The Question That Changes Everything

My friend, I want to start with a question that might make you a little uncomfortable—but it's a question that could change the entire trajectory of your life. Here it is: If you had to explain to someone why you exist, what would you say?

Not what you do for work. Not your roles or responsibilities. Not your achievements or titles. But why you—with your unique combination of gifts, experiences, and passions—are here on this earth at this particular time.

If you're struggling to answer that question, you're not alone. I've asked it to hundreds of people over the years, and I've watched brilliant, successful individuals fumble for words. They can tell you their job description, their annual goals, and their weekend plans, but they can't tell you their life's purpose.

And here's what I've learned: living without purpose isn't really living at all—it's just existing. It's going through the motions, checking boxes, and hoping that somehow, someday, life will feel more meaningful. But meaning doesn't happen by accident. Purpose isn't something you stumble upon. It's something you discover, cultivate, and live into intentionally.

The Difference Between Success and Significance

Let me tell you about two people I know. We'll call them Brandon and Jessica. Both are successful by any external measure—good jobs, nice homes, respected in their communities. But their lives couldn't be more different.

Brandon wakes up every morning and goes through his routine: shower, coffee, commute, work, commute, dinner, TV, bed—wash, rinse, repeat. He's competent at his job, but he can't remember the last time he felt genuinely excited about it. He earns good money, but he's not sure what he's earning it for beyond paying bills and saving for a retirement that feels like a distant dream. Brandon is successful, but he's not fulfilled.

Jessica wakes up every morning with what I call "holy anticipation." She knows exactly why she's getting out of bed. Her work isn't just a job—it's a mission. She's using her gifts to make a difference, to solve problems that matter, to serve people she cares about. Some days are harder than others, but every day feels worthwhile because every day is connected to something bigger than herself.

The difference between Brandon and Jessica isn't their circumstances—it's their clarity about purpose. Brandon is living for success; Jessica is living for significance. And that shift changes everything.

The Myth of the Grand Calling

Now, before we go any further, let me address something that might be holding you back. There's a myth floating around that purpose has to be grand, dramatic, and world-changing. We think we need to cure cancer, end poverty, or invent the next revolutionary technology to live a purpose-driven life.

That's nonsense, and it's dangerous nonsense because it keeps ordinary people from discovering their extraordinary purpose.

I think about my friend Janet, who spent years feeling guilty because she wasn't called to be a missionary or start a nonprofit. Then she realized that her purpose was to create beauty and comfort in people's lives through interior design. She wasn't just decorating rooms—she was creating spaces where families could connect, where people could find peace, where memories could be made.

Or consider my neighbor Tom, who drives a school bus. He could see his job as just transportation, but Tom understands his purpose: he's often the first friendly face kids see in the morning and the last encouraging voice they hear in the afternoon. He's not just driving a bus—he's creating a safe, positive start and end to children's school days.

Purpose isn't about the size of your stage—it's about the sincerity of your heart. It's not about how many people you serve—it's about how fully you serve the people you're called to serve.

The Four Pillars of Purpose

Over the years, I've discovered that every purpose-driven life is built on four foundational pillars. Let me walk you through them:

Pillar 1: Self-Awareness - You can't live your purpose if you don't know who you are. This means understanding your natural gifts, your learned skills, your core values, and your deepest passions. It means being honest about your strengths and your weaknesses, your dreams and your fears. Self-awareness isn't self-absorption—it's self-understanding in the service of others.

Pillar 2: Service-Mindedness - Purpose is never just about you—it's about how you can use who you are to make a difference in the lives of others. This doesn't mean you have to be a humanitarian or work for a charity. It means approaching whatever you do with the question: "How can I add value? How can I make things better? How can I serve?"

Pillar 3: Significance over Success - Success asks, "What can I get?" Significance asks, "What can I give?" Success is about accumulation; significance is about contribution. When you shift from asking what life can do for you to what you can do for life, everything changes.

Pillar 4: Stewardship - Living with purpose means recognizing that your gifts, opportunities, and resources aren't just for you—they're entrusted to you. You're a steward of your talents, your time, and your influence. This perspective transforms how you see everything from your career to your relationships to your daily choices.

The Daily Reality of Purposeful Living

Let me be honest with you about something: living a purpose-driven life doesn't mean every day feels magical or meaningful. Even when you're clear about your purpose, there are still mundane tasks, difficult people, and challenging circumstances to navigate.

But here's the difference: when your life is anchored in purpose, even the difficult days feel worthwhile. When you know why you're doing what you're doing, you can endure the how. When you're clear about your mission, you can handle the messiness.

