Write Your Purpose in Pen, Your Path in Pencil

Week 126: Write Your Purpose in Pen, Your Path in Pencil

In today’s fast-moving world of work, one piece of advice has always stayed with me: write your purpose in pen, but your path in pencil.

Your purpose — the reason you do what you do — should be unwavering. It’s the deep sense of meaning that fuels your actions and decisions, the “why” that gets you out of bed every morning. It could be creating products that change lives, building communities, solving real-world problems, or simply providing security and growth for your family.

Purpose gives you direction, especially in times of chaos. It’s your anchor when external factors — markets, industries, technologies — are constantly changing. Without a clear purpose, it’s easy to drift from task to task, job to job, without feeling a real sense of progress.

But here’s the catch: while your purpose should be written in pen — clear and long term — your path must be written in pencil. That means staying flexible, agile, and willing to adjust your approach as circumstances evolve.

Maybe the role you thought would fulfil your dreams isn’t what you expected. Maybe a project you poured your heart into got shelved. Maybe the market shifted, and your skills need updating. That’s okay. What matters is staying committed to why you started while being flexible about how you get there.

At work, I see this play out every day. Employees who thrive are the ones who deeply connect to their purpose — to grow, to contribute, to innovate — but who are not rigid about their titles, their day-to-day assignments, or even their original plans. They are open to feedback, new challenges, lateral moves, and sometimes even complete reinvention.

Awareness is critical here. You need the humility to recognize when a path is no longer serving your purpose, and the courage to change course. Sticking to a broken plan simply because it was the "original plan" helps no one — not you, not your team, and not the company.

In a world where change is the only constant, the most resilient employees are those who stay clear about their destination but are endlessly curious and adaptable about how they get there.

So, if you’re feeling stuck, frustrated, or uncertain today, ask yourself:

• Is my purpose still clear and meaningful to me?
• Is the path I’m on still the best way to serve that purpose?
• What new paths could help me get there faster, smarter, or more fulfilled?

Remember: pen for purpose, pencil for path.

Both are equally important. One keeps you grounded. The other keeps you growing.