​​​​What Was I Made For?

Why Barbie's song hits us so hard

Every couple of weeks, I have a new theory about life purpose — yours, mine, everyone’s. The idea that there’s something we’re meant to accomplish in this life can be deeply motivating… but also completely paralyzing.

​In the Barbie film, there’s a moment where she - or Billie Eilish, depending on how you see it - sings, "I used to know, but I’m not sure now… What was I made for?" That question struck a chord for so many of us, because it captures the ache of sensing we’re here for a reason, but not being able to grasp it. We want there to be something meaningful we alone are meant to do. Something that makes life - and us - feel purposeful.

The film’s answer is deceptively simple: you get to choose.

That sounds empowering… until it doesn’t. Until you start wondering: What if I choose the wrong thing? What if I pick something too big and fail? Or too small and feel like I never mattered?

When the responsibility feels that enormous, it’s easier to just let someone else decide for us. And society is happy to help — offering up tidy versions of life purpose like: make money, be successful, climb the ladder, settle down, raise a family, find The One, follow The Path, don’t ask too many questions.

But what if all of that is just filler? What if purpose isn’t something you earn or achieve… but something you are?

Here’s what I’ve come to believe: your purpose is to be you. Fully. Unapologetically. Authentically. As deeply and uniquely you as you can possibly be.

This isn’t a fluffy cop-out. It’s actually the hardest, most courageous thing you can do - because only you can do it.

So let’s break it down:

Are you a morning person? A night owl? Someone who comes alive in autumn or in the rainy quiet of winter? Honour that.

Do you love caregiving? Animals? Spreadsheets? Puzzles? Big ideas? Small joys? That’s information.

Are you driven to protect, to create, to teach, to nourish, to explore? Lean in.

Do you crave naps, stretching, writing, tending, stitching, singing, stillness? Those are clues.

Do you feel most like yourself in softness or sharpness, in solitude or shared space, in bright colors or subtle ones? Pay attention.

Living on purpose isn’t a job description. It’s a way of being. And when you align with it - when you consistently choose to be more of you - the rest falls into place. Love. Impact. Wealth. Legacy. Not as the goal, but as the natural outcome.

Starting Angel and Dragon has forced me to completely rethink what it means to work, to contribute, and to live with intention. No one pays me to blog. But sharing thoughts, insights, tangled ideas I’ve half-unpicked - it’s part of who I am. And if something I write helps you tune in to what matters, make a gentler choice, or feel less alone in your becoming… that’s enough.

Even rest has become part of my purpose. I used to feel guilty for needing sleep. Now I see everything as potentially purposeful — once you redefine "productive."

Someday, I’ll probably write about the shift from economics to wellbeing, about what productivity even means. But for now, I’ll just say this: the things that make me feel happy, nourished, and soulful are productive. Through the lens of “how can I find out who I am and live that?”, almost anything can be on-purpose.

Maybe your life’s purpose will involve raising a family, curing cancer, becoming wildly successful. But those things will be the side effects - not the point.

So I invite you to ask yourself: What were you made for?

And more importantly: What would it feel like to be more of that - starting now?

Until next time, fly safely.

The Alchemist