A Leadership Reflection and Purposebility Workshop Narrative

The Myth of Readiness and the Power of Just Starting

It was the 8th of August 2025. I was eighteen minutes away from the airport when I began recording this reflection. There was no script. No fixed agenda. I simply spoke into the recorder. There was something unexpectedly honest about that moment. I had no clear topic, and yet the reflection began to take shape.

We often assume we must be fully prepared before doing anything important. That assumption is misguided. Readiness is rarely complete. Clarity does not come before action. It follows it. We discover direction only when we begin moving. Goals, even imperfect ones, provide a point of orientation. Once we act, something deeper often begins to reveal itself. That deeper thing is purpose.

This is the essence of Purposebility. It is not a personality test, nor an emotional high. It is a steady, thoughtful practice. It invites us to reflect on the journey we have walked, to ask what patterns have emerged, and to decide what kind of future we want to shape.

Forgotten Strength and the Process of Becoming

A friend of mine recently called in distress. She was overwhelmed, emotionally exhausted, and driving aimlessly through town. There was no destination, only motion. I could not meet her immediately due to prior family responsibilities, but I listened. Later, we met. And as we spoke, it became clear that her aimless drive mirrored a deeper disorientation.

We do not start driving without a destination in mind. Yet, in life, we often drift. We postpone decisions. We delay intention. We wait for clarity before we move. But clarity only comes through motion.

Goals do not have to be permanent. They can be revised. But even a temporary goal provides structure and direction.

Consider the first time you wore a graduation gown. Perhaps at age six. And then again at age twenty. The latter is often remembered with pride. But the former, the one from early childhood, was harder earned than we remember.

We forget how difficult childhood was: learning to separate from parents, adjusting to structured environments, adapting to multiple languages, navigating new social settings. Each of these challenges demanded effort. The resilience was real, even if we no longer recall the details.

When I was thirty-five, I suffered a slipped disc. For days, I was bedridden. I could not walk. The sudden loss of mobility was deeply disorienting. I had taken walking for granted. And now, I needed help with basic tasks.

Contrast that with a baby: immobile, dependent, and yet content. Why? Because they had not developed an identity built around achievement. They had no expectation of success. They simply tried, failed, and tried again. That pattern: falling, crawling, standing, falling again, built quiet strength.

We admire adult resilience, but we forget that it was forged in the quiet repetitions of childhood. At Stellar Preschool, we observe this process every day. Children go through challenges that adults often underestimate: separation from caregivers, learning new routines, adapting to new environments. These early battles shape long-term capacity.

How a Simple Goal Changed Everything

After completing my postgraduate studies in Melbourne, I returned with a single intention: to raise funds for my high school. That decision led me to reconnect with old classmates. At a dinner event, I met the woman who would later become my wife. That moment changed the trajectory of my life.

My goal was not romance. It was service. But in the process of pursuing that goal, purpose emerged. That pattern is not unique to me. It is a recurring theme in the lives of many:

• Jeff Bezos began Amazon to avoid the regret of inaction. What started as an online bookstore became a revolution in commerce. The goal was small. The purpose was global.
• Steve Jobs, during a time of uncertainty, enrolled in a calligraphy class. Years later, that class influenced the design of the Macintosh. Only hindsight revealed its significance.
• Phil Knight started importing Japanese shoes. He ended up creating Nike, a brand that reshaped the global identity of sport.
• NASA set a goal to land on the moon. That mission resulted in one of the most iconic images of Earth: the Blue Marble. The goal was scientific. The outcome was philosophical.
• The Wright Brothers were bicycle mechanics. Their goal was simple: to improve gliders. Their effort gave birth to human flight.
• Viktor Frankl, psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor, wrote that what people truly need is not comfort but meaning. His insight: purpose is found through struggle toward a worthwhile goal.

These stories are reminders. A clear purpose often becomes visible only after we pursue a goal. The goal gives structure. The reflection gives meaning.

How to Begin: Draw Your Lifeline

Purposebility is not a motivational concept, a quick fix, or a structured personality type. It is a long-term exercise in clarity. It is the quiet work of pausing, looking back, and asking hard but important questions. It provides a way to connect what has already happened to what could happen next, if we choose it.

The first step is reflection. Begin by drawing your lifeline. Go back as far as you can remember. Mark down the moments, both large and small that altered your direction, your thinking, or your values. Some of these turning points will be joyful. Others may be painful. All of them carry meaning.

For each point, consider:

• What was happening at the time?
• What decision did I make?
• What was I aiming for?
• And what did I learn from it?

This is not a performance exercise. It is a mirror. Many people live reactively, unaware of the patterns that define their story. The lifeline brings those patterns into view. Once seen, they cannot be unseen.

After that, set three layers of goals:

• Short-term (1 year): What meaningful direction are you willing to explore, even if the outcome is unclear?
• Mid-term (7 years): What are you gradually building that may require time, patience, and commitment?
• Long-term (lifetime): What legacy are you choosing to shape, knowing that it will take decades to unfold?

You do not need to predict everything with certainty. Movement often reveals what planning cannot. The invention of the microwave, for example, began when a radar technician noticed a chocolate bar had melted in his pocket. It was an accident. But it became innovation.

The same is true for your story. Some of your most meaningful discoveries will not come from control, but from movement.

A car that refuses to move cannot be steered. A life that avoids risk will not grow. Reflection and direction are what allow purpose to emerge.

The Reverse That Redefines It All

We often believe the goal is the final destination.

But in truth: The goal was never the destination. It was the invitation.

Set a direction.

Take the first step.

Let your life show you what it was meant to become.