Life Lists #58 :: Life’s Purpose – Officially andy russell

Let’s talk about purpose. Big word. Heavy word. The kind of word that sits on your chest at 3 AM while you’re staring at the ceiling wondering why everyone else seems to have a map and you’re still trying to find the on-ramp.

Here’s what I’ve learned after years of spinning my wheels: finding your life’s purpose is important. Like, genuinely important. Not in a motivational poster way. In a “you will feel like a ghost in your own life if you don’t figure this out” way.

But here’s the other thing. The thing nobody tells you.

I wasted a lot of time looking for mine. Years. Probably a decade, if I’m being honest with myself and with you, which I try to be even when it’s uncomfortable. I tried things that weren’t right. I stayed in lanes that weren’t mine because they felt safe. I told myself I was “searching” when I was really just… drifting. Drifting with good intentions, sure. But drifting.

You know what that feels like. Waking up and realizing six months went by and you’re no closer to knowing what you’re supposed to do with your weird, brief, beautiful life. It’s not fun. It’s not cute. It’s just exhausting.

So I started collecting things. Resources. Questions. Frameworks. Little scraps of clarity that other people had figured out: the ones who actually did the work and wrote it down like decent human beings. I grabbed them from books, from podcasts, from conversations with people who seemed less lost than me. I threw them all in a folder. And eventually, I started to see a shape.

That shape turned into something I’m actually proud of. A zine.

Yeah, I said zine. Keep your judgment. It’s a small, weird, handmade thing that helps guide people through the process of finding their purpose without all the performative hustle garbage that makes you want to throw your phone into a river. No vision boards. No “manifest.” Just real questions and real resources that actually help.

And because I’m not a complete monster, I’m sharing the good stuff here too. The resources I collated. The things that actually moved the needle for me after all that wasted time. You don’t have to buy anything. You don’t have to sign up for a newsletter that will haunt you forever. It’s just… here. Because someone should have given this to me ten years ago.

Finding your purpose is important. But you don’t have to wander in the dark for a decade like I did. Take the map. Or don’t. But at least stop pretending you’re fine when you’re not.

These are some of the best resources I found. Go look. Or stay stuck. Your call.

1 – Alan Watts : What If Money Was No Object?

The classic question. If you weren’t hustling, if you weren’t on hamster wheel of life… just what would you do?

2 – Mel Robbins – What Energises You?

Just what gets you really energised? What is the thing you do that just fires you up?

3 – Struthless – How To Find Your Direction In Life

Tips on finding some direction

4 – Emma Rosen – How To Find Your Passion and Make It Your Job

5 – Robert Greene – Find Your Purpose in Life

For Roberts, he believes the clues to your purpose lie in your childhood. Robert also believes that finding your purpose isn’t someting you’ll churn out one afternoon, it times some digging to find the gold.