Episode 95 · March 14, 2023
Live Purposefully in 2023: My Journey
6 min
Live Purposefully in 2023: My Journey
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In this episode
If you've ever felt stuck in a job that looked good on paper but left you empty inside, this one is for you. In this solo episode I get raw about my own journey — how I declared my accounting major on the very last day possible, not because I loved it, but because I was afraid I wouldn't find a job to support myself. That fear led me to Ernst & Young in Dallas, big paychecks, and a whole lot of dread every single morning.
I share what I've come to call the hamster wheel: get up, get ready, work long hours, fall into bed, and do it all again — without ever pausing to ask what any of it was for. I got caught up in the material world of wealth and possessions and forgot to think about my faith and what God's purpose might be for me. Looking back, I truly believe I was meant to walk through that miserable season, because it's a big reason I've found my purpose now.
This is the kickoff to my theme for the year — Live Purposefully in 2023 — and it comes straight from the question I get asked most. Purpose has been interwoven throughout my life: my family, my volunteering, and this podcast, which I now see as part of my own purpose. If you're feeling stuck, I want you to hear me: you are not stuck. Keep going — and let's connect, learn and grow together.
Key takeaways
- Choosing a path out of fear (like I did with accounting) can hand you security and still leave you feeling empty — purpose is a separate question worth asking.
- The "hamster wheel" of get up, work, sleep, repeat can keep you so busy you never stop to think about what it's all for.
- A big paycheck doesn't create fulfillment. Wealth and possessions felt hollow without substance behind them.
- Get off the hamster wheel for even one hour to think and pray about your purpose — small, doable pauses matter.
- Hard seasons aren't wasted. My miserable job is a big reason I found my purpose later in life.
- Purpose is unique to each person — it's what gives your life meaning and gets you up in the morning. Purpose equals fulfillment.
- If you feel stuck in your career, you're not stuck. There is a way forward, and you don't walk it alone.
Chapters
- 00:00Why "Live Purposefully in 2023" — the question I'm asked most
- 00:45Choosing accounting out of fear at Oklahoma State
- 02:00Dreading work every day at Ernst & Young in Dallas
- 03:15The hamster wheel and a material world without purpose
- 04:30Faith, hard seasons, and finding purpose later in life
- 05:45How purpose is interwoven through family, volunteering, and this podcast
- 07:00You are not stuck — an encouragement and what's coming next month
“When I deeply felt stuck in my career, I was not stuck. I had God with me.”
“Get off the hamster wheel just even for an hour and think about and pray about what your purpose is if you don't know.”
“Purpose equals fulfillment. It's what gets you up in the morning.”
“It is just really such an incredible feeling when you are walking the walk that you feel like you are meant to walk.”
Resources mentioned
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