“I’ll never retire. I don’t know what I’m going to do.
“What if you don’t have passion? How do you find it after a fire?
“I don’t like my job, but I think I’ll keep working because what else can I do?”
These are just some of the concerns readers have mentioned about finding purpose. When we are busy working most of the time and we are just treading water, trying to make ends meet with bills and a family, we have less time to think about what our purpose in life is.
When we actually get to FI and finally have time to think about it, it’s daunting. I know, because I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was a kid, but it’s still scary to go from the top of one ladder to the bottom of another, even though engineering is clearly not for it.
I find that overthinking your purpose/passion never helps. You just get stuck in analysis paralysis, with fear and anxiety keeping you from moving forward. I was raised to believe that only the outcome matters and that the journey to get there is of no value. What’s the point of pursuing writing if you can’t become a successful, best-selling author?
I know now that this was the wrong way to express passion, but when I first started writing in 2008, everything was a black and white, all or nothing game. I either succeed or fail, the process itself is not important. But when it comes to publishing, a lot of things are completely out of your control. So, of course, it’s no surprise that I had a panic attack and identity crisis the day I quit my job.
It took me over a decade to overcome this anxiety and learn to be happy and revel in the process of creating rather than focusing on the outcome. The good news is you don’t have to make the same mistake I did, because there’s a book that can help you sort out all those anxious thoughts.
The book is called The Purpose Code: How to Unleash Meaning, Maximize Happiness, and Leave a Lasting Legacy by Jordan Grumet, a great speaker and hospice physician , I had the pleasure of hanging out with him at the Columbia Chautauqua Financial Resort.
Jordan is the perfect person to write about this subject because, as a doctor, he sat at the bedside of dying patients, helping them work through their grief and seeing them come to terms with their final moments. Death is very clarifying. No more nonsense or wasted time. You either die with regrets or you die without regrets.
Hopefully, by reading this book, you will eventually become the latter.
Since this is a book giveaway, Jordan has generously provided my readers with 3 free copies of the book (physical for US readers, digital for international readers). All you need to do is leave a comment below and answer this question: “If I were fired tomorrow, what would I do with my time?”
Winners will be selected this weekend.
Since I barely have time to read these days, this is one of the few books I made time to read that stuck with me. Many times, I find myself nodding my head at the insights and stories that prove that “finding/building your purpose” is simpler than you think and shouldn’t be a catch-all thing that sends people into depression or analysis paralysis . Once you read “Purpose Code” you’ll know what I mean.
To give you a taste, here are the most surprising facts from the book:
“People are not your purpose”
“You might think your sense of purpose revolves around your loved ones, or that your climb should be about family. While that sounds tempting, I think it’s the completely wrong way to build a life of purpose… ”
Society makes it difficult for people to have children (one of the reasons I was on the fence for so long), so people tend to say their purpose in life is family. That’s all well and good, but this book proves it’s a bad idea. I found myself wanting to read to chapter eight to find out why, and after reading it, I couldn’t agree more. I’m curious if you agree and hope you’ll read the book and let me know what you think because obviously this is a controversial topic.
“It’s a privilege to find purpose.”
Jordan also addressed the haters, saying that finding your purpose is a privilege and you can’t do that if you don’t make enough and are just struggling to pay the bills. He gives some strategies to help you achieve your goals even in times of financial hardship.
Here’s a trailer for the book:
The book will be published on January 7, 2025, and you can pre-order it here . I highly recommend it and find it very soothing to anyone struggling to find purpose.
What do you think? Have you found/established your purpose?
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