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.
Sharri Dean
What is purpose and what does it mean to me? Well if asked this question in my early twenties vs in my fifties you would definitely get two different answers. The definition of purpose is the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists. I would say throughout my early twenties my purpose was not so much revolved around myself at all, rather than for others. I would say my total existence was committed 100 percent to the little ones for which I was caring for at home. My role as a mother was front and center and I would not have changed this for anything. My husband and I moved from a small town in WV to the Northern Va area and I knew when the time was right, I would stay and home raising and teaching our children. Read more>>
Dr. Hope Mcloughlin
I’m incredibly grateful as I recognize the rarity of being roused each day with a sense of purpose and impact. 8 years ago, I made the decision to start chiropractic college after graduating from undergrad (with an accounting degree lol!). I “answered the call” so to speak, and it widened the aperture substantially around what I knew to be possible in the field of health, healing & spirituality. I wish for everyone that they may get sufficiently acquainted with their own true selves as to make their life an emanation of such purpose too. This is what I’m honored to facilitate with my Chiropractic work! It’s about so much more than relieving back pain (but we can help with that too). Read more>>
Daniel Dorado
Finding my purpose came from a deep connection to my roots and a desire to give back to the community that shaped me. Growing up, my family’s journey from Mexico to the United States was filled with hard work, resilience, and a strong sense of responsibility to help others. These values were ingrained in me from a young age. Read more>>
Deana Patterson
I discovered my passion for DSFIT2RUN and health coaching through my personal journey of transforming my life and health. After struggling with obesity and experiencing the profound loss of my mother to breast cancer, I realized the importance of taking control of my well-being. This sparked a deep desire to not only change my own life but also to help others, particularly women of color, navigate their health journeys with confidence and support. Read more>>
Patrick Drake
One way to find your purpose is to identify something you are passionate about and something that frustrates the hell out of you. Lay those two things on top of each other and you may just find the thing that you should dedicate your life to. Read more>>
Malau Quintero
Ever since I was little, I knew I wanted to be part of the entertainment world. Cameras, stories, and creative processes always captivated me. I was a shy kid, and in many ways, I still am, but my passion for journalism was stronger than my fears. The entertainment industry is often misunderstood, so I explored different paths before realizing I had to follow my dream. I felt a calling, something bigger that I was determined to discover and share with the world. Read more>>
Douglas Galloway
I believe I was always meant to be a creative spirit, destined to explore the depths of my imagination and share my perspective with the world. As far back as I can remember, even in my earliest childhood days, there was an unmistakable spark within me that ignited a profound desire to become an artist. The mere thought of engaging in creative pursuits filled me with excitement and purpose. Without creativity woven into the fabric of my life, and without the ability to express myself freely, I would feel incomplete, as though an essential part of my being was missing. Read more>>
Holly Sisa
When my daughter passed away, I didn’t think life would ever get better. Then I saw that a lot of people went through what I went through so I wanted to turn my pain into purpose to help others get justice and healing. Read more>>
Ryan Lee
From an early age, I knew I had a gift and passion for music. My path went from piano lessons at the age of 6, middle school band, high school band, church band, and now DJ and music producer. Although throughout my college years my career path almost a very corporate direction at the University of Alabama, the universe always conspired to bring me back to music and gift me with the ability to provide for myself with it. Finding your purpose is easy when you simply continue to follow what makes you happy. Continuing to follow my purpose has now led me to Nashville, TN playing on Broadway full-time and writing dance music with extremely talented artists for a living. Never ignore the call to pursue your purpose. Read more>>
Christine Pluviose
This may be a bit of a cliche, but I truly believe my purpose found me. It was a bit of a journey accepting said purpose. A better part of my youth was spent following the path my parents had envisioned for me, which essentially meant focusing on my education and working towards a career in the medical field. Any creative thing that came along the way either fell on my lap(photography), acted as a form of release(writing), I haphazardly wandered upon out of sheer curiosity (acting) or ultimately because a dear mentor pushed me to try something she thought I’d be good at(filmmaking). Read more>>
