Welcome to the new year! After a much-needed break, I'm excited to embrace this next chapter with you. Together, let's uncover what will bring more purpose and fulfilment to your 2025.

Laying a strong foundation is important to begin the year well—and for me, that foundation is tuning into my inner compass. Last year, I experienced some amazing moments simply by listening to it. One experience that particularly stands out in my mind was when I felt a strong pull to attend a business event in the city. Having learned to trust these intuitive nudges, I followed that inner prompting. During a break in the event, the woman sitting next to me and I simultaneously turned to introduce ourselves. When I found out she was a fashion designer, my heart leaped.

My parents had been praying for a way to sell their sewing machines, which had been sitting in the garage collecting dust since they retired years ago. After Mum's chemotherapy, she wanted to clear the clutter in her home, so we decided to help Dad clean out the garage as well. I'd been searching for a buyer for the machines. When the designer found out my Dad was selling his machines at a bargain, she exclaimed, "This feels spiritual!"

This experience reinforced a crucial lesson: when we follow our inner compass, we often create ripple effects of positive change that extend beyond ourselves. My purpose to help my parents was fulfilled, my new fashion-designer friend got the machines she needed, and a prayer was answered. I welcome more moments of synchronicity like this in the year ahead.

Have you ever felt that pull or restless stirring in your bones—a quiet whisper telling you there's more to life than just going through the motions? Like many of us seeking to live meaningfully, I’ve learned that aligning with our core purpose isn’t about grand revelations. It’s about tuning into that inner guide that’s been there all along. For me, helping my parents and others gives me a deep sense of purpose and aligns with my larger goal of fulfilment and creating healthier cultures for people to thrive.

I've come to understand that fulfilment is a continuous process of growth and discovery that weaves together personal growth, meaningful relationships, clear goals, and gratitude for the experiences that shape our lives (as I explored in my previous article on The Science of Fulfilment). All the micro-moments in our lives, like clearing out dad's garage or meeting someone new at an event, can be deeply satisfying when we are in tune with the compass that guides us.

This understanding hasn't come overnight. It's the result of years of learning—drawing from personal and clinical experience, research, and meaningful interviews with women from around the world. Through this work, I've uncovered recurring patterns and powerful insights that I'm weaving into my upcoming book focused on helping women create joy and success in their lives. The stories and wisdom shared with me have been deeply moving, and I'm excited to bring these transformative lessons to you through a masterclass launching this year. Along with fresh Culture Shaper Interviews, I'll share more about these projects soon. For now, let me introduce some foundational truths I've learned along the way.

Think of your inner compass as that gut feeling—the one that makes your heart flutter when you're on the right path. It's not just intuition; it's your authentic self breaking through the noise of "shoulds" and "must-dos" that often cloud our judgment.

The journey to awakening this inner guidance system starts with stillness. In our world of constant notifications and endless scrolling, we've forgotten how to sit with ourselves. Take it from someone who used to fill every moment with activity—learning to embrace quiet moments isn't just helpful; it's transformative. Start with five minutes each morning, before the world demands your attention. Just breathe and listen.

Your core purpose isn't something you discover like buried treasure. Rather, it reveals itself through patterns in your life—the activities that make time disappear, the topics that light up your eyes, the work that doesn't feel like work. Pay attention to these breadcrumbs of joy; they're leading you somewhere important.

But here's what most purpose-seeking advice gets wrong: your purpose isn't fixed. Like a river winding toward the ocean, it changes course as you grow. What felt meaningful at 25 might evolve at 35 or 45. The key is staying fluid while keeping your ultimate destination—a life of fulfilment—in sight.

Creating a life you love requires courage. It means saying no to good opportunities that aren't aligned with your values. It means disappointing people who might not understand your choices. Remember: every time you say no to something that doesn't serve your purpose, you're saying yes to what does.

As we explore this journey of purpose together, I want to share some practical steps that have helped me and countless others begin aligning with their inner compass:

1. Journal about your peak moments: Think of the times you felt most alive and fulfilled. Look for common threads in these experiences—they're often signposts pointing toward your purpose.

2. Audit your energy: Track your activities for a week, noting what drains you versus what energizes you. Your purpose often lives in the spaces where you feel most energized and time seems to float away.

3. Experiment with micro-adjustments: You don't need to quit your job or move countries to align with your purpose. Start small—perhaps by spending 30 minutes each day on a creative project or helping others in your field.

The beauty of following your inner compass is that it leads to a life that feels like home—not the physical kind, but the soul kind. When you're aligned with your purpose, even challenges feel meaningful because they're part of a larger journey that resonates with your core values.

The path to purpose isn't always clear, but that's what makes it beautiful. It's your path, your journey, your story to write. So, are you ready to begin?

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About the Author

Lidia Lae, Ph.D., is a writer, psychologist, and speaker, committed to empowering individuals and organisations to build healthier cultures for meaningful contribution.