Life’s Purpose ~ How do you know if you’re living yours!

Written By Sarah Rathke

A Vedic astrology reading gave Jane some unexpected clarity, and she brought Sarah in on it too: how do you actually know you're living your life's purpose? The episode was sparked by that reading, where the astrologer named Jane's purpose in a way that felt less like news and more like confirmation of something she already knew in a deep and delicious way.

From there the two dig into why so many people confuse their job with their purpose, and why that framing sets people up to feel lost. Sarah shares how her own sense of purpose has shifted by decade, from partying and playing music in her twenties to raising a family in her thirties to, now, simply becoming the fullest and most unfiltered version of herself. Jane echoes this with her own winding path from wanting to be a teacher, to filmmaker, to medium, to teacher again, full circle.

The conversation moves through some of the most useful, real world tools either of them offers on the show: using tension versus excitement in the body as a compass for decisions, noticing what books are stacked on your nightstand as a clue to what you are actually being called toward, and the idea that reactivity is not something to eliminate but something to move through with more awareness. Sarah lands on what might be the simplest definition of purpose either of them has offered: it is the presence or absence of regret. If a choice brings you closer to joy and further from regret, that is the direction to walk in, even when the decision is small.

Key Takeaways

  • Your purpose is not required to be one fixed thing or your job title. It can shift by season, decade, or chapter of life, and all of those versions still count.

  • A useful test for whether you are living your purpose is regret, not accomplishment. Ask which choice leaves you with less regret rather than which one looks more impressive.

  • The body is a reliable compass. Notice whether a decision makes you feel tense or relaxed, exhausted or excited, and let that inform which direction you move in.

  • Reactivity and hard emotions are not the opposite of purpose. Moving through them with a little more awareness, rather than suppressing them, is part of the path.

  • Small, unglamorous signals, like what is stacked on your nightstand or what you keep circling back to for fun, often say more about your purpose than a big dramatic decision does.

  • Being fully present in ordinary moments, rather than living in the future or the past, is often where purpose actually shows up.

Direct Quotes

  • "A lot of us think that our job has to be our life's purpose. And I don't think that's the case." — Sarah

  • "The word that's coming through for me right now is living without regret." — Sarah

  • "You just point your compass toward what brings you a little bit more joy." — Sarah

  • "Does this make me feel exhausted, or does this make me feel excited?" — Sarah, on using the body to make decisions

  • "My bedside table is telling the story." — Jane, on noticing what she was drawn to reading before she changed careers

Links and Resources

And if you enjoy listening, downloading the episode and leaving a review really helps us more than you know 💛

Sarah Rathke
Next

Radleigh Valentine on Angels, Prayer, and Why You're a Manifesting Machine