{"id":72743,"date":"2026-03-04T17:00:39","date_gmt":"2026-03-05T01:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thegoodtrade.com\/?p=72743"},"modified":"2026-03-11T04:42:03","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T11:42:03","slug":"find-your-purpose","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thegoodtrade.com\/features\/find-your-purpose\/","title":{"rendered":"I Had To Let Go Of Searching For My Purpose To Actually Find It"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I grew up in a very spiritual household. Church every Sunday, religious summer camp for 10 summers. And I genuinely appreciated it, which, for a millennial, feels almost countercultural to admit. I liked having a sense that there was a force of good greater than me, watching out for me and guiding me forward. I was raised on the idea that God had a plan for me, and if I listened, I would be pointed in the right direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“I liked having a sense that there was a force of good greater than me, watching out for me and guiding me forward.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

My parents were entrepreneurs, active in the community, making things happen. Instead of passively listening to God, I had an example of what you could build with a combination of action and trust. In fact, I was probably more comfortable with the action part than the trust part.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After graduating college, I knew I needed to make my sense of spirituality my own. Decide which parts of my religious upbringing resonated with me, the way I understood them personally, and what I could leave behind. Spirituality had become something I’d intellectually understood and hoped was real, but I wanted to have my own relationship with it. I wanted to feel it. For me, understanding is always a body knowing more than a thought. So I started my own exploration, and my biggest questions were about myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’d always had a sense of the bigger spiritual picture. But what about me? Why was I here? Which parts of me were authentic and which were conditioned? And what was I supposed to do with this precious life?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“I’d always had a sense of the bigger spiritual picture. But what about me? Why was I here?”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

What is my purpose? <\/em>became my biggest question. Now that I was out of school and could pursue whatever career, lifestyle, or creative endeavor I wanted, I needed to make sure they were all moving me toward my bigger purpose. I was afraid that I might squander my time on earth if I didn’t find it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Around this time, I started working for a company that sold workshops on manifestation. There was a big focus on “making your list” \u2014 getting specific about what you wanted so you could unblock what was standing in your way, say no to things that might ask you to settle, and make empowered choices to move you toward your goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But I was stuck. I felt like I had all these examples and blueprints of how to “get what I wanted,” but I didn’t know what<\/em> I wanted. And I didn’t want to arbitrarily decide before I was ready. So I sought out 1:1 support from astrologers, human design readers<\/a>, and energy workers<\/a> to see what they could tell me about me. To see if they could tell me what my purpose was. After all, if I just knew what it was, I would gladly do it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“I felt like I had all these examples and blueprints of how to “get what I wanted,” but I didn’t know what<\/em> I wanted.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

They were able to tell me some things about my energy and personality \u2014 things I mostly already knew. That I was independent, entrepreneurial, here to build something, here to be seen, a leader. All the information I knew intuitively, but that still didn’t tell me what to do with myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A freeing reframe<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

In my mind, “my purpose” would manifest as a singular idea, company, or mission that I could build and work toward. The thing that, if I channeled all my energy into it, would be my big moment. It would glorify all my potential and bless the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“In my mind, ‘my purpose’ would manifest as a singular idea, company, or mission that I could build and work toward.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

I thought my purpose was one thing. Until one reading completely shifted my perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It came during a human design session. Human design is a personality system that maps out how you’re wired \u2014 similar to astrology, but more specific. I’d had my chart read before, but this time the reader pointed out something I’d never noticed: a number in my chart that supposedly represented my life’s purpose. It’s called the sun gate personality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But it wasn’t the number itself that mattered to me. It was what the number represented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She explained that this part of the chart doesn’t point to a specific career, company, or mission. It points to an energy. A quality you’re here to embody and express. Not something you find once and build your entire life around. Something you can show up as every single day, in a thousand different ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Purpose wasn’t a destination. It was a frequency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“Purpose wasn’t a destination. It was a frequency.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

And I could embody it anywhere, whether I was working in marketing, making coffee, or just showing up for a friend. And so could anyone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A barista, a CEO, a mom, an artist, a waiter. Purpose wasn’t about what you were doing; it was about the energy you brought to whatever you were doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And when I started showing up in that energy, everything shifted. I felt aligned. And I started attracting<\/a> more opportunities that matched it<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Making the concept work for you<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Back to Human Design for a second… if you’re curious about your own “sun gate personality,” here’s how to find it:<\/p>\n\n\n\n