Natalia Narsa
After all this time spent searching for my purpose, it’s safe to say that it actually found me. It’s funny because I was just looking through my notes on my phone. I’m in the middle of filtering out old emails, files, photos, notes, etc., becoming more organized. Where I’m headed requires complete focus, and I can’t allow any distractions or clutter to get in the way of that. Read more>>
Jonathan Englander
I find purpose through doing what I love; music. In LA (where I was raised), I used to to record melodies and write lyrics on my iPod Touch back in the day. Eventually, my dad asked me why I hadn’t tried to make a song, and it hit me. From that moment on, I learned how to produce my own music using music production software, and learned piano so I could accompany my voice when performing live. The more I made music, the more it snowballed, and I ended up making more and more out of pure joy. I started performing in the streets of LA where tourists would walk around, and I really liked it. Read more>>
Walli Miller
As a kid, I was labeled the “lawyer” of the family—not because I loved to argue (though I never backed down from a good debate), but because I asked a lot of questions. My curiosity drove me to understand the “why” behind everything. From conversations with fascinating people to reading books that explored everything from the existence of God to the extinction of the Dodo bird, I was always seeking deeper truths. Read more>>
David W. Frey
As I was growing up, I learned that culture is an important key in one’s life guidance. One has to be open-minded, respectful, and inclusive of what other cultures are and could be. And it is not helpful to be angry toward, or fearful of, those whom YOU deem to be different. It is a huge responsibility that kids and teenagers alike take on before they become first, and only time, adults. And it comes in different shapes and sizes. Some grow up to bring it into the next generation, while some others may not do that and either spread some, little, or none at all. Read more>>
Sharon Polsky
Finding purpose has always been a challenge for me, but I have looked into my personal experiences to create a framework for my career and future success. My mom struggled with her weight throughout her life, trying every Readers Digest diet ever published. Even on her deathbed, she was burdened with her weight. This inspired me to deeply explore and find solutions for women who face similar struggles. I have built my entire career around helping women who struggle with their weight. Whether it’s PCOS, Hashimoto’s, Type 2 Diabetes, or simply enduring menopause, I aim to be a valuable resource for finding real solutions to weight loss challenges. Read more>>
Yosef Mirakov Cohen
I found my purpose by discovering a deep sense of responsibility to help those who cannot help or speak for themselves—animals. Growing up in Israel, I was always surrounded by a culture that values community and helping others. I found my purpose shortly after I turned 13, a pivotal moment when I embraced the responsibility to care for others. As I learned more about the world, I became deeply aware of the suffering of animals and the environmental damage caused by unsustainable practices. Read more>>
Caitlin Thomas
I started my first business at seventeen years old and spent a decade with a constant focus on growth and scaling my business, with little to no true vision behind all of the hard, relentless work that I was doing. By 27 I was burnt out and tired of the constant grind. Read more>>
Ghazal Maboudi
I found my purpose through a journey marked by both passion and adversity. My love for small business strategies and branding was a driving force throughout my career and MBA studies. But it was the challenge of living with an autoimmune disease that truly crystallized my purpose. As physical limitations made traditional work environments untenable, I was forced to reevaluate my path. This crossroads led me to see my struggles not as barriers, but as opportunities to create something meaningful. Read more>>
Lindsay Gates Strawn
I found my purpose when I was 16, although I couldn’t have articulated it at the time. It was more of a feeling, the wise language of the body. After school I worked at a high-end salon and would wash the hair of those that just clocked-out from a long day of work. I remember coming home to my mom and telling her that these adults were sharing with me some really profound and intimate details of their lives as though I was their peer. Read more>>
Gabriella Franco
Right after college I honestly had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I was excited I got to graduate in person after ending my last 2 years at Zoom University, but a huge part of me felt like I wasn’t prepared for post-grad. I had no idea how different it was going to be.
