You can check every box, hit every goal—and still feel empty inside.
You can also have very little—and feel deeply complete. The difference is meaning.

Think of people we admire across history—Jesus, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Teresa. They weren’t chasing metrics; they were anchored to a cause bigger than themselves. There’s a story of a woman who, in the middle of a life-threatening struggle, was told: “Find something better than your problem to solve.” She began serving in communities in Africa. Her symptoms didn’t magically vanish, but her days filled with purpose—her energy rose, her outlook changed, and she outlived every prediction. Meaning won’t erase pain, but it rewires what pain means.

1) What “purpose” really means (and what it doesn’t)

• Purpose is a direction, not a job title. It’s the why that travels with you across roles and seasons.

• Purpose is practiced, not discovered once. You don’t wait for it; you build it through small, aligned actions.

• Purpose is personal. If it energizes you and serves something bigger than you, it counts.

Quick definition: Purpose = values you care about + people you serve + problems you’re willing to work on.

2) The Pot vs. the Earth — Why you might feel stuck

I once kept a thriving plant in a pretty pot. It never reached its potential—not because it was weak, but because the container was too small. Many of us live like that. Family, culture, and old expectations can “pot” us in a frame that limits growth. Plants need help to be repotted; you can move yourself. When you step into bigger ground—new rooms, braver beliefs, bolder actions—the roots (and routes) expand.

You don’t need to know the whole how. Plant yourself on better ground and let the how reveal itself.

3) The Purpose Compass (5 minutes)

Grab a note and jot a few words for each point:

• Values: What qualities do you want your life to stand for? (e.g., growth, kindness, craft, courage)

• People: Who gets better because you exist? (clients, students, community, your future self)

• Problems: What pain are you willing to face and help solve? (confusion, debt, burnout, loneliness)

• Gifts: What tools do you carry? (listening, design, data, teaching)

Read your words out loud. That’s a living snapshot of your purpose—good enough to start.

4) Turn purpose into a day plan: Identity → Principles → Practices

Identity (1 line):

“I am a person who ______________ for ______________ by ______________.”
Example: I help anxious professionals find calm and clarity through simple, science-backed routines.

Principles (3 rules you’ll keep):

• I tell the truth kindly.

• I choose progress over perfection.

• I protect energy for my top relationships.

Practices (tiny, trackable):

• 10 minutes of focus work before messages.

• One human touchpoint (encouragement, help, or thank-you) daily.

• One micro-step toward a 90-day goal.

5) The 10–10–10 Purpose Ritual (30 minutes, flexible)

• 10 — Arrive: Sit, breathe, and read your identity + principles.

• 10 — Act: Choose one purposeful action for today (15 minutes or less). Put it on the calendar.

• 10 — Account: At day’s end, write two lines:

  • What I did on purpose: ______

  • What tried to pull me off: ______ → plan a counter-move.

Consistency > intensity. Most lives change this way.

6) A decision filter for “Should I say yes?”

Say yes only if you get at least two of these:

• Values fit: Does this align with my compass?

• Energy fit: Will I resent this later? (Gut check: tight vs. open feeling)

• Season fit: Does it fit my current capacity (family, health, budget)?

Scripts you can steal

• No with care: “Thank you for thinking of me. It’s not a fit this season, so I’ll pass.”

• Yes with clarity: “Happy to help. Success looks like __ by __. If that works, I’m in.”

7) Common snags (and quick fixes)

8) Reflection prompts (journal or voice notes)

• Where did I act on purpose last week? What felt good about it?

• Which distraction steals the most purpose from my days?

• What would a 15-minute purposeful win look like today?

9) Mini challenge — 7-Day Purpose Sprint

• Day 1: Write your identity line + three principles.

• Days 2–7: Do one 15-minute purposeful action each day and log it.

• End of week: Circle the action with the best return (energy, impact, joy). Do more of that.

Download the Purpose Planner One-Pager (fillable): Purpose Compass, Identity → Principles → Practices, the 10-10-10 ritual, and the 3-Fit decision filter—on one clean sheet.
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Meaning is the secret ingredient of happiness and longevity. You don’t have to “die like a legend” to live on purpose—live so fully that your impact keeps speaking long after the meeting ends and the project ships.

— Jessica Compere
Your Path to Empowerment · JessicaCompere.com