When You Feel Lost: How to Reignite Your Purpose Without Having It All Figured Out
You were never meant to have it all together. If you feel disconnected from your purpose, exhausted, anxious, uncertain, you’re not broken. You’re at a crossroads. And this place? It often holds the beginning of your return.
I’ve been there. After surviving a house fire in my early twenties, I lost everything. No insurance. No savings. Just a futon in a chaotic apartment that never slept, surrounded by noise, and people who didn’t see me.
I climbed to the roof one night, stared into the sky, and whispered for help.
No bolt of lightning came. But something quieter did, a nudge to return to what I loved. I grabbed a pen and wrote down every single thing that brought me joy. Every noun.
That list became the spark that pulled me forward.
Here are seven reminders for when you feel lost, and a personal story at the end that just might shift everything for you. If this speaks to you, you might also appreciate this article on navigating loneliness and finding connection.
7. Purpose Isn’t Loud
You don’t have to change the world to live meaningfully. Sometimes, purpose is in how you listen.
How you show up for someone in silence. It’s not always a calling. Sometimes, it’s a whisper.
6. You’re in a Season, Not a Failure
Life moves in cycles, not straight lines. In tarot readings, I often sense what season someone is in, whether it’s a time for planting new ideas, nurturing quiet growth, or simply resting below the surface.
More importantly, I can often sense what seeds of inspiration and ideas are ideal for you to plant in this phase of life, and how to care for them so they grow into your own personal spring.
You can learn more about what to expect from a Life Path Tarot Reading. Not every moment is for blooming.
Some seasons are for rooting. Yours is still unfolding. and what seeds can be planted. Not every moment is for blooming. Some seasons are for rooting. Yours is still unfolding.
If you’ve been wrestling with the big question of why am I here?, BetterUp offers a deep dive into how people actually find purpose in real life, not just in theory.
5. You’re Allowed to Pivot
While everyone around me seemed to be finding their path, I was biking between jobs and living in a sectioned-off upper landing of a staircase in an old, haunted house. The place was so run-down and pest-infested, the only way to turn on the shower was with a wrench.
I was still reeling after surviving a house fire that took everything I owned. No direction, no plan, just survival mode.
Then something unexpected shifted everything. My mom sent me a baby book. Flipping through it, I noticed I was always smiling whenever I placed something on someone’s head. That moment hit like a lightning bolt: hairdressing.
I applied at a salon using skulls as bullet points on my resume and Old English font for my name. They hired me. Eventually, the owner even loaned me money to help cover my tuition.
Your purpose often reveals itself through small signs, ones you can only hear when you stop searching for perfection. This reflection on navigating career change might speak to you too..
Sometimes, the quietest approach is the most powerful. This article from Calm explores how mindfulness and stillness can gently reconnect you with what truly matters.
4. You Don’t Need to Prove You’re Worthy of Love
This life isn’t meant to break you. It’s here to teach you how to love and be loved, without conditions or expectations. You deserve love simply because you exist.
Even in the hardest moments, there is a deeper current of strength within you that has already weathered so much. Take heart. The storms pass, but what’s real within you endures.
You are enough, just as you are, flaws and all.
3. Sensitivity Isn’t Weakness
The most intuitive people often feel the heaviest. That doesn’t mean you’re fragile, it means you’re awake. Feeling deeply is not a flaw; it’s a gift that lets you perceive what others miss.
Vulnerability isn’t weakness. In fact, only showing strength all the time can cut you off from connection, from healing, and from the very guidance your intuition is trying to give you.
When you’re overwhelmed, don’t shut it down, get curious. Ask yourself: What is this emotion pointing me toward? (and it’s ok if you don’t have the answer to that) What do I need right now that I’ve been ignoring? Write it down.
Say it out loud. Or bring it to someone safe who will really listen. Let your sensitivity guide you, not bury you. That’s how you begin tuning back into yourself.
I always find that after writing these down, I wake up the next day with a refreshed sense of life purpose, perhaps our subconscious sought out the answers our conscious mind couldn’t find.
Feeling disconnected from what lights you up? Tony Robbins shares 3 clear ways to realign with your purpose and regain momentum, even when you’re starting from scratch.
2. Give to Return to Yourself
After years of working behind the chair, my career evolved into styling hair for the film industry. It seemed like a dream on the outside, but over time, the pressure and pace left me drained and questioning everything.
One morning while driving to set, I asked aloud, “What am I supposed to be doing with my life?” That very afternoon, actress Toni Collette, someone I’d only ever spoken with professionally, unexpectedly asked me for a tarot reading.
After the session, she looked at me with tears in her eyes and said, “You really need to do this for a living.” That moment changed everything. It wasn’t just confirmation. It was permission.
I didn’t think much of it in the moment. But on the drive home, it hit me, she had answered the exact question I had asked that morning.
In the early days of taking my tarot readings professional, when I had no clients, I offered free readings to people in need, not just to practice, but because I needed something to believe in. And the act of giving, of showing up for someone else, was often what brought me back to myself.
If you’re feeling directionless, don’t wait for the perfect plan. Go help someone. Not through a formal volunteer gig, just show up. Buy someone lunch. Pick up litter. Smile at a stranger. Kindness and love are free. And more often than not, they return your spark before anything else does.
Whatever your gift is, use it. Practice it. Stoke that spark into a flame, one that shines not only for you, but for the people you’re here to impact.
If you’re looking for practical, research-backed ways to reconnect with your sense of direction, this guide from Harvard Business Review breaks it down into small, actionable steps.
And if you feel weighed down emotionally, this guide on reclaiming your space may help you clear the fog and reconnect with what matters.
Be brave. Take action. Step outside your comfort zone and reach toward something greater than yourself.
1. Imposter Syndrome Happens at the Top
One of the most profound lessons I learned from working in the upper echelon of the entertainment industry: Even the most successful actors hate hearing their own voice and seeing themselves on camera.
Everyone feels like a fraud at times. The key is showing up anyway. Even afraid. Even unsure. That’s where your path finds you.
Imposter syndrome doesn’t go away with success, if anything it adds insurmountable pressure to it. Do what you love, and pour your heart into it each and every day above ground.
If you’ve made it this far, here’s the truth: your story isn’t over. What looks like the end might be the beginning. Start small. Make a list. Ask for a sign. This post on recognizing messages from spirit breaks it down in simple steps. Light one spark. And when it lights something inside you, follow it.
Still wondering if you even need a life purpose? This no-fluff perspective from Mark Manson offers a refreshingly grounded (and slightly cheeky) take on why clarity might come from letting go of the pressure.
