Month: January 2026

We humans are not just biological scripting reacting to nature’s events.

We’re thinkers, planners, dreamers, organizers, collaborators…

…But most of all, we’re builders.

And if we want purpose and meaning in our lives… we have to build it—not wait for nature to give it.

Some examples of what has and/or still fills me with a sense of purpose and meaning are the following:

• Family/Friends/Lovers: I don’t feel a sense of meaning or purpose towards strangers… only towards the people whom I’ve built strong connections with. My purpose is to nurture, provide, care for, support, console, and so on… and the more I invest (and build) into them, the more meaning and reward I feel. Especially as it’s reciprocated and something great gets mutually grown and shared.

• Vocation/Career/Work: It started with an incredibly strong desire to be a great martial artist—that was my purpose. I was completely captivated by it. I was good at it. And I was lucky to have found a school that knew how to facilitate it. The more I invested, the more meaning I felt. And once I got to the point where I was leading, teaching, and coaching—and helping others build themselves—my purpose and meaning grew in proportion to the lives I touched.

• Reading/Writing/Creating: Early stage reading was shallow for me. I cared more about finishing than comprehending. And not much meaning/purpose resulted. But once I decided to build a quote website? And write daily insights? And build accompanying websites, content, guides, and more? Uh, yeah… purpose and meaning city.

Never forget: purpose and meaning isn’t something life gives to you. It’s something you build from the life you’ve been gifted.

When my boss and co-worker bought new cars, I got this inexplicable, almost primal urge to do the same.

The new-car-thought became a part-time obsession and I hunted through digital lots like a hunger crazed Neanderthal navigating prehistoric landscape.

…But I also do a healthy amount of daily inner work.

And so I leaned into this urge with eyes wide.

I understood that the forces at work were, yes, maybe something primal, but also largely a brainwashed modern belief that faster, sleeker, more expensive was what I needed.

I eventually narrowed in on this beautiful, beast of a car that was expensive, but within my means.

It was either that, I decided, or I would reinvest in my current car—one that was still running beautifully, was a beast in her own right, and—most importantly—was completely paid off.

The financial difference between these two decisions was almost $20,000.

And when I told a friend what I was thinking, he leaned in and almost whispered in my ear, “Upgrades for your current car won’t scratch that new car itch.”

And it was in that moment that I knew what I “needed” to do.

And so I whispered back to myself, “Challenge accepted.”

And I not only reinvested into my car (and saved $20,000), but I reinvested back into myself.

…Because taking care of what you already have, growing appreciation, and quieting the endless noise about more is exactly the kind of work my inner was signaling for right from the moment I told myself that story about those two new cars.