Inherent Podcast Episode 2: Happiness vs Purpose
Most men reach a point in life where they quietly ask themselves a huge question:
“What am I actually here to do?”
It hits during transitions, burnout, success without joy, or moments when life stops making sense. In Episode 2 of the Inherent Self Podcast, Taylor Draper, Mike Regennitter, and Jonathan Liebert dive into this question in a real and honest way — not with clichés, but with genuine experience and struggle.
This episode breaks apart the idea of happiness and replaces it with something deeper: purpose and fulfillment.
Happiness vs. Fulfillment
Many of us grew up being told to “be happy,” “stay positive,” or “push through.”
But happiness isn’t stable — and it’s not meant to be.
Real life moves through emotions: joy, sadness, anger, hope, fear, peace.
Trying to be happy all the time isn’t just unrealistic — it’s harmful.
Taylor puts it clearly in the episode:
“Happiness isn’t a destination. Fulfillment is the part that matters.”
Fulfillment comes from:
Creating something meaningful
Helping others
Growing past old patterns
Being connected to people who get you
Happiness is a moment.
Fulfillment is a direction.
Why So Many Men Still Feel Lost
Even when men succeed — career, money, family, achievements — many still feel a quiet emptiness.
Mike shares openly about generational patterns, survival-mode fathers, and how men were raised to:
Perform
Provide
Protect
Push down emotion
But not to pause and ask deeper questions about purpose.
Jonathan adds that our society teaches men to build business networks, but not emotional networks.
As he says in the episode:
“If I don’t have brothers I can call when it gets dark, I’m in danger.”
Purpose requires connection.
Isolation kills it.
Purpose Isn’t a Straight Line
A major theme in the episode is that purpose evolves.
It changes as you grow, struggle, heal, and become more self-aware.
There is no finish line.
Jonathan describes it as climbing a mountain and hitting false summits. You think you’ve “arrived,” only to find another climb ahead. That isn’t failure. It’s part of the journey.
The most powerful line in this episode might be this:
“If you don’t know your purpose yet, borrow someone else’s for a while.”
You don’t need the perfect answer.
You just need movement.
Men Need Community to Discover Purpose
This isn’t a solo mission.
Men heal and grow through connection — not isolation.
The episode talks about:
Asking for help
Joining a community
Having honest conversations
Breaking generational cycles
Being willing to sit with discomfort
Celebrating small wins along the way
Taylor, Mike, and Jonathan make it clear:
You don’t have to do this alone. And you never should.
What Purpose Looks Like Today
Purpose isn’t just a career.
It’s not a job title.
It’s not a single passion.
It’s not a perfect moment of clarity.
Purpose looks like:
Knowing your strengths
Knowing your wounds
Growing from both
Showing up for others
Creating something meaningful
Serving something bigger than just yourself
Becoming someone your younger self needed
Purpose is a practice.
A rhythm.
A path you walk for the rest of your life.
Final Takeaway
If Episode 1 was about naming the pain men carry,
Episode 2 is about naming the direction forward.
Not toward happiness —
but toward fulfillment, growth, connection, and meaning.
Your purpose will shift.
Your identity will change.
Your journey will evolve.
That’s exactly how it’s supposed to be.
Start where you are.
Just start.
Listen to the Full Episode
🎧 Watch/Listen here: https://youtu.be/_eKuSwSrjxg
Join the Movement
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