For the past several lessons, we've been talking about becoming more aligned with who we truly are.
But alignment naturally leads to another question:
"Why am I here?"
Many people spend years searching for their purpose as if it's hidden somewhere waiting to be found.
I don't think purpose works quite like that.
I think purpose is something we gradually uncover by paying attention to who we are, what energizes us, and how we choose to serve the world.
There is a profound idea that stems from Japan that's called Ikigai, which can be translated as "a reason for being."
It asks us to reflect on four simple but profound questions:
❤️ What do I love?
What activities make you lose track of time?
What subjects do you naturally enjoy learning about?
If money wasn't a concern, what would you spend your time doing?
🌱 What am I naturally good at?
Everyone has strengths.
Some people are artists.
Some are natural teachers.
Some build things.
Some solve problems.
Some care deeply for others.
Some organize chaos.
What abilities seem to come naturally to you?
🌎 What does the world need?
Purpose isn't only about ourselves.
How can your gifts improve someone else's life?
What problems would you genuinely enjoy helping solve?
💰 What could I be paid for?
This is where dreams begin becoming practical.
Every business, career, or side hustle exists because it provides value to someone else.
Your purpose doesn't have to remain a hobby forever.
Sometimes it grows into a career.
Sometimes it stays a passion alongside another job.
Both are meaningful.
When these four areas begin overlapping, something beautiful happens.
Your work begins feeling meaningful.
Your talents become useful.
Your life becomes more aligned.
Your income begins supporting the life you actually want to live.
This doesn't mean everyone discovers their purpose overnight.
Most people don't.
Purpose is less like finding buried treasure...
and more like following a trail through the woods.
Each step gives you a clearer view of the next one.
One thing I have learned is this:
Your curiosity is trying to tell you something.
Pay attention to what continually draws your attention.
The books you read.
The videos you watch.
The conversations you love having.
The problems you enjoy solving.
The skills you keep returning to.
Those aren't random.
They are clues.
Your interests are often pointing toward the person you are becoming.
Remember...
You don't have to figure out the rest of your life today.
You only need enough clarity to take the next step.
Purpose doesn't appear all at once.
It unfolds as you continue walking.
Homework 🌿
Draw four circles or make four columns on a piece of paper.
Label them:
❤️ What I Love
🌱 What I'm Good At
🌎 What the World Needs
💰 What I Could Be Paid For
Spend some quiet time filling each one with as many ideas as possible.
Then look for where they overlap.
Finally, ask yourself:
"If I could spend the next five years becoming excellent at one thing that would help other people and bring me joy, what would it be?"
Don't worry about having the perfect answer.
Just begin listening.
Sometimes your purpose has been whispering to you for years.
You only needed to become quiet enough to hear it...