All You've Got Is All It Takes

I almost didn't write today. It's late, I'm tired, and honestly, I forgot the original topic I wanted to explore. But something happened at the gym today that I can't stop thinking about. Something that made me understand purpose in a way I never have before.I was mid-set, feeling exhausted, questioning why I was even there. And then it hit me: I'm going to die. Not today, not tomorrow, but one day, I'll be gone from this earth. The generation living here now will be replaced by a completely different set of people with different ideas, different problems, different dreams. My kids will inherit this world. And suddenly, the weight in my hands felt different.

I wasn't just lifting for myself anymore.

Death Is the Realest Thing We've Got

Let’s be honest about something we usually avoid: death is the only certainty we have, not your next promotion, not your retirement plans, not even tomorrow. Some of us have 60 years left, some have 40, some have 5, and we don’t know which category we’re in. But what we do control is everything in between: how hard we work, how much love we give, how much we contribute, and how we show up each day. Death is the period at the end of the sentence, but we get to write everything that comes before it, and that’s where purpose lives.

Your Kids Are Watching (Even If They Don't Exist Yet)

Standing in that gym, struggling through another rep, I realized something: I want my kids to be proud of me. Not in some abstract, participation-trophy way, but in a way where they look at their dad and see someone who worked hard even when it was difficult, someone who didn’t quit when things got uncomfortable, someone who built himself into a person worth emulating. Because here’s the truth: you are the first hero your children will ever have. You’re their blueprint for what it means to be a man or a woman in this world. They’ll learn love from how you love, work ethic from how you work, and resilience from how you handle defeat. You’re not just living your life, you’re writing their instruction manual.

Purpose Is Your Contribution

So what is purpose, really? Purpose is the value you create while you’re here, your answer to the question, “What did you give?” Maybe you’re donating to cancer research, maybe you’re building tools that make people’s lives easier, maybe you’re creating content that teaches what you’ve learned, or maybe you’re raising kids who will do remarkable things. All of these are purpose, all of these are contributions that outlive you. The size doesn’t matter as much as the intention, the world doesn’t need you to cure cancer, it needs you to show up fully in whatever arena you’ve chosen.

All You've Got Is All It Takes

I know what you’re thinking: “But I don’t have what it takes.” You want to start that YouTube channel but you’re not a great editor, you want to build that business but you don’t have all the skills, you want to get in shape but you’ve never been athletic, you want to write but you’re not a “real writer.” Let me tell you something that changed my life: all you’ve got is all it takes. You don’t need permission or perfect skills, you need to start with what you have and let the journey fill in the gaps. Your insecurities are lying to you, the depth of knowledge will come, the skills will develop, and the confidence will build, but only if you start.

Finding Your Real Why

Here’s an exercise that will change how you see everything you do. Take any goal and ask “why” repeatedly until you hit bedrock. For example, why do I work out? To look better. Why? To feel good about my body. Why? To build self-confidence. Why? To tackle bigger challenges. Why? To contribute more value at work and in my community. Why? To earn the resources to give my family a better life. Why? Because seeing them thrive and knowing I contributed to the world makes me happy. See what happened? “I want to look good” seemed shallow, but several layers down you discover you’re actually working out to become someone capable of contributing meaningfully to the world and providing for the people you love.

Try it with learning:

Why learn software engineering? To get better at it

Why? To deliver better output

Why? To earn more

Why? To give my kids better opportunities

Why? Because their success and happiness fulfills my purpose

Suddenly, that boring tutorial you're watching isn't about syntax. It's about building the life your future family deserves.

This is how purpose transforms everything. It turns drudgery into mission.

Your Single-Line Purpose

Why learn software engineering? To get better at it

Why? To deliver better output

Why? To earn more

Why? To give my kids better opportunities

Why? Because their success and happiness fulfills my purpose

Suddenly, that boring tutorial you’re watching isn’t about syntax. It’s about building the life your future family deserves. This is how purpose transforms everything. It turns drudgery into mission.

The Alternative

Here’s what happens without purpose: you die every day, not physically but spiritually. You wake up, go through the motions, consume, distract yourself, sleep, and repeat. You’re alive, but you’re not living. Purpose is what separates existing from living, it’s the difference between counting days and making days count.

Your Turn

Whatever you’re avoiding right now because it’s hard, your purpose is probably hiding there, the book you should write, the business you should start, the body you should build, the skill you should learn, the love you should give. Death is coming, not to scare you but to wake you up. You have this brief window to matter, to contribute, to become someone worth remembering, not for fame, but because you showed up fully and gave everything you had. All you’ve got is all it takes. Start today, not tomorrow. Today, because the world, your world, needs what only you can give.