Don’t Find Your Purpose, Build It

Have you ever thought about your purpose in life – and felt a little lost?

Like you were supposed to have it figured out by now, but somehow… you don’t?

So, here’s the uncomfortable truth – your purpose isn’t defined on day one. It is something that gets shaped by the amalgamation of your experiences along the way.

In the 1970s, a young man named Howard worked odd jobs to make ends meet. He drifted through college without much aspirations, unaware of what he wanted to do in life.

During one summer break, he took an internship at a small company that sold coffee beans. It was just a side job to get some extra cash.

Somehow, he got intrigued by that environment so much that he accepted a full-time role to explore his curiosity.

Over time, Howard felt there was more to this business than just producing coffee beans. He realized the potential in creating a social hangout place for people to gather, talk, and connect over coffee – essentially a café rather than a store selling coffee beans. 

He kept experimenting following his curiosity, facing rejections, iterating along the way that gradually shaped his purpose. A purpose that changed the way people perceived coffee.

And Starbucks, as we know it today, was born.

While Howard didn’t start Starbucks, he transformed its future by envisioning something bigger.

And that didn’t happen from a grand sense of purpose on his first day. It was built from

• Curiosity
• Rejections
• Iterations

Most of us wait for clarity to start—but clarity actually comes from starting.

#1 – What You Don’t Use, You Lose

I truly believe that the universe has blessed each one of us with some gift. A gift that is unique to us. What I also believe though is that the universe eventually takes back all those gifts.

It could be due to an aging body, lost inspiration, or just because it remained unused.

Shankar learnt Sitar from his brother Rajan. Growing up, Shankar was in awe of his brother and the way his fingers did their magic over the instrument.

The sound of sitar casted a magical spell on Shankar that always left him in awe.

Very soon, he began to grasp this skill and there was nothing else that could fascinate little Shankar more than spending hours on his Sitar.

Over decades of disciplined practice, Shankar refined his craft and became synonymous with the instrument itself.

While Rajan gradually got pulled away from Sitar into other art forms, Shankar devoted his life to it.

Today the world knows that kid as a Sitar maestro – Pandit Ravi Shankar!

It is not because he was uniquely gifted, but because he kept polishing the gift he was given.

The universe probably gifted both the brothers with a divine sense of music, but it silently took it back from one while made the other a Sitar legend.

Skills decay when they are neglected. What you don’t use, you lose.

#2 – Small Experiments Shape Big Outcomes –

We are often fascinated by dramatic transformations – the single bold decision that supposedly changed everything.

However, the reality is far from that belief.

The truth is that big outcomes rarely come from one big, bold movement. They come with tiny experiments, trials, and iterations.

Have you ever heard of the app Burbn? Probably not.

Burbn was an app that let users check in at events, share locations and photos with their friends. Despite the initial buzz, it’s user growth stalled and engagement dropped.

Instead of giving up, the founders started experimenting different things to revive the app and check what sticks with their audience.

They tested fancy display, event planning, bookings feature – but nothing truly resonated.

Then, one evening, the founders decided to try another experiment. They cleared out all the clutter from their app and kept it to just one simple thing – photo sharing.  

That experiment finally stuck – and became the cornerstone of their careers.

Burbn became Instagram.

Instagram wasn’t born from a grand pivot or sudden insight. It slowly emerged from a series of small experiments that helped the founders discover what truly matters.  

As purpose is something we built, experiments are the building blocks. Such experiments force you to use your skills, try new things, and find out what resonates.

Experiments create actions. Actions create momentum. And momentum creates progress.

If you’re waiting to feel ready, stop.

Start small. Experiment. Check what resonates.

And purpose, like they say, will meet you in motion.

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