I went through a little crisis of purpose over the last year.
You see, I started writing full-time in 2015. And I pretty much dedicated my entire life to building my career. I looked at it this way. First, improve your skills, then earn money, and finally, invest it so you no longer have to worry about financial constraints and paying bills.
I worked on my skills by learning and immediately applying them. I committed to reading 2 hours a day and writing pretty much the rest of my day. I think the best way to learn is to do something publicly. You can write as much as you want behind closed doors, but you will lack the challenge you need to improve yourself.
Writing publicly is scary. People might not like it. Or worse, you might get ignored. But you need that type of friction or pressure to improve. If there’s nothing at stake, why would you push yourself harder to improve?
Between 2015 and 2024, I published articles every week, wrote one book per year, and also created a new course every year. That was my purpose. To get better as a writer and to build financial stability for myself. The financial part of the equation started to take off around 2018, and since then, I made more money as a writer each year.
But over the last few years, I built even more wealth through my investments. So around the same time last year, I looked at my life and thought, “I did what I set out to do.” Well, the moment you say that to yourself, you’re done. And so was I.
Suddenly, life seemed flat. My drive went down. Sure, I still had things to do, but without clear purpose, the work felt pointless.
Marcus Aurelius warned about exactly this: “People who labor all their lives but have no purpose to direct every thought and impulse toward are wasting their time—even when hard at work.”
Sure, I was still working on my website and courses, but without purpose behind every action, I slowly started drifting. Hard work without clear intention is just another form of procrastination. It keeps you busy but takes you nowhere meaningful.
Anyway, I slowly started to disconnect from writing. I stopped my weekly newsletter in November 2024 and started writing less.
This state of mind went on for most of this year. But recently, I asked myself, “What’s next?”
Once you reach your initial goals, it’s easy to feel lost. But that’s exactly when the real work begins.
I’ve been setting new goals for myself and focusing on designing this next phase of my life.
Life moves in phases
I went to school until I was 24. In 2011, I got my master’s degree in business, and from that time until 2015, I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my career.
- The first 24 years were about learning.
- Then I spent 4 years doing a range of things to figure out what I wanted.
- Once I committed to writing, I spent almost a decade doing that one thing every single day.
Learning → Figuring it out → Doing
And now, I’m back to figuring it out. This is a different type of figuring it out. Before, I was figuring out how to create a career, make money, build a business, you name it.
Now, I’m about to become a dad. My wife is 32 weeks pregnant and we’re getting ready to welcome our son.
I recently bought my dream house. I always wanted to own a villa on the water, and now I do. But all these things come with a lot of responsibility.
This phase of my life is different. During the “Doing” phase, I had singular focus. I woke up, worked, went to the gym, and that was pretty much it. Now, I have a lot of other stuff to do on an average day.
But that’s cool. You know, if life was always the same, it would get boring. And to be honest, I started getting bored with that type of life at some point. It was too focused on work.
Don’t let your purpose out of sight
No matter what’s going on in life, I never want to lose my main purpose. That’s because I’ve also tried living life without a clear purpose, and it might feel nice for a while, but it ain’t all that.
Epictetus said the following about purpose: “The good and virtuous person works on his ruling faculty, as a doctor works on the body or a farmer on the land.”
Your ruling faculty—your mind, judgment, inner strength—is a lifelong project.
Just because you reached financial goals or career milestones doesn’t mean you’re done. It means you’re ready for deeper work. Purpose shifts from external achievements to internal growth.
And here’s the paradox. You find greater fulfillment when you slow down and focus only on the essential. Here’s another great quote from Marcus Aurelius:
“If you seek tranquillity, do less… do what’s essential—what the logos of a social being requires, and in the requisite way. Which brings a double satisfaction: to do less, better.”
Purpose isn’t about chasing more. It’s about choosing what truly matters and giving it your absolute best.
It’s about living deliberately.
So if you’re feeling lost, pause. Reflect on what matters now, not what mattered years ago.
Purpose evolves, and so should you. Choose your next path deliberately and dedicate yourself fully for the rest of your life. That’s the key to lasting fulfillment.
