Raising Purpose-Driven Kids In A Noisy World

I'd like to tell you about a moment that changed the way I understood purpose.

Years ago,

I was hiking alone in the mountains,

Deep in a stretch of forest where the silence carried weight.

And if you've been out in an area like that,

You know exactly what I mean.

I had left my phone behind,

No music,

No distractions,

Just me and the wilderness.

Somewhere around mile seven,

I came across an ancient fallen tree.

The roots were exposed,

Looked almost alien-like,

Stretching into the sky that looked like fingers grasping for something long gone.

I felt called to sit with it for a moment,

So I knelt beside it,

Tracing my hand along the bark.

And I noticed something remarkable.

Young saplings growing from its decayed trunk,

And a few little mushrooms as well.

That's when it hit me.

Purpose isn't a destination.

It isn't a job title.

It's not a perfect mission statement.

Or it's not a single moment of revelation.

Purpose is an unfolding.

It's a natural evolution,

Just like that fallen tree that was nourishing new life.

So what I've come to see is that most men,

Especially fathers in leadership positions,

They seem to struggle with the idea of purpose because we treat it like a question that we need to answer once and for all.

As if,

What's my purpose?

And there's a gripping on to it,

Like I need to understand.

But purpose isn't something you find.

It's something you feel.

And that feeling changes as you grow.

So let's break that down a bit more.

When we're young,

Purpose is simple.

Purpose is about belonging.

Feeling like we are part of something bigger than ourselves.

And for many of us,

It begins with family.

As a child,

I remember wanting nothing more than my dad's attention.

A game of catch outside.

A sign that I mattered.

And when he was absent,

Physically and emotionally,

I felt really lost.

And that's the first lesson about purpose.

Without belonging,

It's easy to feel unanchored.

And for some,

Family isn't the place where belonging is the strongest.

It's often a group of friends,

A team,

Or with a mentor who sees something in us we don't yet see in ourselves.

But this first stage of purpose is always the same.

We exist through connection.

We feel a sense of purpose through connection.

We define ourselves by how others see us.

And we search for a place to stand.

And for a while,

That's enough.

But eventually,

Something inside us whispers.

That's the natural evolution in this world.

We're naturally meant to evolve and grow.

And there's a voice that eventually whispers,

There is more.

As we get older,

Purpose expands beyond belonging.

It shifts towards mastery.

We want to feel competent,

Valuable.

This is when purpose often becomes tied to achievement.

A role in a team,

Whether it's a sports team or at work.

A role in a career.

A role in a craft.

I've coached executives who have built multi-million dollar businesses only to reach a breaking point.

They had climbed to the top of their industry,

But something felt hollow.

They had spent years refining their skills,

Becoming the best.

And I mean the best.

I'll never forget this man who was telling me about,

I literally rang,

He said,

I literally rang the bell on Wall Street.

He had gotten very successful in his financial career.

But eventually,

He had asked himself,

Best for what?

This stage of purpose is really seductive.

This stage of purpose gives us identity.

Gives us a sense of belonging and a cultural norm.

But here's the thing,

And if you're here listening to this,

You know that we can't stop there.

Because if we stop here,

We risk becoming trapped in a loop of endless productivity,

Chasing validation through performance.

A man who is only as worthy as his last success is a man who will always be starving.

So if we're lucky,

If we're paying attention,

Something eventually shifts.

And this often comes from embodying a spiritual practice where we slowly tap into something bigger than ourselves.

It also could be the birth of a child.

And sometimes it comes through an unexpected loss,

Through deep grief.

And sometimes even it's a whisper of an old dream that we set aside long ago.

But eventually,

This question of purpose deepens.

And we start to wonder,

What if purpose isn't just about me?

This is the hardest transition because it demands something most of us aren't prepared for.

And that's a molting process.

It's the death of who we thought we were.

There's an old story about a man who was visited by three ravens in a dream.

The first raven said,

You are who they told you to be.

The second raven said,

You are who you choose to be.

And the third raven said,

You are something neither of them have seen before.

Most people never meet the third raven.

They stay in the perpetual story of belonging,

Where purpose is externalized outside of yourself.

But real purpose,

It asks you to let go,

To walk into the unknown.

The truth is,

Purpose is the harmony you create because of your journey.

There are gifts that only you can bring to the world,

Because no one else has lived your life.

No one has faced your challenges,

Has integrated your lessons,

Has carried your burdens,

And then turned them into wisdom.

And so the final evolution of purpose is this.

How do you contribute in a way that makes the world more whole than it was before you arrived?

What's the unique thread that you play in the tapestry of the story of the earth?

This doesn't mean that you have to build an empire,

Or you have to change the world on a global scale.

Sometimes the greatest contribution is how you love,

How you lead,

How you break patterns so that your children don't inherit the same wounds you did.

You model what it's like to turn wounds into a gift.

What does this look like?

It looks like the father who learns to forgive himself.

He teaches his children that self-compassion is possible.

It looks like the leader who steps beyond ego and then creates a team where wisdom is shared,

Not hoarded.

It looks like the man who answers the call to something greater and leaves behind something lasting,

Not just in what he built,

But in the way he lived.

Now as parents,

We want our children to grow into mature,

Capable adults with a deep sense of purpose.

But let's be honest,

Helping them find that purpose in today's world is harder than ever before.

Everywhere we turn,

There's noise.

