What If Your Life Is Waiting on a Sentence?

I had everything. And I was miserable.

It was February 2003. I had just paid cash for a brand-new Honda Odyssey. My business was doing fine. I was living in a home Susie and I had built together. I had three beautiful kids and a wife I adored.

On the outside, everything looked great.

And yet I spent the entire day alone in that van, parked at an empty state park, crying.

Not because something had gone wrong—but because I couldn’t figure out why any of it mattered.

That night, I sat in my dark living room after everyone went to bed and finally admitted it:

“I’m surviving… but I’m not thriving.”

And that’s when something shifted.

It didn’t start with ambition. It started with purpose.

I decided in that moment that I was going to figure out what made the difference between surviving and thriving.

But the key wasn’t just that I made the decision—it was why.

I didn’t do it for me. I did it for them.

My kids deserved better.
My wife deserved better.
My business partner deserved better.
My team deserved better.

That moment—when my focus shifted beyond myself—is what gave me purpose.

Purpose isn’t about being needed. It’s about being aligned.

You don’t need a stage or a title to live with purpose.

You don’t even need to know all the details.

You just need to start moving in alignment with what matters.

And you can begin by writing one sentence:

✍️ A Simple Way to Start

Use this format:

I [verb] [verb] [verb] so others [verb] [verb] [verb].

Here are a few examples:

I love, inspire, and guide so others rejoice, grow, and fulfill their God-given purpose.
I ignite faith and inspire action so others meet Jesus personally and walk with Him daily.
(For a business: We protect and improve people’s lives so they can focus on what really matters in life.)

Not sure where to begin?

Try this:

Name 1–3 people you admire.
What did they do that made a difference?
Because of their actions, what happened in other people’s lives?

The actions and outcomes you notice might be clues to your own purpose.

One sentence may not change your life.

But it might aim it in the right direction.

And that’s how purpose starts—by pointing your life toward something greater than yourself.

So write the sentence. Tape it inside your journal.
Then live like it matters. Because it does.

📖 This blog is based on Lesson 3 of the Principles of Life & Leadership course:

👉 Start Lesson 3: Find Your Purpose. Live Your Adventure.

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#LiveWithPurpose #FindYourWhy #ChristianLeadership #LifeOnPurpose #YouAreCreatedForMore #DanMuhlenkamp #FaithInAction #PrinciplesOfLifeAndLeadership