I was prepared to start applying to jobs in the entertainment industry that summer in LA but life had other plans. I had spent my first summer post-grad in the Bay Area enjoying the last moments with my childhood dog, Comet. It felt like I had graduated and then immediately had to cope with losing my best friend. Read more>>
Kansas Frazier-smith
I remember growing up and my mother would encourage me and speak like into me. She encouraged me to do the things I was passionate about. And honestly, it’s something that I naturally just attached myself to. In my family we’re known to be creative and birth businesses.But, what really set the tone for me. Was when I gave my life to Christ. He spoke life into me and showed me who I was. And from then on I just followed his lead in what I should do. And it let me to where I am now! Read more>>
Stephanie Hopkins
My near-death experience sparked a journey to rediscover my life’s purpose. On July 17, 2021, I faced my toughest battle yet, fighting against the relentless grip of COVID-19 coupled with pneumonia. After several agonizing days in the hospital, I was discharged with a plethora of regimen medications, home oxygen therapy, and the need for home health services. Weakened, vulnerable, stripped of my voice, confidence, and mental clarity, I endured months of recovery, struggling with the lingering effects of the illness. Read more>>
Kayla Ness-witte
After spending 16 years immersed in the jewelry industry as a gemologist, I discovered may true purpose when I transitioned to operating as a private jeweler in 2016. The past 8 years have been a transformative journey, allowing me to connect deeply with clients on a personal level and curate bespoke pieces that reflect their unique stories and emotions. This shift not only honed my skills as a gemologist but also ignited a profound passion for creating meaningful experiences through jewelry. It’s in this personalized approach that I found my purpose – using my knowledge of craft and quality and blending it with a personalized approach to create timeless treasures that resonate on a personal level. Read more>>
Nick Yannotty
I found my purpose when I discovered and built a relationship with Jesus Christ for myself. This changed my outlook and helped drive a passion to build opportunity for others and share joy and positivity. Building opportunity for others follows our main goal of Cover Three Athletics of positively promoting athletes in the WPIAL to give them a chance at that kind of exposure regardless of size and historic success of a program. Performance and work ethic on the field, in the weight room, and the classroom mixed with shining in the community all are what make a star athlete, not just one area. This is what we want to promote and help create opportunities for with our capabilities as a growing social media outlet. Read more>>
Nick Ranelli
It’s an exciting process to find purpose in one’s life. My purpose is going through an altering phase while remaining at what I believe to be its foundation. Inspiring the world to invest in themselves and explore what they are truly capable of through their passions. The idea of saying, “I want to do XYZ.” and making that a reality tends to be a concept that scares people. This intrinsic fear comes from how society has altered human nature. Read more>>
Maggie Ortiz Msn Rn
My passion for advocacy was born from my deep connection with nurses—my people—and the countless injustices I witnessed throughout my unique career. Being a nurse has given me firsthand insight into the challenges and systemic issues that we face every day. Whether it was seeing dedicated professionals pushed to their limits, witnessing unfair disciplinary actions, or encountering situations where nurses’ voices were silenced, these experiences fueled a drive within me to stand up for my fellow nurses. I knew I had to do something to ensure that we are not just seen but heard, respected, and protected. Read more>>
Emma Safarova
Since the childhood, I have been surrounded by creativity, be it knitting, sewing or drawing, art has always been present in my life. When the time came to choose a life path in my teenage years, my choice was significantly influenced by my father, who was a professor – biologist. I entered the University, Faculty of Biology and began to build a career in this field. I successfully defended my dissertation, received a PhD in biological sciences. I worked as a chief researcher at a research institute, published in many international scientific journals, participated in international conferences. Despite the success in science, my interest in creativity did not fade. Read more>>
Nadia Fisher
I have always been more of a creative, but my journey with art took a detour when I went college and then law school, and I had to put it on pause. Art was always my safe space — it felt more like self-care than a “hobby.” It was an outlet for my emotions and felt grounding. After I I had my daughter, I found my way back to art and started posting online just to motivate me to keep going. I think I originally wanted to create a line of tees and something like character pillows for kids, but didn’t know exactly where to start, so I just kept painting. Read more>>
Yuliya Bekyrska
My purpose emerged from a deep love for nature and plants, something I’ve carried with me throughout my life. It all began with the simple joy of creating terrariums and miniature gardens—tiny ecosystems that brought me a sense of fulfillment and tranquility. As I nurtured these small green spaces, I realized I wanted to share this passion with others, to bring the beauty of nature into indoor environments. Read more>>
Darshaun Mcaway
Finding my purpose was a journey of self-discovery that unfolded over time. It wasn’t something that came to me all at once but rather through a series of experiences, reflections, and challenges. I realized that my purpose was rooted in my passion for creating, connecting with others, and making a positive impact. Each step in my career—from writing books to launching businesses—helped me refine what truly drives me. Read more>>
Kimberly M. Wesley
This might be one of the most anxiety-provoking questions there is. What is our purpose in life? How do we live a full-filling life? This is not a one-size fits all answer, because who we are, how we grew up, and our belief system will orchestrate our answers. I believe that my purpose is not one thing but multiple aspirations I have for myself. I’m currently a full-time counseling psychology PhD student and I’m also a content creator. My life is so busy and once I’m done with an assignment there’s another one stacked on top of me. Read more>>
Raney Antoine Jr
I’ve found my purpose in phases, in self-reflection. I believe purpose lives in the overlap of our life journey’s venn diagram. In any space I occupy, I am an agent of growth, progress, and self-discovery. I will always push for these things within myself, others, and any system I find myself operating within. Read more>>
Carter Wilkes
I have always been drawn to people. Growing up, I listened attentively to family and friends’ life challenges, more attentively than most kids. Sitting in these spaces, ingesting these lived experiences from different walks of life, and taking in all the different pieces of advice. This molded my empathy and compassionate qualities, but until I started experiencing traumatic events myself, that was when I understood my purpose. Read more>>
Sam & Elliot Archuleta
Married in 2018, we’ve always searched for a way to weave our passions and careers together. Fast forward to March 2023 when we moved to Denver, CO and away from the place we grew up. In a city with no one but each other, we made it our mission to meet people and make new friends. We believe that deep and meaningful relationships are the key to a fulfilling life. We understood that without intentionally cultivating a community in this new environment, we wouldn’t be satisfied. Read more>>
Elisa Lucía
I like to think that I have more than one purpose. Some I have found, and some I am sure that I will find along the way. However, art has always been a great part of my life. Different forms of storytelling; like film, were a huge part of my childhood and made me who I am today. Dancing on stage was also an important part of my life and performing was one of my favorite things to do growing up. During and after high-school I got a lot of anxiety when it came to deciding what I wanted to do with my life. I was lucky to realize that the answer was right in front of my face my whole life and then everything made sense. Read more>>
Musa Oztep
I think this issue is about existence. My porpose is where I discover where I exist. It’s a result I found at the end of hundreds of things I didn’t like until I found what I loved to experience as much as reading for this discovery.