Schools,

Media,

Peers,

Even well-meaning family members,

Even ourselves,

We impose our own expectations and values.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

That's the question that is often asked and ties our children's worth to a singular career path,

As though their identity must be a fixed destination.

This stuff goes deep.

This question alone subtly pressures our kids to shape their lives around external expectations rather than an inner calling.

And let's not kid ourselves,

Right?

We as parents,

We're really part of this conditioning as well.

The world is loud,

Louder than ever before.

Social media bombards our kids with images of success that are curated for effect,

Not reality.

And AI only amplifies this.

Schools prioritize achievement over introspection.

Friends pull our kids in different directions.

And our culture continually tells us that meaning is found in fame,

In money,

In status.

And the result is,

Many young people,

They struggle to discern their own path from the paths others have laid out before them.

They end up chasing external validation instead of an internal compass.

And if they stay trapped in this cycle,

They risk becoming the archetype that Jung explored in his work,

Which is puer eternis.

That means the eternal child,

Full of potential,

But unwilling or unable to take full responsibility for their own purpose.

Put in leadership terms,

What do we call this?

We say stepping into daring leadership.

Because leadership is not sexy.

If we look at some of the greatest leaders throughout history,

They took risks that were very challenging to navigate.

So how do we,

As parents,

Guide our kids through the storm?

I want to explore this a bit deeper.

How do we help our kids cultivate a deep,

Intrinsic sense of purpose rather than a shallow,

Borrowed one?

So here are some key approaches I want to explore with you all today.

Encourage inner reflection over external approval.

You know,

Socrates once said,

Know thyself.

That's perhaps one of the greatest questions we could impart on our children.

Purpose isn't something you find.

It's something you develop through experience,

Introspection,

And challenge.

Encourage your kids to ask themselves deeper questions.

What do I love doing?

What sparks joy inside of me,

Even when watching?

What kind of problems do I feel drawn to solving?

And when do I feel the most alive?

We can bring in the element of life force here.

When am I receiving the most life force?

So rather than asking what do you want to be when you grow up,

Ask what kind of impact you want to have in this world?

What sparks the greatest joy in your life?

These questions shift the focus from a job title to a deeper sense of contribution,

A deeper sense of coming into alignment with your eternal compass.

Now,

This second part here is perhaps the hardest to hear because really,

The most valuable contribution we can give to our kids is to model purpose through our own lives.

Our kids are watching us closely.

If we are constantly seeking validation from external resources,

They're going to do the same thing.

If we are living with a sense of mission,

Whether it's in your work,

The way in which we show up as parents,

The way in which we contribute to others,

They're going to feel that as well.

So talk openly about your challenges with purpose.

Let them see that purpose is an evolving journey,

Not a fixed answer.

Let's talk about exposing them to a range of experiences.

Purpose often emerges through trial and exploration.

So give your kids opportunities to try different activities,

Meet diverse people,

And engage in service projects,

And help them explore this beautiful world off the beaten path.

Let them see different models of fulfillment,

Artists,

Entrepreneurs,

Healers,

Scientists.

That way they can expand their view of what a meaningful life looks like.

But just as important,

Let them experience struggle.

Don't rush in to fix every challenge for them.

Give them the tools so that when they get off the path and they find themselves in the wilderness of life,

Literally and figuratively,

They're able to get themselves back home safely.

Let them wrestle with difficulty,

Because resilience and self-reliance are key ingredients in purpose.

This is one of my favorites.

Let's talk about questioning authority,

Even our own.

Now,

Schools,

Media,

Society,

They will project their values onto your kids.

And yes,

You're going to do that too.

The goal is not to eliminate influence,

Because that's impossible.

But rather,

Let's give them the tools to critically evaluate the voices around them.

Teach them to ask,

Is this expectation aligned with who I am?

Who benefits if I follow this path?

Am I choosing this out of fear,

Or am I choosing this out of love?

Encouraging them to think independently will help them step out of the Puerto Rican mindset and into personal sovereignty.

And lastly,

Let's help them integrate their gifts.

Now,

Every child has unique gifts,

Just like you do,

Just like I do,

But they may not recognize them at first.

Part of our role as parents is to reflect back their strengths,

Not just in a superficial,

You're amazing at everything kind of way,

But in a way that helps them see their natural talents and passions.

Purpose is ultimately about contribution,

Finding a way to integrate one's gifts into something larger than oneself,

Whether it's leadership,

Creativity,

Empathy,

Problem-solving.

Help them see how their strengths can serve the world.

Finding purpose,

It isn't about discovering a perfect job or a passion.

It's about developing the maturity to take responsibility for one's life.

It's about stepping out of childhood's endless potential and into adulthood's reality of contribution.

By helping our kids separate the signal from the noise,

We aren't just guiding them toward a purpose,

We're guiding them toward maturity.

And that ultimately,

I've come to realize,

Is what will allow them to lead a meaningful life,

Not one dictated by external forces,

But one deeply in alignment with who they truly are.

So I'll leave you today with this question.

What stage of purpose are you in right now?

Because if you want to lead your kids,

You first need to lead yourself.

This is something I often refer to as self-leadership,

Self-fathering.

Are you seeking belonging?

Are you seeking mastery?

Or is something deeper calling you forward?

And when that call comes,

Because it most definitely will,

Will you answer?

Because purpose isn't a finish line.

Purpose is the forest itself.

Ever-changing,

Ever-expanding.

And if you're willing to walk into it,

You just might find that the trail was leading you home all along.