PURPOSE

It's become a dirty word now that I'm in my 7th decade

The word “purpose” used to energize me.

Now, it sometimes exhausts me.

There’s an unspoken expectation in the second half of life. Maybe you’ve noticed it, too.

• We’re supposed to figure out what’s next.

• Launch the second act.

• Leave a legacy.

• Stay relevant.

For a while, I felt that pressure.

What I’ve slowly come to believe is that purpose may not be ambition at this stage.

It may be orientation.

Purpose isn’t what I build, but how I stand. It’s not what I publish, but how I regulate myself in the middle of noise. It’s no longer important how visible I am, but how steady I feel in my own life.

For me, purpose has started looking quieter. It looks like discernment in where I place my energy, or choosing environments that don’t require constant adaptation. It means I can say no without drama.

At this stage of life, I don’t think I, nor you, need a new identity as much as we need alignment. Alignment reduces internal friction, and a reduced sense of friction feels a lot like peace.

If this reframing resonates, I write more about it here.