11.1.10 Foundation Series: Essay 10
Related: Introduction to the Foundation Series · Essay 1 · Essay 2 · Essay 3 · Essay 4 · Essay 5 · Essay 6 · Essay 7 · Essay 8 · Essay 9
Welcome
This week I am on a business trip in Carlsbad, California, surrounded by some of my favorite people, and it feels fitting to share my final post in my Foundation Series. This series has been a journey through the people, principles, and pivotal experiences that shaped who I am today. It has been a reflection on beginnings, beliefs, relationships, and legacy.
And now, it concludes with the question I have quietly carried for decades: Why do I exist?
A Movie and a Question
When I was fourteen, I watched the movie City Slickers. In it, Jack Palance’s character delivers a now famous line about the search for “the meaning of life.” While the movie was a comedy, that line stuck with me. It planted a seed, a lifelong curiosity about what gives our lives meaning. I have been exploring that question ever since.
In Essay 2, I shared my Grandma Mary’s final wisdom: “When I am 94, what is really going to matter?” That conversation shifted how I measure success. But even before that moment, I had been collecting stories, quotes, and questions, all orbiting around a deeper inquiry: What is my purpose?
The Moment It All Came Together
On February 22, 2024, during Expedition 40 at Studio/E, I finally put words to that question. That four month experience, gifted to me by my friend Tom, challenged me to articulate my purpose with clarity and courage. After years of journaling and reflecting, I drafted my personal purpose statement. It was not polished, but it was honest.
I had not planned to share it publicly; yet it represents an important part of my foundation and reflects my belief in living openly.
My Purpose Statement:
I am a faithful starfish thrower, a perpetual and passionate knowledge seeker and dreamer, who equally treasures meaningful relationships and accomplishing purposeful goals, committed to bringing joy to those I encounter, serving as a “water carrier” for anyone in need, and leaving our world in better condition than how I entered it.
The Starfish Thrower
As a child, my mom told me her version of the starfish story. After a storm, a young girl walked a quiet beach tossing stranded starfish back into the ocean. An older man stopped her and said, “You cannot possibly save them all.” She answered, “Then please step aside so I can keep saving as many as I can.”
In my mom’s telling, the old man returns at the end. He is God. He smiles, steps aside, and lets the child continue. That image has stayed with me. It reminds me that God delights in courage and compassion, and that love often moves through our willing hands.
I believe in free will. I do not believe the evil in our world is God’s will, any more than I believe our failure to act is God’s plan. We are given the freedom to choose. When we feed the hungry, defend the vulnerable, or return one small life to the water, we are exercising that freedom toward good.
This story imprinted itself on my heart, and inspired this promise: I may not change the whole world, but I can change someone’s world. One person. One act. One moment at a time.
The Balance: Dreaming Big, Living Grounded
My purpose is not only about service. It is also about learning, dreaming, and building meaningful relationships. I find joy in striving for ambitious goals, but not at the expense of connection. For me, a purposeful life is one where accomplishment and love live side by side.
I was also taught a powerful reframing early on: we tend to judge others by their actions and ourselves by our intentions. As I wrote in Driving My Own Bus, my ongoing challenge is to flip that: take full responsibility for my own actions, offer others the benefit of the doubt, and extend grace before judgment. Not in a naïve way, but in a human one.
Carrying Water
A mentor once told me that our work is to carry water for others. The phrase stuck. Carrying water is quiet, often unseen, and rarely thanked. Yet like water itself, its absence is felt the moment it is gone. This is part of my purpose: to show up when needed, to do the humble work, and to serve without seeking credit.
Leave It Better Than You Found It
The final line of my purpose statement is a direct inheritance from my Grandpa Bill. Whether it was a shovel or a borrowed tool, he taught me this: “Always return things better than how you received them.”
That small habit became a lifelong principle. In relationships, work, and community, I aim to leave everything better than how I found it.
Reflection Point
Purpose is not found in a single answer. It is revealed in the way we live, lead, love, and leave things better than we found them.
The Lesson: Purpose Is Found in the Living
- Purpose is revealed through how we live, not just what we plan.
- It is a mosaic of people, values, and daily choices.
- Purpose is not about perfection, it is about love, service, and legacy.
Practical Takeaways
- Write your own purpose statement, even if it feels unfinished.
- Share your statement with someone you trust for feedback and encouragement.
- Practice one small act of service this week without expecting recognition.
- Reflect on one area of life you can leave better than you found it.
Two Questions to Explore
- What would your purpose statement be if you wrote it today?
- How do you see your purpose shaping the legacy you want to leave behind?
Further Resources
- Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl. A powerful exploration of finding purpose even in the harshest conditions, grounded in lived experience.
- The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. A Christian perspective on understanding life’s purpose through faith and service.
- Start with Why by Simon Sinek. A practical guide to discovering purpose in leadership and work that connects with others.
- The Second Mountain by David Brooks. Reflections on moving from personal success to a life of service and meaning.
- Essentialism by Greg McKeown. A disciplined method for focusing on what matters most so purpose can guide your calendar.
Thank you for being part of my journey. May you live with clarity, serve with love, and leave the world better than you found it.
Next week I will introduce a brand new set of essays in my Load-Bearing Series, which outline the measurable pillars I use to build my life.
Live. Lead. Love.
Billy
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Explore the Foundation Series · Essay 1 · Essay 2 · Essay 3 · Essay 4 · Essay 5 · Essay 6 · Essay 7 · Essay 8 · Essay 9
Absolutely wonderful!
Thank you, David!
Billy, I wish I knew this when I was 28 years old. I am reading this on thanksgiving eve. I always love when a fellow human articulates who they are and has the courage to share and declare it to the world. Your vulnerability and courage gives me the confidence to do the same. I am thankful for you.
Explore or Expire, T.
Thank you, Tom. Your words mean a great deal, especially on the eve of a day centered on gratitude. I have found that naming who we are and why we exist is less about certainty and more about honesty, and it is encouraging to hear how the essay resonated with you. You were a significant part of this development.
Vulnerability can feel risky, yet it opens the door for shared understanding, which is why your note matters so much. I am grateful for your reflection, and I am grateful for YOU and our friendship. Explore or expire is a beautiful reminder to keep growing.