And I realized that my goal was to continue to improve myself in a way that would be fully ready for the specific character on the day when creative directors made a casting in large production projects, and I was happy with this pain. To make what is required of me ready without their will and to make their work easier. Read more>>
Scott Bixler
I found my purpose in the Navy when I was living abroad in Japan. Living alone in another country, helped me grow as a person and helped me learn about the world. Living overseas and traveling to six different countries and Guam, I decided to pick up a Canon point and shoot camera, which helped me capture memories that would cost thousands of dollars to do today. Taking touristy photos for four years helped me find purpose after the Navy and when I started college. While in college, I took the beginner photo class to learn how to shoot photos correctly and everything there is to now about DSLR cameras. Read more>>
Jessie Tucker
When I was a kiddo, my two great interests were art and the environment – although, it took me a long time to realize how important both are to me and how the two could ever be combined in my life. Besides those interests, I grew up being particularly sensitive to emotions (my own, and the emotions of those around me); that developed into personal anxiety, as well as an awareness of other people’s anxieties. Years of personal struggle led me to wonder how I could find peace for myself, offer peace to others, and reconnect with the healing, natural world. Slowly, themes began to take shape in my paintings: the beauty of nature, wonder over the lives of plants and animals, and the vastness of outer space. Read more>>
Mattison Skoog-simpson
My journey really started in a prison cell over 8 years ago. I was Broken with a capital B and lost in a way that’s hard to put into words, and dogs saved my life. I was incarcerated for 5 years at two different institutions and was working with dogs for the majority of that time in a variety of capacities. They were, quite literally, the reason for me to get up in the morning. I learned and then trained others how to train dogs and eventually how to groom dogs. I was exposed to the staff dog, service dog, and rescue dog programs at both institutions. Read more>>
Caro Hernandez
I feel like I’m still finding my purpose at my young age of 31 years old. I say young, but I really feel like an old lady sometimes. I feel like I’m finally on the right path in life, but it’s taken a lot of mistakes and lessons to get here. Sometimes I think we create our own purpose. Sometimes I think it’s something a lot deeper that has been designed by the universe. Either way, I’m finding that my purpose is to focus on what I love. When I lead my life with love, it never feels like I’m on the wrong path no matter what obstacles I face. Read more>>
Myo
I like to believe that my purpose found me. Growing up I had always been surrounded by music, my father had an electric guitar that he would play all the time. It wasn’t until one day during Pre-K in 2003 that I discovered I could play music by ear on the piano. It was on a colorful toy piano where I was able to stitch together the melody of “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” in a matter of minutes. From that moment on I knew that my life would move in the direction of music. Over the years the definition of purpose for me has become more refined and can easily change at any given moment but at its core, I simply believe my purpose is to create. Read more>>
Kay Sibson
I’ve always been hyper-focused on finding my purpose, even from a young age. I think this stems from growing up in the church, where I was conditioned to seek a clear purpose. Although I’ve since left the church, my determination to fully understand myself and my passion for personal development have never faded. I used to believe that purpose was a single role or a fixed way of being—a constant state or a final destination. I didn’t realize it’s something much broader, a dynamic “movement” that goes beyond just what you can “do” or achieve. Read more>>
Steve Whitney
I discovered my purpose early in life, growing up amidst the mountains of the Adirondacks. From a young age, I was captivated by the natural world. Hiking through the Adirondacks exposed me to diverse ecosystems teeming with plant and animal life. The awe-inspiring vistas and varied environments ignited a deep passion in me. The care and training of cats, dogs, guinea pigs, rabbits, and horses was simply part of my everyday life. Read more>>
Karla Mcday
My struggles between the ages of 18 and 25 played a pivotal role in the discovery of my purpose. During this challenging time, I faced numerous firsts that could have derailed my future if not for the unwavering love, emotional, and financial support of my parents. Navigating the world at that age was difficult, but it was through these struggles that I began to understand where my true calling lay. Social services became more than just a profession—it was something innate, a path that felt deeply aligned with who I was meant to be. Read more>>
