Find What You Seek

purpose May 28, 2025

Ever taken a day off, done absolutely nothing, and somehow felt worse by the end of it? You’d think rest would recharge you. But instead, you’re more anxious, more aimless, more… hollow.

That’s not a fluke. It’s a warning. We’re not built for ease. We’re built for effort that matters.

Too many people want fulfillment to just show up, like some spiritual Amazon Prime delivery. They wait around for purpose, contentment, or clarity to land on them like a lightning bolt. But here’s the truth:

You can’t find what you don’t seek.

God. Knowledge. Growth. A meaningful life. None of these are passive pursuits. They require effort...real effort. And they only reveal themselves to those who are willing to work for them.

That’s the Point!

There’s this fantasy that the good life should be easy. That if something’s meant for you, it’ll just happen. That’s not wisdom; it’s wishful thinking.

If it was easy, you’d already have it.
If it was easy, it wouldn’t feel worth it.

Anything truly fulfilling, building a business, raising a family, developing yourself, or even connecting with God, demands your effort. Your pursuit. Your sweat, doubt, and discomfort. And ironically? That’s what makes it fulfilling in the first place.

Work Gives Us Purpose

Viktor Frankl put it plainly in Man’s Search for Meaning:

“Those who have a ‘why’ to live can bear almost any ‘how.’”

Purpose, not pleasure, not power, is what pulls us forward. It’s the deeper “why” behind our struggle. And purpose is most often revealed through work. A McKinsey study found that 70% of people define their purpose through work, and nearly 90% of younger workers. That’s not just a career thing. It’s a human thing. We need something to work toward to feel like we matter.

Stop expecting fulfillment to knock on your door. You have to go looking.
You have to show up, ask harder questions, keep pushing when it stops being fun and when it starts getting real.

If you want clarity, go study.
If you want connection, go serve.
If you want purpose, go pursue something bigger than yourself.

Seeking is the price of finding. Always has been. Always will be.

Progress Is the Real Dopamine Hit

We’re not just wired for comfort. We’re wired for competence; the drive to get better at something. Even small wins scratch that itch for progress and give us momentum. That’s why the finish line never feels as good as the climb. Fulfillment is found on the way, not at the end. We introduce ourselves by what we do because work shapes who we are. And when that work contributes to others? It feeds not just your ego but your soul. The Harvard Study of Adult Development, the longest-running happiness study in history at 85+ years, makes it clear:

Connection and contribution are what sustain us.

Not ease. Not escape. Engagement.

The Bottom Line

Fulfillment doesn’t show up when you’re coasting, it shows up when you’re digging in. It comes when you stop chasing ease and start embracing effort. When you take your gifts seriously enough to do something with them. When you stop waiting for purpose and start working toward it.