Finding Your Purpose: Why Your Bank Account is Bored to Tears
By Derek — Money isn't complicated. People just make it complicated. ·
The 'Purpose' Trap
I was at a dinner last week in South End with a few founders I coach. We were five minutes into the appetizers when the conversation took a sharp left turn into existential dread. Someone asked the classic, soul-crushing question: 'Are we actually doing what we’re meant to be doing?'
Look, I get it. We’re in October 2026. The world is moving at a pace that makes an F1 car look like it’s in reverse. Everyone is obsessed with 'finding their purpose.' But here’s the reality check from someone who spent years in the trenches at Goldman and now runs his own firm: Most people look for purpose in all the wrong places. They think purpose is a lightning bolt that hits them while they’re meditating in Bali.
Spoiler alert: It’s not. Money isn't complicated, and neither is purpose. People just make both of them feel like a labyrinth so they have an excuse to stay stagnant.
Purpose is a Friction Problem
When I left the firm to start my own practice, people told me I was 'following my passion.' No, I wasn't. I was solving a friction problem. I saw a massive gap between the complex, jargon-heavy financial advice being sold to people and the actual, human lives they were trying to live.
Your purpose isn't some abstract cloud floating above your head. It’s the intersection of what you’re objectively good at and what makes you want to throw your phone against the wall when it’s handled poorly by others. If you’re annoyed by bad design, your purpose is to build better things. If you’re annoyed by how people manage their cash, your purpose is to fix that.
Stop trying to 'find' your purpose and start looking for what you’re uniquely frustrated by. Your frustration is a compass. Follow it.
The Financial Cost of Aimlessness
Here’s where I bring it back to the ledger. If you don’t have a clear North Star, your money becomes the default language of your life. When you don’t know what you’re working toward, you start working toward 'more.' More status, more stuff, more empty calories in your brokerage account.
I’ve seen high-earners with seven-figure portfolios who are miserable because their money is supporting a life they don’t actually care about. They’re buying speed, but they’re driving the car in circles. Without a defined purpose, your wealth isn't an asset; it’s a leash. You become a slave to your own maintenance costs. If you aren’t paying for things that move your needle, you’re just paying for the privilege of being busy.
How to Audit Your Life (The Derek Method)
I’m not a fan of vision boards. I’m a fan of data. If you want to find your purpose, you need to conduct an audit of your last 90 days.
1. The 'Hell Yes' List: Write down every task or moment from the last three months where you felt 'in the zone.' Not happy—engaged. When you lost track of time because the work was actually worth doing. 2. The 'Energy Drain' Audit: Look at your calendar. What meetings, projects, or obligations made you feel like you were running on a flat tire? If you’re spending 60% of your time in the drain zone, your purpose isn't 'hidden'—it’s being suffocated. 3. The Financial Allocation Test: Check your bank statements. Are you spending money to signal status to people you don't even like, or are you investing in the tools, experiences, and systems that enable your 'Hell Yes' list? If your spending doesn't map to your purpose, you don't have a purpose. You have a habit.
Purpose is a Strategy, Not a Feeling
In F1, if the car is off-balance, you don't just 'believe harder' that it will turn better. You change the aero. You tweak the suspension. Purpose is the same. It requires constant iteration. You might be driven by building community today, and that might evolve into building infrastructure tomorrow. That’s not a mid-life crisis; that’s growth.
Stop waiting for the universe to give you a sign. The universe is busy. You have to build the sign yourself. When you align your capital with your actual, human interests, money stops being a stressor and starts being a tool. It becomes the fuel that lets you stay on the track as long as you want.
If you’re still feeling like you’re drifting, let’s talk. Drop me a note and tell me what’s currently on your 'Energy Drain' list. Sometimes, all it takes is one conversation to realize you’re already sitting on your purpose—you’re just blocking your own view.
Catch you on the next one.