Finding Your Purpose, Solved

643 snips

Dec 4, 2025

Dive deep into the essence of purpose, guided by insights from Viktor Frankl. Explore the myths surrounding the idea of a 'one true purpose' and discover how purpose fuels resilience and cognitive performance. Learn about the philosophical journeys from Aristotle to Nietzsche, and the dark side of being overly identified with purpose. Get practical strategies to cultivate meaning in your life, from curiosity to hard work, and understand how personal transformation can lead to a more fulfilling existence.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Books

Transcript

Episode notes

00:00 / 00:00

Purpose As Survival Strategy

Viktor Frankl observed that people who find meaning survive far longer and endure worse conditions.
Purpose functions as a psychological need that provides direction and resilience in suffering.

00:00 / 00:00

Three-Part Structure Of Purpose

Purpose has three structural elements: direction, action, and contribution/significance.
You discover purpose by acting, not by passively waiting for a single destined calling.

00:00 / 00:00

Don't Confuse Passion With Purpose

Avoid equating passion with purpose since passion is an emotional state and often fleeting.
Use passion to fuel purpose, but build your life around durable direction and contribution.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

This is the episode I’ve been waiting to make for a long time. Purpose has been at the core of everything I’ve written and done for over a decade—and in this episode, we go all the way down the rabbit hole. From Viktor Frankl surviving Auschwitz to the myth of “finding your one true purpose,” we break down what purpose really is, why you feel lost without it, and how you can build it into your life.

We also get uncomfortable (in the best way) and talk about the dark side of purpose—how it can burn you out, trap you in toxic ambition, or become an excuse to ruin your life.

And I have a very special announcement to make: Today, I’m launching a new app called Purpose. It’s an AI-powered mentor for personal growth. You talk to it about whatever you’re facing—stress, decisions, conflicts, goals—and it helps you make sense of things. Purpose listens, reflects back what matters most, and turns big challenges into small, actionable steps. The more you use it, the more personalized and helpful it becomes.

Get started in the app with a free course on finding your purpose at

https://purpose.app/solved

We also put together a free companion guide for this episode with takeaways and tools to help you get your sh*t together once and for all. Download it here: https://solvedpodcast.com/purpose

Chapters: (00:00) Introduction (01:39) Victor Frankl and Finding Purpose in the Darkness (17:20) Chapter 1: Foundations: What Is Purpose? (25:44) Myths (32:50) Definition (34:55) Health (39:22) Resilience and Purpose (45:34) Chapter 2: Philosophical & Historical Perspectives on Purpose (52:47) Religion and Purpose (58:31) Descartes (1:00:11) Hume (1:04:51) Nietzsche (1:17:43) Kierkegaard (1:22:50) Ernest Becker (1:30:16) Picasso (1:31:26) Chapter 3: The Psychology of Purpose (1:36:38) Relationships (1:45:40) Ego Identity (1:49:19) Social Aspect of Purpose (1:52:32) Religiosity (2:05:14) Going back to Religion (2:08:13) Chapter 4: The Four Stages of Life (2:19:41) Trade off to Purpose (2:23:48) Transitioning in Purpose (2:31:33) Chapter 5: The Dark Side of Purpose (2:40:38) Purpose App (2:51:36) Burnout (2:54:29) Toxic Purpose (3:07:25) Chapter 6: Finding and Cultivating Purpose (3:27:04) Breakdown on finding Purpose (3:36:56) Chapter 7: Finding Purpose in Work (or Not) (3:52:55) Parenting (4:01:00) Contributing to your community (4:04:05) Hobbies (4:09:14) Chapter 8: Practical Tools and Frameworks (4:20:18) Purpose Setting (4:22:17) Finding the right tool (4:24:48) Chapter 9: The 80/20 of Living with Purpose (4:34:24) Takeaways

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices