Joe discovered that purpose has nothing to do with the job title, industry, or activity. After leaving stock lending for filmmaking — an eight-year journey — he arrived on a TV set and realized it was the exact same dynamic: long hours, miserable people, one person calling the shots. He was running away from the same thing he was running to.
The shift came when he stopped asking “What is my purpose?” and started asking “How do I live this moment in my purpose?” Whether picking up trash or running a country, the how is the expression of purpose. You can identify it in real time — in any given moment, you know whether you’re living in your purpose or not.
“How I do it is more of an expression of my purpose than what I’m doing.”
This reframe turns purpose from a destination to a quality of engagement. It’s available right now, in whatever you’re already doing — not after the next career change, not after finding the right role.
Related Concepts
- Purpose is lived in the present moment
- Searching for purpose avoids it
- The mind cannot find your purpose
- Searching for purpose assumes you don’t already have it
- Say yes to what intrigues you, then filter for joy