockdown took away all of those opportunities.  Read more>>

Mahara Martinez

My passion for the arts has not only been an endless source of joy, but it has also provided me with a clear direction towards my purpose. From an early age, I have always envisioned my life immersed in the world of art, and this vision has been a powerful driving force in my journey towards personal and professional fulfillment. Read more>>

Kalyan Sura

‘Purpose’ is a loaded word. I don’t know if I found it yet, but I have been fortunate to discover a small intersection of things that I am passionate about and I am good at. That intersection is STORYTELLING. Read more>>

Crystal Valdez

I’ve always known that my purpose in life was to use my testimony to support others in their healing and recovery journeys. I may not have had the words to specify that early on, but I’ve always known that there was a reason I had to walk through so many difficulty moments so early on in life.  Read more>>

Adrienne Bauldock

I am still discovering my purpose, I feel as though your purpose can change or manifest over time. Through hard work, dedication, lots of rejection, and even pain. My purpose stems from being a child of God, and ultimately a humble servant to his will. Read more>>

Katie Molumby

I found my purpose through a combination of my own struggles along with knowing in general, my purpose had something to do with helping others. A couple weeks into my freshmen of college, I began experiencing alarming stomach issues that eventually had me fearing for my life. Dozens of trips to the doctors left me me feeling helpless and unheard. Read more>>

Alexis Coindreau

Navigating the quest for purpose in a landscape filled with uncertainty and endless possibilities is no small feat. For me, this journey was less about finding a clear-cut answer and more about embarking on a process of self-discovery through my creative endeavors. Read more>>

Blair Michelle

God’s grace is how I found my purpose. All glory and honor goes to him! I’ve always had a desire to uplift, encourage and to put a smile on someone’s face! All my life I’ve had a passion to want to help people in anyway I can. Remembering back when I was a little girl I was always different! People have always clung to me and felt comfortable around me.  Read more>>

Rachel Fox

My purpose found me. I had been living in a state of survival and attempting to doing the next best thing for myself and my family. Life had thrown us a curveball with my daughter’s diagnosis of a rare disease that attacked her brain.  Read more>>

Jessica Scott

My journey towards discovering my purpose has been deeply intertwined with my passion for photography. With over two decades of experience in the field, owning Jessica Cernat Photography located inside Painted Tree, specializing in high and college senior grads, as well as professional headshots, has been an incredibly fulfilling endeavor. Read more>>

Alexis Kimbrough

I discovered my purpose through a combination of personal passion and professional experience. Drawing from my background in psychology, social work, and personal training, I recognized the profound impact of holistic wellness on overall health and well-being.  Read more>>

Aly French & Erica Stein Courageous Wellness

We met and became friends through our shared Buddhist practice. Aly then moved to Japan for a year and a half for work, and while she was there, we reconnected over Instagram and discovered a shared interest in nutrition. Read more>>

Hellevi Woodman

Finding my purpose has been an unfolding journey intertwined with my 34-year career as an entertainer. On the surface, my purpose seemed clear—bringing characters to life, touching audiences, and living through the thrill of performance. Read more>>

Charles Rainey

I knew I had responsibility to pick up a pen when I began to notice how uniform television, film, and videogame narratives have become. All the heroes look the same way, act the same way, and say the same things. I write with a bias to the communities that Hollywood excludes, and so I center black, queer protagonists and the worlds they endure. Read more>>

Sophia Lewis

Discovering my purpose was a gradual process fueled by my love for nature and a strong belief in the importance of early childhood education. It all started with family classes where I brought children and their caregivers outdoors for activities like story time, crafts, and scavenger hunts. Seeing how much joy and learning occurred in these natural settings sparked something within me. Read more>>

Theresa Murphy

I see most all the other questions in the list as tangential and inseparable to this one… In an infinite world with timeless, boundless, ineffable qualities, finding my purpose has been staying connected to just that: knowing my limited presence, limited time, limited power, and true nature in the unlimited reality of time and space.  Read more>>

Tara Williamson

Tara is the owner and artist of the internationally recognized award winning business Pink Ink Tattoo, which she founded as a response to her own experiences with breast cancer. Unfortunately, instead of the experience I had hoped for, I had another difficult experience that would inspire me to start my business Pink Ink Tattoo. Read more>>

Lucy Finch

My answer may surprise you, because it surprised me – I found clarity in my purpose through menopause! Every woman has a different menopause experience and mine has been revolutionary. Not only did I have a myriad of physical symptoms – practically every symptom ever associated with menopause – but it was also a creative wake up call. Read more>>

Brandon Sly

I discovered my purpose upon recognizing that I am the main character of my own life, empowered to make decisions independently not caring about others’ opinions, respecting their opinion by understanding my surroundings. By embracing each day with the mindset of seizing every moment as if it were my last, I’ve created a deep appreciation for life’s nuances and the significance of every experience. Read more>>

Jennifer McClain

I love this question, because I found my purpose in a place that was completely different from where I once thought I’d end up–and I’m a firm believer that even once we find it, our purpose isn’t necessarily static, but rather a living, breathing thing that can evolve and change over time. Read more>> 

Allante (Uncle Tae) Steele

I found my purpose along my journey of finding myself. I learned that helping. people helps me as well. It took for me to move away from home to really understand it but when it hit me i never looked back! Read more>>

