LIX. How to Find and Fulfil Your Purpose
He who cannot obey himself will be commanded.
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“Those who seek their own pleasure do not find it, and those who do not seek it find it anyway. The pleasures of a self-centered life eventually pall and the drive for still higher levels of luxury and delight brings not lasting satisfaction. Real fulfillment is more likely to be found in working for some other end. Hence, these philosophers claim, if we want to lead a happy life, we should not seek happiness directly, but should find a larger purpose in life, outside ourselves.”—Peter Singer
What is the meaning of our lives?
The question gnaws at us all, but few dare to answer it with conviction.
We talk about purpose as though it’s an object waiting to be discovered, something hiding under the debris of life’s demands and distractions.
But purpose isn’t something we stumble upon.
It’s a way of life we construct, piece by piece, through action and deliberate thought going beyond comfort or conformity.
Purpose doesn’t need to be grand or loud.
It just needs to be real and satisfactory to us for the meaning of life is what we make it to be.
It’s not something we’re given by some imaginary being in the universe or our parents.
It’s the most interesting task we assign ourselves after honest evaluation.
“He who cannot obey himself will be commanded.
That is the nature of living creatures.”―Friedrich Nietzsche
Purpose is rooted in the tension between who we are, why we’re here, and who we could become.
It’s being a good person first.
It’s about alignment—bringing our actions into harmony with our highest values and the gifts we’ve been born with.
It’s about aiming for perfection of mind, body, spirit, and craft.
We strive to become whole by integrating strength with kindness, ambition with humility, and resolve with tenderness.
This duality is a necessary balance.
After all, how can we inspire and serve others if we cannot master ourselves?
How can we master ourselves if we reject the vulnerability that makes us human?
On Excellence
The raw material we’re given—where we’re born, our talents, challenges, status, and circumstances—isn’t perfect.
But it is ours to shape however we want it to be.
Can we face setbacks with unwavering composure, knowing they are the very forces that strengthen us?
Can we hold ourselves to the highest standards—not out of self-loathing and punishment, but out of love for who we are capable of becoming?
We pursue excellence not to boast of achievement but to honor the gifts we’ve been entrusted with—our intellect, our talents, our creativity, and our capacity to influence others for the better.
It’s about choosing meaningful work and doing it with care.
It could be writing a sentence so precise it leaves no room for ambiguity.
Or listening to a friend with such intention that they feel genuinely understood.
Excelling in our purpose is a tribute to Reason—what differentiates us from the animals.
This beauty persists in the quality we adorn the moments we’re alive.
And the question we must therefore ask is.
What would happen if we treated each action, no matter how small, as worthy of mastery?
Purpose doesn’t always feel noble or heroic.
Often, it’s tedious and uncomfortable and that’s where most people give up.
It’s the morning run in the rain, late nights refining our skills, the hours spent reworking a difficult paragraph, or the moments of quiet reflection where we confront our deepest fears.
But discomfort is not the enemy—it’s the tax we pay for something valuable.
So, what are we willing to endure?
Not because suffering is virtuous but because the beautiful outcomes lying on the other side of this effort are worth it.
We have to choose our purpose and accept its demands.
For we are here to build. To create. To love. To leave the world better than we found it and have fun in the process.
Resource:
On The Value of Principles
The scope of our purpose extends far beyond personal gain.
True fulfillment lies in dedicating our efforts to something bigger than ourselves.
When we focus on leaving behind something enduring—a body of knowledge, a piece of art, solutions, or an act of kindness—we connect with a universal truth: we are here to serve.
Maybe it’s in creating work of such quality that it resonates with strangers, shaping their lives in ways we may never witness.
That’s why if purpose is the act of building, then principles are the blueprint.
Without them, we risk constructing something hollow—impressive on the outside but empty within.
We risk having money, accolades, and diplomas but no impact on people’s lives.
Principles keep us honest and winning long-term.
They force us to ask the harder questions:
Am I living according to what I claim to value?
Do my actions reflect integrity, discipline, wisdom, justice, and courage?
Living by our principles often means choosing the harder path.
It might mean turning down a lucrative opportunity because it conflicts with our ethics.
Or it could mean having the discipline to prioritize our craft over fleeting distractions.
Principles help us create meaning out of enduring the worst or resisting temptations.
Death & Purpose
Life is finite, but our purpose isn’t.
It endures in the impact we leave behind, in the lives we touch, and in the moments we seize fully.
Finding and fulfilling our purpose then becomes urgent when we remember we’ll die.
This isn’t an excuse for reckless living; it’s a reminder to live deliberately—a force multiplier.
It frees us from the fear of failure.
For if the end is inevitable, why not spend our days pursuing something magnificent?
Why not live in a way that, if we were to die tomorrow, we could say we had truly lived?
We don’t need to overhaul our lives in a day.
We can start small—choosing, moment by moment, to prioritize what we care about most.
If you had only one more year to live, would you spend it endlessly scrolling through your phone?
Or would you pour your energy into work that endures beyond you, into relationships that matter, into pursuits that make you feel alive?
What good thing would you contribute to humanity?
Practical Ways to Find and Fulfil Your Purpose
Purpose is cultivated and nurtured.
It’s about rediscovering what resonates with your essence, aligning it with the necessary skills to bring it to fruition, and relentlessly pursuing mastery.
Here are practical and powerful ways to discover and serve your purpose, drawing on lessons from history, science, and psychology.
Below you’ll learn how to,
—Find your calling & rekindle the spark of your childhood interests,
—Access and enjoy the flow state,
—Apprenticeship,
—Serve and Build to accelerate your growth and,
—How to handle failure on this path.
Let’s dive in!
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