Last week, we asked:
“Who am I becoming through this?”, reframing challenges as transformation.
This week, we explore another gentle shift:
What if meaning isn’t something to “find” and hold on to forever… but something we co-create, reshape, and reawaken throughout our lives?
It’s a comforting thought, especially in a world where:
- Careers change
- Beliefs evolve.
- Roles shift.
- Goals lose relevance.
- And the map we were once following… stops making sense.
And it’s happening faster than it did for our parents. If you find yourself in transition, questioning, uncertain, or untethered, this post is especially for you.
The Trap of a Fixed Purpose
Many of us were taught that “finding our purpose” is a once-and-for-all moment.
Like a treasure you dig up and cling to for life. In my first job after leaving school, I was told I’d got this job for life. They meant it as a compliment... I wanted more, but I didn’t know what. It left me wondering whether purpose was meant to be something permanent… or something we grow into, again and again.
But what if that’s not how meaning works?
What if meaning is less like a destination… and more like a current that you flow with?
Something that asks not for certainty, but for presence and awareness of where we are.
When Purpose Evolves
Our sense of purpose at 22 may not fit us at 42. And that’s OK.
The dreams we had before loss, grief, or healing… may have softened or shifted.
And that’s not confusion. That’s maturity. It’s part of the learning journey, which we refer to as life.
Outgrowing our old direction, job roles, or titles doesn’t mean we’ve failed. It means we’re becoming more congruent, i.e., more ourselves.
A Reflective Practice: Recalibrating Purpose
Think of a time in your life when something felt incredibly meaningful, even if just for a season.
Now ask:
- What values or needs did that experience meet?
- Are those values still alive in me, or have they evolved?
- What feels meaningful now, even if it’s quieter, simpler, or different?
- If I let go of the “old shape” of purpose… what might emerge in its place?
We don’t need to land on a new mission. Just allow the inquiry to soften our grip on the old story, and don’t let the old story determine the next page.
Quiet Conclusion
We’re not meant to have one fixed definition of what life is about.
Meaning can flow with us, grow with us, and meet us in new ways with each season.
Let it evolve.
Because staying connected to ourselves, not a rigid identity, may be the most meaningful thing of all.
And perhaps, if meaning is this alive, this responsive… then imagination, our ability to envision and create, might be its most powerful ally.
More on that in next week’s final post, in this meaning of life mini-series.
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