Dr. Shani Gray

Through the trials and challenges I’ve faced in life, I’ve discovered a profound sense of purpose that emerged from navigating through adversities. These hardships weren’t just obstacles to overcome; they became the raw materials from which I sculpted a meaningful existence. Each scar I carry tells a story of resilience and growth, transforming what could have been wounds into beauty marks that define my journey. Read more>>

Gracie Stark

I think a lot of people believe that they are supposed to be born knowing their purpose in life. That it is common to know exactly what your passion is and what your heart truly desires to do. However, this is not true for most people. Most everyone at some point in their life has wondered what they are really supposed to be doing on this earth.  Read more>>

Nicole Santolo

Deep down, I think I always knew my purpose. But it didn’t become a reality until recently. I have a unique lens into the entertainment world where I want to tell stories about disability. My brother has a genetic condition called Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and for the past ten years, I have been developing a scripted TV series about our lives. Read more>>

Clark May

I write music for gay & queer people, but I didn’t always know that it’d be my purpose. In fact, I thought I’d never come out. I started releasing music in high school, but the lyrics were mostly fictional stories. I was terrified to write authentically – to confirm what I was avoiding. When I began using songwriting as an outlet to truly express myself, everything changed.  Read more>>

Lauren Shaffer

I’m a women’s fitness and nutrition coach, and I’m grateful to be living my life’s purpose helping other women lose weight and keep it off without obsessing over calories or spending long precious hours in the gym. Finding my purpose in this rewarding coaching field didn’t come easily. Read more>>

Nicole “Chandler” Eng

My journey to founding Westerly Wellbeing is evidence of the transformative power of holistic healing and mindfulness. It began in a period of personal unrest and imbalance, where the noise of daily life had drowned out the whispers of my inner voice. Searching for serenity amidst the chaos, I turned to various mindful practices and rituals, each step further revealing the path I was meant to walk. Read more>>

Jo Sutton

I was two. TWO…. A two-year-old can have as few as 200 and as many as a thousand words in their vocabulary. I am refreshing my relationship with the Spanish language on Duolingo and I’m still just trying to figure out how to use the word es, vs. the word està. I speak more Spanish than I understand, just as I sign more words than I can read in sign language.  Read more>>

Destiny Moore

I found my purpose when I was gifted a camera for Christmas when I was twelve years old and instantly was drawn to taking pictures. I always loved to draw and do all things creative so once I got the camera for Christmas it just clicked I had found so much joy and purpose from simply taking pictures. Read more>>

The Virulent

As a band we found purpose on and off the stage. from the moment we start working on new music, to recording in the studio, to playing on stage. seeing fans thrash around or watch in awe as we give them the best time and performance available. Music is an experience, and we like that to be our purpose. To provide the best experience when you are listening to us on you speakers or headphones to when you see us on stage. Read more>>

DONG QIU

Since I was very young, I have loved writing and drawing. I remember that when I was in the middle class of kindergarten, I drew a vivid picture of sneakers and unexpectedly won a good award. Perhaps it was then that I began to realize that my love of drawing needed to be taken more seriously. So, I enrolled in many art interest classes, and even chose a professional art class in high school. Read more>>

Zella Roze

You know. I’ve spent hours, days, weeks, long nights, lots of moolah, psychedelic journeys and many more thought experiments attempting to understand what purpose is and what my purpose is. Now, Google defines purpose as “the reason in which something exists, or is done.” Read more>>

Rolando Viera

I wouldn’t say I’ve fully found my purpose yet, but I’m on track. Being surrounded by like-minded people since graduating high school was a big help, partaking in events that were interesting to not only me but also my friends helped guide me in what I wanted to do. Early on in my photography/videography career I had been bouncing around from topic to topic on what to shoot. Starting off with the car scene in Miami around 2018/2019 as the “takeover” era was beginning to be a thing I found it was easy for me to go, record, and make my own content out of it. Read more>>

Kenya Beech

my struggles with confidence and self-esteem would bring me to my journey of full time entrepreneurship as a licensed Esthetician. Growing up I struggled a lot with how I looked and acted through my experiences with colorism as a dark skinned black woman and always being compared to others which led me to feel I could never measure up. Read more>>

Haylee Graham

I’ve come to discover that ‘purpose’ is more intrinsic then we even realize. We are already born with purpose. For me, my purpose is more rooted in who I am rather than what I do, and that’s taken me many years to unpack and fully understand. I am someone who had always wrapped their identity in performance and achievement, even since childhood. Read more>>

Loriann Garcia

I found my purpose by being in tune with my thoughts, and paying attention to the things that truly excited me and made me feel whole. I feel happy and fulfilled when I can help others achieve their goals, dance related or not. I love guiding and mentoring dancers and watching the growth happen right before my eyes. Read more>>

Andrea Inostroza Castro MS, ATR, LLPC

I experience a profound sense of meaning and purpose through my role as a mother. Watching my children grow and develop, I often feel a deep sense of connection and fulfillment that can be difficult to replicate in other areas of my life. This sense of purpose may be derived from the opportunity to nurture and guide my children, to watch them learn and discover new things, and to provide them with the love and support they need to thrive. Connecting with my children is one of my life’s most essential and rewarding aspects. Read more>>