People spend a lot of time trying to figure out their purpose. What am I supposed to be doing? What should I build? What would make my life feel more meaningful?
I think we make that harder than it needs to be.
Most of us already have plenty of work in front of us. People depend on us. We've made promises. We've taken on responsibilities. Things need to get done whether we feel inspired by them or not.
That may not sound as exciting as "finding your purpose" but I think it's probably more useful.
I've spent most of my adult life running businesses and a lot of the work that matters isn't impressive at all. Training an employee who needs more help. Fixing a problem for a customer. Making payroll. Having a difficult conversation instead of putting it off. Dealing with something because ultimately, it's mine to deal with.
None of that looks important from the outside. It matters because there's usually a real person on the other side of it.
I've come to think usefulness is a better measure than importance.
There's also a difference between changing direction and always looking for a way out of ordinary responsibility. Sometimes you should make a big change. Sometimes you just need to do the thing you already know is yours to do.
That applies outside of business too. What I owe my family isn't the same as what I owe an employee, customer, friend, or stranger. Those relationships are different, and so are the responsibilities that come with them.
Your kid needs your attention. An employee needs an answer. A customer needs you to fix a problem. Someone is counting on you to do what you said you would do.
That's a lot more real to me than some vague idea of "doing good."
I'm still ambitious. I've spent years building things, and I expect I'll keep doing that. But ambition can also have you constantly looking at what's next while ignoring what's already sitting in front of you.
So instead of always asking, "What is my purpose?" I think there's a better question:
What is mine to do right now?
Who is counting on me? What have I taken responsibility for? What is actually in front of me that I'm in a position to handle?
Some things matter simply because they've been placed in your hands.
Do that work well. Then worry about what comes next.
Ryan Ragsdale is the CEO of Supplement Giant, a multi-location supplement retailer with stores across Colorado and Kansas. He grew up in the supplement industry and has spent over 30 years around supplements, including the last 18 running Supplement Giant.