Alysha Carnell
My journey to founding SOUL/O Travel, a company dedicated to empowering women through transformative travel experiences, began with a leap of faith at the age of 23. Offered a job in Hong Kong, I had just two weeks to make a life-altering decision. Saying yes to that opportunity was the scariest and best decision I ever made. As I boarded the plane, tears streamed down my face. I was terrified and had no idea what I was doing. Yet, when my time in Hong Kong ended, I found myself crying once more—this time because I didn’t want to leave. The experience was profoundly impactful, teaching me to live without fear and opening my heart and mind to the beauty of diverse cultures. Read more>>
Belinda Davis
I’ve always had a deep love for animals. Even as a child, I was naturally drawn to them. When I was seven years old, I learned where meat came from, and I stopped eating it immediately. At that age, I didn’t fully understand the ethical implications of animal agriculture, but the idea of eating animals was something I just couldn’t accept. I stuck to my decision, even when it meant sitting at the dinner table long after everyone else had finished because I refused to eat my meal. I remained vegetarian into my mid-thirties, thinking it was enough since I believed that no animals were harmed for eggs and milk. Read more>>
Storm Cuff
Finding my purpose is a continual journey that unlocks new layers of understanding of self identity. My purpose is taking its form through creative exploration and self-discovery. Community, representation, and storytelling are significant values that guide my focus and purpose. This goes beyond the details of a passion. I constantly think about how I want my work to cause impact and how my personal experiences, background, and identity influence my work and the way it is received. My purpose has already seen so many different levels of evolution and has experienced growth. I plan to stay committed to this journey by trusting my creative, instinctual compass and allow my purpose to develop organically. Read more>>
Zachary De Rose
Coming out of high school I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my life or how I wanted to contribute to society, but my parents wanted me to pick a program and go to school. So I ended up spending a year in the business program at York University and found myself dissatisfied and uninterested in the courses that I was taking. After my first year I decided to take a year off to figure out what I really wanted to do. Read more>>
Rosie Coca
Back in 2020, I purchased an ice cream truck business from someone who was moving out of state. I was a stay at home mom of 2 and had no idea on how to run an ice cream truck business or even drive a big box truck. I took over the business in March, the week right before The Covid shut down. Not knowing that the country was going to be shut down and there wouldn’t be any gatherings, I was concerned that I had made a mistake. I decided to stick the truck in storage and had to cancel all of the events that were already on the calendar for 2020. Read more>>
Lucas Smith
I found purpose, more particularly within art, by devoting myself to developing mastery when it comes to visual art. That being drawing, painting, printmaking, storytelling, etc. I know that I will die in pursuit of this goal, I know that I will not attain mastery in all of these subjects, so I will inevitably come short of reaching this goal. Read more>>
Dr. La’shardae Scott
I stumbled upon my purpose unexpectedly. I have always harbored a strong inclination to assist others. I had initially aspired to become a secondary education teacher. In fact, in 2015 and 2016, I had two children who were diagnosed with sickle cell disease at birth, and this significantly altered the course of my life. I embraced a brief period of melancholy and apprehension, and subsequently registered for educational courses with the intention of pursuing a career as a social worker. I currently hold the position of Doctor of Social Work and serve as the President and CEO of the Scott Center for Observation Treatment and Transition. Read more>>
Adrienne Shurbet
Completely by accident. I had severe back pain which led me to Pilates. I had a wonderful teacher and mentor who suggested that I might make a good instructor myself. I went through the teacher training and discovered that I loved working with people and trying to help them physically. 7 years into my journey as a Pilates instructor, I was feeling like I wanted to do more but didn’t know what. As if the universe was listening, I had a client walk in and tell me she had just been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Read more>>
Allison Scarry
Finding my purpose has been an evolving journey, and I’m still discovering where it’s taking me. I’ve always been drawn to creativity, and teaching naturally fit into that because it allows me to engage my creative side to capture students’ interests in innovative ways. I’m constantly crafting new materials for the classroom and school, which has been fulfilling. Read more>>
