Purpose Signal Exploration
Trace what lights you up, then test it through small real-world experiments
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~months to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 96%
Kadakia argues that clues to purpose are often already present but are suppressed by expectations and routine. Her exploration starts with evidence: what you loved when young, who inspires you, what earns an extra moment of attention, and how you would spend a day if money were not the dominant constraint. The next move is not an immediate resignation. It is trying something connected to the strongest signal and observing whether it produces energy, curiosity, service, or a desire to continue. Repeated experiments turn a vague feeling into lived evidence. The output is a clearer direction that can inform later career and life decisions without pretending that reflection alone guarantees one permanent purpose.
Origin
Extracted from The Diary of a CEO
Core principles
- 01Purpose signals often predate adult expectations
- 02Attention and admiration reveal what matters
- 03Exploration produces better evidence than rumination alone
- 04Money can obscure preferences without defining them
How to run it
- 1
Recover early signals
Write down activities, subjects, and moments that made you feel absorbed or fully yourself before adult expectations became dominant.
Pro tip Look for recurring feelings and motives, not only childhood job titles.
- 2
Track present attention
Notice the people, conversations, and activities that hold your attention slightly longer than everything around them.
Pro tip Ask what quality or contribution attracts you, rather than copying the person you admire.
- 3
Remove one constraint mentally
Ask how you would spend tomorrow if money were already handled, using the answer to expose preferences hidden by financial pressure.
Pro tip Focus on how you would spend time after the novelty of buying things passed.
Watch out This thought experiment does not remove real financial constraints.
- 4
Run a small experiment
Try one class, project, conversation, or community connected to the strongest signal without committing your whole future to it.
Pro tip Choose an experiment that creates direct experience within days or weeks.
Watch out Do not make an irreversible leap merely because an idea feels exciting.
- 5
Review the pull
Assess whether the experiment generated sustained energy, curiosity, contribution, and willingness to continue through difficulty.
Pro tip Repeat promising experiments before treating one good experience as a calling.
In the wild
Kadakia says dance made her feel whole from childhood and gave her a sense of affecting other people. As an adult, she continued rehearsing, performing, and organizing shows alongside paid work, repeatedly confirming that the signal was durable rather than a passing interest.
→ Repeated experience clarified that movement, service, and helping others access classes belonged in her direction.
Common mistakes
Waiting for a complete revelation
Kadakia emphasizes exploring and trying; expecting certainty before action prevents the evidence that could create clarity.
Treating the money question literally
The question is a diagnostic for preferences, not permission to abandon bills or assume money no longer matters.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for people questioning an expected career or routine who can run small experiments before making a major change.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal as a reason to ignore immediate financial, health, or caregiving obligations.
From the transcript
“what did you love when you were younger”
“you have to be willing to go down the path of exploring it and trying”
“if you had all the money in the world how would you spend your day tomorrow”
From the episode
Classpass Founder: Quitting My 9-5 Led To A $1 Billion Business: Payal Kadakia