I remember talking to a teacher who was feeling burned out and discouraged. The paperwork was overwhelming, the parents were demanding, and the system felt broken. But when I asked her why she became a teacher, her whole demeanor changed. She talked about the moment she saw a struggling student's face light up with understanding, about being the adult who believed in kids when they didn't believe in themselves, about shaping the next generation of leaders and dreamers.

Same job, same challenges, but completely different perspective. She wasn't just teaching curriculum—she was changing lives. That sense of purpose didn't eliminate her problems, but it gave her the strength to persist through them.

The Courage to Begin Where You Are

Here's something I want you to understand: you don't have to wait until you have perfect clarity about your life's purpose to start living purposefully. In fact, purpose is often discovered in the doing, not in the thinking.

Start where you are, with what you have, for the people right in front of you. Ask yourself: How can I add value today? How can I make someone's day better? How can I use my current role, relationships, and resources to serve something bigger than myself?

I know a young man who felt stuck in what he considered a "meaningless" retail job while he figured out his "real" career. I challenged him to find purpose in his current role. He started seeing himself not as someone who folded clothes and worked on a register, but as someone who helped people find clothes that made them feel confident, who provided excellent service that brightened people's day, who created a positive atmosphere for both customers and coworkers.

Within six months, he was promoted to management. Within a year, he realized that his purpose was to create positive experiences for people, and he started his own customer service consulting business. Purpose didn't take him away from where he was—it transformed where he was and led him to where he needed to be!

The Ripple Effect of Intentional Living

When you start living with purpose, something beautiful happens: you don't just change your own life—you start changing the lives of everyone around you. Purpose is contagious. When people see someone living with intention, passion, and meaning, it awakens something in them too.

Your children see that work can be more than just a paycheck—it can be a calling. Your friends see that life can be more than just getting by—it can be about making a difference. Your colleagues see that leadership can be more than just managing tasks—it can be about developing people and serving something bigger.

This is what I call the "purpose ripple effect." When you live with intention, you give others permission to do the same. When you choose significance over success, you model what's possible. When you align your actions with your values, you inspire others to examine their own alignment.

The Journey, Not the Destination

Let me share something that might surprise you: I'm still discovering my purpose. After decades of learning, writing, and leading, I'm still learning new dimensions of why I'm here and how I can serve. Purpose isn't a destination you arrive at—it's a journey you walk!

Your purpose will evolve as you grow. It will deepen as you gain experience. It will expand as your capacity increases. The parent of young children has a different expression of purpose than the empty nester. The new entrepreneur has a different focus than the seasoned business leader. The young adult exploring their gifts has a different mission than the retiree looking to mentor others.

This is the beauty of purpose-driven living: it's not about finding the one perfect thing you're supposed to do and then doing it forever. It's about staying connected to your core values and deepest desires while remaining open to how they might be expressed in different seasons of life.

Your Purpose is Calling

As we reach the end of our conversation, my friend, I want you to know something: your purpose is not hiding from you. It's not locked away in some distant future or dependent on perfect circumstances. Your purpose is woven into who you are right now—in your experiences, your passions, your values, and your gifts.

It might be calling to you through the things that break your heart—the problems you can't ignore, the injustices that stir your soul, the needs you feel compelled to meet. It might be whispering to you through the things that bring you joy—the activities that make you lose track of time, the conversations that energize you, the moments when you feel most alive.

It might be evident in the things people thank you for, the problems they bring to you, the ways others describe your impact on their lives. Your purpose often lives at the intersection of your gifts and the world's needs, your passions and others' pain points, your abilities and life's opportunities.

The Time is Now

You don't need to have it all figured out to begin living purposefully. You don't need perfect clarity to start making intentional choices. You don't need a complete life plan to take the next right step.

What you need is the courage to ask yourself the hard questions: What matters most to me? How do I want to be remembered? What problems do I feel called to solve? What gifts do I have that the world needs? How can I use my current circumstances to serve something bigger than myself?

And then you need the courage to start aligning your life with your answers, one decision at a time, one day at a time, one choice at a time.

Your purpose-driven life is waiting for you to claim it. It's waiting for you to stop existing and start living. It's waiting for you to stop drifting and start deciding. It's waiting for you to discover not just what you can achieve, but who you can become and how you can serve.

The question isn't whether you have a purpose—you do! The question is whether you'll have the courage to discover it and the commitment to live it.

What do you say? Ready to stop going through the motions and start living with intention? Ready to discover what it really means to live a purpose-driven life? Ready to find out why you're here and what you're meant to contribute?

Your purpose is calling. It's time to answer..

To your growth and freedom,

Dr. Michael Schulz