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I’m not sure about you, but I have always struggled with feeling a strong sense of purpose in my work. It always seemed like something some people were just born with, and others like me were required to search for. As if it’s a buried treasure. As if we just need to stumble into the right job, the right business idea, or the right moment of clarity, and suddenly everything would just make sense.

But purpose doesn’t work like that. It’s not a lightning bolt. It’s a practice. A muscle. A direction you walk toward, not a destination you arrive at.

This week, we’re getting real about purpose: what it is, what it’s not, and how you can begin building it — even if you feel stuck right now.

What’s inside:

• A new definition of purpose

• Survey says: it’s not just you

• A mindset shift for the stuck and searching

• Tools to start building meaning into your daily life

• A reflection to move from wishing to doing

Main Idea

The search for purpose can often feel paralyzing. Trust me. I’ve been there.

We’re often told the key to career happiness is to just “follow your passion.” But what if you don’t know what that is? What if nothing feels like the thing?

Truth is, most people don’t wake up one day with a sudden realization of their calling. They build their way to purpose by doing, experimenting, reflecting, and refining over time.

The people who feel the most fulfilled didn’t wait to find the perfect role. They started where they were and moved with intention.

You don’t need to wait for clarity before you begin. Clarity comes from beginning.

Purpose is built through:

• Small, aligned actions

• Making meaning out of your current experience

• Saying no to what drains you, and yes to what energizes you

• Trusting that forward movement, even the smallest steps, reveals the path

Purpose isn’t one thing you do. It’s how you do everything that matters.

Ditch the Metrics

Burn the business scorecard – focus on what matters!

Do you think your job is or is not making a meaningful contribution to the world?

A 2021 YouGov survey found that 22% of American workers say their job is meaningless.

Ditch it: If over a fifth of people feel their work lacks meaning, it’s clearly not just you. But note that purpose isn’t automatically baked into your job. It’s something you have to intentionally create by choosing how you engage, contribute, and grow, even if your paycheck comes from a role that feels flat today.

Reframe This

 A quick thought-flip to help shift how you see your work, your worth, or your path.

Old Belief: I need to figure out what I’m meant to do before I can be happy.

New Perspective: I can create meaning right now by choosing how I show up and what I move toward.

Rung Breaks

A curated mix of tools, links, books, and ideas to help you step off the ladder and into your own path.

📚 Book: The Art of Work: A Proven Path to Discovering What You Were Meant to Do by Jeff Goins – redefines calling as something you build, not find.

✍️ Read: What You Should Follow Instead of Your Passion - Harvard Business Review

🛠️ Tool: Ikigai Test - Understanding the intersection of your skills, interests, beliefs, and financial opportunities

✍️ Read: Instead of ‘finding your passion,’ try developing it, Stanford scholars say

🎨 Inspiration: “Find Your Way Through” by Hannah Eddy

Your Move

A reflection and challenge to help you break out of autopilot and make real change.

Reflection Prompt:

Challenge:

Until Next Time…

You don’t need to find purpose. You just need to build it, one intentional day at a time.

Keep going.

See you off the ladder.

— Sean Sirianni
Founder, Off the Ladder

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