How to Find Your Purpose in Seven Words or Less: A Practical Guide to the Purpose of Life
Every season of life eventually brings us to the same question:
What is my purpose?
It’s the classic self-development question — one that touches our identity, our motivation, our relationships, and even our definition of success. And yet, so many people move through life feeling unsure or disconnected from the deeper purpose of life.
That’s exactly why I sat down with Ian Chamandy, Chief Purpose Officer at PurposeU.AI, to explore how to find purpose and passion in life in a way that’s simple, grounded, and surprisingly doable.
And here’s the twist:
Ian believes your purpose can be expressed in seven words or less — and that doing so is the key to clarity.
🌱 Why So Many People Don’t Know Their Purpose
At a recent Rise & Flourish event, I asked 40 women if anyone wanted to share their purpose statement. Not a single hand went up.
Ian wasn’t surprised.
He shared that most people don’t know their purpose for two reasons:
They don’t actually know what “purpose” means.
They don’t have a process to find it.
The moment he said this, it clicked.
We grow up thinking purpose is out there — tied to a job title, big mission, or world-changing cause. But Ian reframed it completely:
“Your purpose isn’t outside of you. It’s inside you.”
When we don’t understand that, we’re left wondering:
What is my purpose? Why don’t I know it yet?
This is where the PurposeU method becomes transformational.
✨ What Purpose Actually Means
Inspired by Picasso’s quote — “The meaning of life is to find your gift, and the purpose of life is to share it” — Ian breaks purpose down simply:
Your purpose is the purest expression of who you are at your best.
Not what you do, but who you are.
Your unique mix of:
beliefs
wants
talents
And here’s the beautiful surprise:
You’ve been living your purpose your whole life — you just haven’t articulated it yet.
📣 Listen to the Full Conversation:
🔥 Why Seven Words?
If you want to know how to find purpose and passion in life without spiraling into a philosophical crisis, seven words is your friend.
Ian calls this the Three Easies:
Easy to understand
Easy to remember
Easy to repeat
A purpose statement is powerful only if you can use it.
Seven words forces clarity — not because purpose is small, but because truth is simple.
When you say your purpose out loud and someone responds with,
“Tell me more — that’s interesting,”
you know you’ve hit the right words.
🧭 Purpose as a Decision-Making Compass
This is where purpose moves from “woo-woo” to wildly practical.
Knowing your purpose becomes one of the most powerful self-development tools available. Ian explained:
“Purpose elevates your confidence AND becomes a decision-making filter.”
Instead of asking:
What job should I take?
How do I handle this challenge?
What should I focus on next?
You ask:
“Which option aligns most with my purpose?”
This brings:
Motivation when you feel stuck
Success when you feel directionless
Alignment when life feels chaotic
Whether you’re navigating motherhood, relationships, career pivots, healing, or personal reinvention… purpose becomes the compass pointing you home.
🌙 But What If You’re Multi-Passionate?
I asked Ian directly — because if anyone is multi-passionate, it’s me.
What if a purpose statement feels too limiting?
Ian had a gentle but profound answer:
Purpose might be refined or fine-tuned, but the core rarely changes. Because it’s based on the deepest, most consistent parts of who you are — not your current season, job, or identity.
If your purpose doesn’t feel quite right yet, it’s because you haven’t found the exact words that are self-evident and emotionally resonant.
This is why PurposeU emphasizes language so strongly — clarity is everything.
🌼 How to Start Finding Your Purpose
If you’ve been asking yourself “What is my purpose?”, begin with this question from Ian:
“If everything you do is a means to an end, what’s the end?”
Look at the deeper thread underneath your life —
the stone beneath the shadows.
Then ask:
What accomplishments am I proud of?
Where did I feel most alive?
What talents come naturally to me?
These moments reveal who you are when you are at your best — which is exactly where your purpose lives.
❤️ Purpose Through Pain and Challenge
While trauma shapes us, Ian emphasizes that your purpose reveals itself most clearly in your positive experiences — the times when you were in flow, proud, lit up.
Not because we ignore pain… but because purpose should be rooted in your strength, not your wounds.
This mindset supports healing while also opening the door to authentic, sustainable self-development and motivation.
👥 How Purpose Impacts Families and Generations
This part hit me deep.
Ian believes half the world walks around thinking nothing is special about them.
Purpose flips that.
When someone knows their purpose — their superpower — they move differently:
more confident
more generous
more aligned
more open to making a positive impact
This doesn’t just shift individuals.
It shifts families.
Communities.
Legacies.
When you model purpose, your children learn to look for their own.
✨ Final Thoughts
If you’re ready to find your purpose — not in a cosmic, overwhelming way, but in a simple, grounded, seven-word way — Ian’s PurposeU course is a beautiful place to begin.
It blends language, psychology, clarity work, and the kind of self-development tools that actually lead to meaning and success.
Because the purpose of life isn’t to figure everything out perfectly.
It’s to understand who you are…
and to offer that truth to the world.
