Seoul Searching (April 28, 2026)
Violet, Will and I began a walk together, but Will had to turn back again because of pain in his knee. He thinks it’s the stairs that is aggravating it and will continue to take it easy. This allowed Violet and I to have a deep conversation about purpose and meaning while exploring new parts of Seoul together.
Sharing quality time while exploring Seoul together is a rare treat. As Violet said, “I love this! I never regret going on walks with you because we always find something interesting and tend to have deep conversations about life.” Indeed. Well said.
In many ways, we were discovering Seoul while also discovering ourselves. Despite hating puns, “Seoul Searching” felt appropriate.
Seoul Searching indeed. Loving our long walk and talks together.
One of the big topics we discussed together is purpose. Specifically, the importance of having purpose — even if you can’t clearly define it right now in this moment. In the past, I’ve recommended this book:
Finding Your Purpose by Christine Whelan
Today, it was time to begin doing some of the early work recommended in this book … for both of us. What began to crystalize for Violet was how much she admires and respects our New York City mayor, Zohran Mamdani. She also really enjoys all the various public projects that Zohran Mamdani is currently implementing.
That’s a start. At the root, we confirmed that she enjoys helping people. This is an important distinction and driver of purpose. It’s a core value that she has today and has had for as long as she can remember. Could she be a coach? Yes. A therapist? Absolutely. A public servant? Never considered it before today, but worth further exploration — especially for a mayor she respects.
“Hey Violet, look over your right shoulder … perfect!”
I’ve been doing a bit of Seoul searching as well. Next month, it will be a full year since I exited Positive Intelligence. I have processed my own grief from leaving something I was so passionate about starting. I’m grateful for all my time working with Shirzad Chamine and the rest of the PQ team. What I’m clear on is my commitment to helping every coach become financially free. And there are many different ways that this can manifest.
When my minister died suddenly (see related blog post), it stirred up an old dream I had about becoming “The Reverend Doctor Carmody.” I realize this is only a title and isn’t purpose, per se. It’s just another possible path I could take.
And that’s the funny thing about purpose. I don’t believe this is strictly “one” path we are meant to take. I see purpose is more of a compass. Purpose helps us better navigate our life’s choices. There’s certainly no “one right path” for any of us (at least, that’s what I believe). I believe our choices make us who we are and having purpose helps us make the choices that are best suited for us.
When we look behind us, our path seems obvious in retrospect
What I do know for certain is that this time with Violet and Will is precious. It doesn’t matter where in the world we are, what we do or what activities we choose to engage in. What matters is that we are together, spending quality time with each other and talking about what matters most to each of us.
When I imagined having a family of my own back in my early 20s this is what I most deeply desired. The purpose I had in mind for having my family was to share this incredible life together. I know today that every moment of every day is a precious gift. I no longer take any of it for granted. So when I can slow down and spend the day with one or both of my children, then this is a day well spent.
Loving today and every day that I get to spend with my kids
I didn’t even notice the man proposing in this heart … I like the image
