Discovering Your Life’s Purpose: How Learning, Teaching, and Writing Unlocked My True Calling
When we look back at our childhood, we often find small, almost imperceptible signs of our deeper purpose. As children, before we became bogged down by societal expectations and the chaos of adult life, we naturally gravitated toward certain activities or ideas — things that sparked curiosity and joy. These early inclinations are not random; they are often indicators of our true calling, buried beneath years of conformity. Whether it was a love for drawing, solving puzzles, or writing stories, these early fascinations are clues to the kind of work or passions that resonate with our core being.
As I write this article, it’s not just out of reflection, it's also out of urgency. Many of us, including myself, have become so caught up in the busyness of the world—work, family, endless tasks—that we’ve lost sight of the uniqueness that once defined us. In the pursuit of stability and success, we’ve neglected our original blueprint—the one laid out in our childhood interests and early signs of purpose. Robert Greene touches on this in Mastery, where he explains that every individual is born with a unique set of talents and inclinations, but too often we stray from them, consumed by the noise and distractions of life.
“The first move toward mastery is always inward — learning who you really are and reconnecting with that innate force.” — Robert Greene
Finding your purpose isn’t just a personal luxury; it’s a necessity for fulfillment and growth. As Viktor Frankl discusses in Man’s Search for Meaning, without a sense of purpose, life can feel aimless, even in the midst of achievement. The world today is fast-paced, constantly pulling us in different directions, but in the midst of that chaos, reconnecting with our true calling is more important than ever. Most people spend years ignoring their uniqueness, falling into the routine of what society expects, but the path to true satisfaction comes from honoring the things that make us feel most alive.
This is why finding your purpose is critical. Without it, you’re just moving through life, ticking off tasks and goals that may not even align with what you truly want. It’s time to pause, reflect on those early signs, and begin the journey back to your true self.
Speaking of my own childhood - I used to write short blurbs, comics, and essays in school. Words would come to me unexpectedly, almost bugging me to get them down on paper. I remember waking up in the middle of the night, long before iPads existed, to scribble down thoughts that wouldn’t let me sleep. It wasn’t just random inspiration, but a compulsion to turn abstract ideas into something tangible. And it wasn’t just the writing. Often, questions would arise from these late-night musings—questions I felt the need to explore so deeply that I knew I had to learn them thoroughly, not just for myself, but because I had this sense that I’d someday teach them to someone else, someone who might end up in a situation similar to my own.
Why does this happen? Why do certain ideas invade your mind so relentlessly that you feel like you have to act on them? It turns out that this all stems from a deeper sense of purpose. In one of his insightful talks, Robert Greene mentions a similar experience. He talks about how seemingly coincidental or incidental occurrences are often not random at all — they’re markers of a deeper calling, something embedded in our very essence. This realization struck Greene himself, as he shares in his video, where he explains how figures like Einstein experienced moments of revelation that were not just intellectual but deeply tied to their life’s purpose.
Take Einstein, for example. He didn’t set out to become a physicist just for the sake of it. As Greene explains, his fascination with time and space began with his childhood curiosity about light beams and the universe, eventually leading to his theory of relativity. This wasn’t a pursuit of accolades but rather an obsession, something that was so deeply rooted in him that he couldn’t help but explore it. The same can be said for many other greats — Steve Jobs, for instance, didn’t just create Apple because he wanted to start a company. He was obsessed with design, technology, and creating something that would redefine how we interact with the world.
What ties all of these individuals together is that their pursuits became a core part of their identity and purpose. These weren’t mere hobbies or passing interests but the driving forces of their lives. Like them, I now realize that my lifelong urge to learn, teach, and write wasn’t a series of coincidences but a reflection of my own core principle — my purpose.
And that’s the key. When you align yourself with your purpose, the things that fascinate you, that tug at your mind at odd hours, begin to make sense. You’re not just reacting to random thoughts — you’re stepping into the path of your life’s task, as Greene would put it.
For me, learning has always been a cornerstone of my life, something I could never stop doing. Every time I read a book, take a course, or dive into a new subject, it feels like I’m uncovering a new layer of who I am. It’s something echoed in books like The Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin, where he describes how mastery is a never-ending process of exploration. The drive to learn is about more than gaining knowledge — it’s about personal evolution.
Teaching is truly special. There is something enchanting about imparting knowledge and assisting others in realizing their potential. Paulo Freire, in his book "Pedagogy of the Oppressed," explains that teaching is not just about filling empty minds, but about enabling a deeper understanding that empowers individuals to change their own lives. Whenever I teach, whether through writing or speaking, I experience a profound sense of purpose that any other activity cannot equal.
And finally, writing. Writing is how I process the world and synthesize what I’ve learned into something meaningful, both for myself and for others. It’s a way to solidify my thoughts, clarify ideas, and make them accessible to others. As Anne Lamott describes in Bird by Bird, writing is an act of discovery, a process that reveals truths about ourselves that we didn’t even know existed.
This trifecta — learning, teaching, and writing — feeds my purpose. Viktor Frankl, in Man’s Search for Meaning, emphasizes that finding meaning in life is often about serving a cause greater than ourselves. By committing to learning, teaching, and writing, I feel connected to a larger mission that allows me to contribute to the world in a meaningful way.
The more I reflect on it, the more I see that my purpose is not about reaching an end goal; it’s about committing to this process. As James Clear writes in Atomic Habits, small, consistent actions compound over time to create monumental shifts in our lives. Every new thing I learn, every person I teach, and every word I write brings me closer to that purpose, making each day feel significant and fulfilling.
If you’re searching for your own life’s task, I encourage you to look closely at the things that bring you joy, challenge you to grow, and allow you to contribute meaningfully to others. As Robert Greene suggests, your purpose might be something that has been with you all along — something you just need to acknowledge and commit to.
So go out there, within yourself, find out who you truly were in your childhood, find your purpose!
