Your Thursday Three Things July 24, 2025

Becoming the Person You Were Meant to Be

We all want purpose.

But too many of us wait for it to show up like a package in the mail.

And the longer it takes, the more we doubt if it’s even coming.

But what if purpose isn’t a thing you find… what if it’s something you build?

That’s what we dug into this week. And not in a vague, motivational sense… but in a grounded, actionable way.

Here’s the hard truth:
If you don’t decide who you are and what you stand for, the world will do it for you.

And it will get it wrong.

Because your purpose doesn’t live in your job title.
Or in your past mistakes.
Or in someone else’s expectations.

It lives in what you choose to do with what you’ve been through.

And that’s why this week’s conversation with Dr. Robb Kelly hit so hard. He reminded us that purpose isn’t just about meaning. It’s about mission. And mission starts with movement.

This one is about direction.
And the real reasons we stay stuck.

Dr. Kelly’s life unraveled after rising to the top of his career. But what put it back together wasn’t therapy or rehab… it was a radical act of self-ownership. Of choosing to become the man he was meant to be, even after everything fell apart.

His path won’t be everyone’s. But the principles underneath? They’re universal.

Here’s what stood out most:

• Your purpose isn’t out there… it’s inside you. But you’ll only find it if you’re willing to confront what’s been covering it up.

• Shame is the biggest thief of identity. Kill it by telling the truth.

• If you don’t like the story you're living, rewrite it. No one else is holding the pen.

Want more on this?
🎧 Listen here → https://pod.fo/e/2ff825
📺 Watch here →

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So how do you actually build a life of purpose?
We’ve pulled together three powerful tools below—each of them designed to help you stop drifting and start driving.

1️⃣ Framework: The 5 Pillars of Purpose
Adapted from Dr. Robb Kelly’s approach, here’s a daily diagnostic tool to help you align your habits and decisions with what really matters.
These are the five areas we explored:

• Belief (What do you know to be true about you?)

• Behavior (Are your actions reflecting that truth?)

• Service (Where do you give beyond yourself?)

• Connection (Who really sees you?)

• Commitment (What do you keep doing even when no one’s watching?)

Journal through each one every morning for 7 days. You’ll be shocked at what you discover.

2️⃣ Practice: The “I Am” Rewrite
Write a list of your top 5 limiting beliefs (e.g., “I’m not good enough,” “I always mess things up,” “I’m broken”).

Now rewrite each one into an identity-based statement:
“I am a man who grows through mistakes.”
“I am the kind of person who shows up even when it’s hard.”
Repeat them daily. Not as woo-woo affirmations (looking at you Stuart Smalley!) but as truth you’re choosing to live into.

3️⃣ Tool: The Ikigai Framework (Reimagined)

Ikigai is a Japanese concept that loosely means “reason for being.” The framework helps you identify your purpose by mapping four overlapping circles:

• What you love

• What you’re good at

• What the world needs

• What you can be paid for

But here’s the twist:
Instead of filling it out all at once, try journaling one prompt per day for the next two weeks:

• “When do I feel most alive?”

• “What do others thank me for?”

• “What problems break my heart?”

• “If money weren’t a factor, what would I spend my time doing?”

Purpose doesn’t always arrive in one big flash.
Sometimes, it trickles in through self-awareness.
This tool gives you a map but more importantly, it gives you momentum.

Bottom line:
You don’t need to hit rock bottom to rebuild.
But you do need to stop outsourcing your identity.

No one’s coming to crown you.
So take the first step today.
Not toward a perfect life but toward a purposeful one.

Until next week…

—Jon & Will
Men Talking Mindfulness