How Do You Know When You’re Living Your Purpose?

Today, I woke up reflecting on my life and the question of who we remember—and why. Long after the speeches and the history lessons, certain names remain because they answered a calling larger than themselves. And it made me wonder: how do we know when we’re living our purpose? Is it something we decide, or something we recognize once we’re already walking in it?

When I think about legacy, my mind doesn’t stop with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I think of women like Maya Angelou and Harriet Tubman—women who not only survived, but transformed their lives. Their names are known. Their stories are taught. But I also think about the ancestors whose names the world may never know, yet their lives meant so much to us.

What stands out to me most about those like Dr. King and other influential ancestors is not just what they stood for, but how they lived in alignment with it.

Lately, I’ve been learning to look at my own life through that same lens. Even without having clear language for my purpose yet, I’m discovering that walking in it can begin with the daily refining of my choices—choosing alignment even when it’s inconvenient, uncomfortable, or unpopular.

What experiences in your life are asking to be transformed and used as a way of showing up in your purpose, for the benefit of others? What does purpose mean to you?