This is an episode of Crush It Mondays.  Each week, I’ll bring to you an inspiring message, habit, or contemplation to get your week off to a powerful start.  In this week’s episode, I want to talk about an interesting story and experience I had.

I was having dinner with a friend the other night and we got to talking about finding your purpose or finding your passion.  There's a lot of talk and maybe even pressure about "finding your purpose..." like if you don't find it, then you'll never be "fulfilled."  I've talked about the happiness horizon (you know, when you say I'll be happy when...) in another Crush It Mondays that I've linked in the show notes.   First, putting off contentment or feeling fulfilled when you find your purpose is not a good way to go and frankly, it's a myth.  I'm incredibly fortunate to have worked my way into a career that allows me to do things I'm passionate about. I would say I have found my purpose and work towards it every day, but I still have the same feelings like everyone else, struggling with "I'll be happy when..." or trying to feel content or feeling like what I am doing is still not enough.  We also search for the feeling of arrival, and while there may be fleeting moments of it, it's not a permanent feeling.  So finding your purpose is not analogous to contentment or fulfillment. I will say that it certainly helps and I'm thankful I get to put energy into the projects of my choosing, but I think that this societal pressure of searching for your big purpose and that you should be doing that all the time or doing it for your work has been blown way out of context.

So what do you do if you feel like you don't know your purpose or know your why and have low-level stress associated with it? What should you search for instead of trying to find this huge purpose?  My interpretation of the obsession with purpose is that we want to live a life that has meaning to us.  But having meaning can be really simple and you don't have to find your why with your work. I do think it is good to find elements of your work that bring you joy. Yes!  Even if we aren't talking about work, we feel good when we can find joy, concentration without distraction, and feel like we did our best at something.  Maybe even helping someone or having a human connection associated with what you're doing is part of it.  For me, I feel content when I look at those elements instead of this huge undertaking of living my purpose.  Maybe your purpose is how you live your life and living by your values.

Yes!  Maybe we can redefine this conversation.  I think it's good to think big picture with what you want to do in your life and have a direction to go, but you don't have to define the exact details of that direction. Chances are they will change over time anyway.  How about doing one thing each day that makes you feel good or do one thing each day that you are proud of?  I can tell you that if you slow down enough to do that and then reflect back on your day asking yourself, "What was the best thing I did today?" It'll help you feel more content.

Another point I want to make is that the things you're doing that bring purpose, why, contentment, or meaning probably will shift over time. You will change and the things that make you feel good might change too.  Another thing is that it doesn't have to be externally focused.  Maybe your purpose today, this week, this year, or this decade is getting to know yourself better.  There is nothing wrong with it or selfish about that.  Maybe your purpose is to be the be

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