Purpose Isn’t Obtained. It’s Maintained.

Like health, purpose thrives through daily practice, collective care, and environments that help us grow.

“When adults say ‘find your purpose,’ it makes me feel like I’m already behind. Like I missed the day it was handed out.” - High school Student

These words capture what so many young people feel: that purpose is a prize you either have or you don’t.

Across the country, we tell young people to “find their purpose.” The phrase shows up in graduation speeches, college brochures, social media ‘gurus’ and self-help books. On the surface, it sounds inspiring. But beneath the uplifting tone lies a quiet harm: this framing leaves too many young people anxious, adrift, or believing they are failing if they haven’t “found it” yet.

The truth is, purpose isn’t ‘discovered’ in a single lightning-bolt moment. It is cultivated—over time, through lived experiences, trusted relationships, and opportunities to contribute.

And that shift in framing—from finding to cultivating—has the potential to change everything.

Think about it like health. No one expects to stay healthy by drinking one matcha shake or running a single mile. Our health is often a reflection of our habits: diet, exercising, getting sleep, checking in with doctors. Even then, bodies change. Needs shift. Life throws curveballs. Some days we do everything “right” and still feel off. And yet, the fundamentals—nutrition, movement, rest—still matter.

Similarly, we don’t stumble into a strong sense of purpose once and hold it forever. We cultivate and maintain it through practices and conditions that keep it alive: exposure to new opportunities, reflection on experiences, meaningful contribution to and authentic connection with others.

Just like with health, the habits that nourish purpose shift as we grow, and they look different depending on the environments we live within. Some communities have abundant access to nourishing “purpose food” and environments designed for connection; others live in food deserts with limited access to shared spaces and activities.

This is why talking about purpose as something you find misses the point. It sets people up to believe they’re behind or it’s too late if they haven’t “discovered” it; or (potentially even worse) that once they do, the work is done. In reality, purpose—like health—requires continuous attention, over time. And, fortunately, it’s never too late to make a shift.

Shoot, growing up, no one taught me about nutrition or how to connect what I ate to how I felt. For a long time, I thought a balanced diet meant eating something salty before something sweet. It wasn’t until my late twenties that I started learning how food, movement, and sleep shaped more than just my waistline—they shaped my energy, mood, and resilience.

We don’t claim to have all the answers. My dad used to say anyone who does is either lying to you or to themselves. What I do know, and what evidence and life has shown us, is this: if we want individuals, communities, and even our democracy to thrive, we need to get serious about cultivating purpose the same way we think about cultivating health (now whether or not our systems actually support our ability to live healthy lives is for another post, but I hope you are staying with me here).

We already know the stakes. When people lack purpose, disconnection and despair spread. When purpose is cultivated, trust, empathy, and collective imagination grow. Societies built on cultivation of purpose are societies that look up together—asking not just what and who we want to protect or destroy, but what we want to build, who we want to become, and how we might do this together.

We don’t need a perfect formula. I don’t think it exists. But we can start with the fundamentals. Just as we’ve come to understand that diet, exercise, and sleep form the foundation of health, we can commit to building the systems and habits that form the foundation of purpose.

This is why Purpose Commons and our sister organization, the Purpose Science and Innovation Exchange, exist: to understand how different conditions foster purpose and to help our systems build purpose-supporting habits into their everyday work. We’re not starting from scratch—we’re drawing on the abundance of wisdom already in the field and connecting it to research to strengthen what works.

Every school, organization, and community has a role to play in making purpose a shared habit of our collective life. Shifting our systems and our mindsets will take all of us. We hope you will become a part of our growing purpose ecosystem to drive this change.

Purpose isn’t found. It’s cultivated. And it may be the most important habit we practice together.