I understood the importance of having a purpose in life by watching older people. Not celebrities: grandparents, neighbors, the elders on my block. And I noticed something that hit me hard.
Having a purpose means having a reason to get up that goes beyond yourself: something you do, something you know how to do, that serves other people. It’s not a motivational quote. It’s what separates surviving from living.
Two people the same age, two different lives
Think of two older people. Both are 80. Both have aches, maybe an illness, good days and bad days.
The first one ran out of things to do. Retired, the kids grew up, nobody asks anything of them anymore. They end up in a nursing home watching TV, and little by little the will fades. Not because the body can’t go on, but because they no longer see what for.
The second one is also old and also has health problems. But they still do something: the seamstress the whole neighborhood brings clothes to, the teacher who still tutors, the mechanic the young guys go to for advice, the grandmother who watches the grandkids and teaches half the family to cook. That person has a reason. Someone needs them. And that keeps them standing.
It’s not a coincidence. Studies of older adults, such as the Rush Memory and Aging Project in the US, have found that people with a stronger sense of purpose tended to live longer and keep their abilities better. Science is still debating exactly why, but you can see the pattern in any neighborhood.
Why does purpose change your life?
Because it changes the question. Without purpose you ask “how do I have the best time possible?”. With purpose you ask “who can I serve today with what I know?”. The first question leaves you comfortable and empty. The second leaves you tired, but full.
- It gives you discipline without forcing it: when someone depends on you, you get up even when you don’t feel like it.
- It helps you carry pain: losses still hurt, but you have somewhere to go afterwards.
- It gives value to your skills: what you know stops being a hobby and becomes a way to help.
- It connects you with people: purpose almost always involves others.
My purpose, plainly
I lived this. I arrived in Miami sleeping in a hostel. There were losses and moments when anyone would have quit. What held me up wasn’t money, because there wasn’t any. It was knowing why I was doing what I did: helping entrepreneurs get their website, their store, their social media, and today their AI automations, so they can live from their own thing. It started in 2019 with Guruseo and today it’s King Studio AI. I told the full story in from a hostel in Miami to an AI business.
Every time a client writes “I just got my first sale from the website”, I remember why I get up. That’s the engine.
How to find your purpose (without waiting for a sign)
- List what you know how to do. Trade, profession, what comes easy to you and hard to others. Everything counts.
- Write down other people’s problems that bother you. What do you see around you that you’d love to fix?
- Cross both lists. Where what you know meets what others need, there’s a possible purpose.
- Test it small this week. Help one specific person. Teach them something, solve a problem, walk alongside them.
- Measure how you feel, not just what you earn. If it gives you energy even when it tires you, you’re on track.
- Make it sustainable. A purpose that also pays the bills lasts longer. There’s nothing wrong with charging for helping well.
Purpose doesn’t retire
What stayed with me most from thinking about the elders is this: purpose has no age. You can find it at 25, renew it at 46 or discover it at 75. The only thing you can’t do is stop looking. And if you have older people around you, ask them what they know and ask them to teach you. You might be giving them their reason back.
If your purpose is about teaching what you know or living from your craft, the first step is usually having a place to show it. Start by organizing your day with this checklist of what to automate first, and keep reading on the home page.
Put in the work, find your why, and keep leveling up.
— Patricio “King” Olivera
Frequently asked questions
Why is it important to have a purpose in life?
Because it gives you a reason to get up, a way to hold on when things get hard, and a way to measure your days by more than comfort. Purpose turns effort into meaning.
How do I find my purpose if I don’t know where to start?
Start with what you already know how to do and with other people’s problems you care about. Try helping one specific person with one of your skills this week and notice how it feels. Purpose is found by doing, not by waiting.
Can you have a purpose at any age?
Yes. Many people find or renew their purpose after retirement, illness or loss. Teaching, mentoring, creating or serving others is available at 30, at 60 and at 80.
Ready for the next step?
If your purpose is living from what you know how to do, you need a place where people can find you and hire you.
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