"Not all who wander are lost." - J.R.R.Tolkien

First off, lets start at the beginning. My name is Joe Heiser and I am a 24 year old lost boy. Equipped with a college degree, a yearning for greatness, and a family that's patient and wonderful enough to support me while I wander through life, I have set out to find a sense of purpose and hopefully snag a job that I thoroughly love along the way. Unfortunately, I can see myself being many different things and applying myself fully to one has proven to be a little bit of a challenge; not due to laziness, as some have claimed, but rather a lack of passion. Although I'm still looking for the job that can incorporate my passion and sense of adventure, I figured I'd try some things out in the meantime.

Pondering this while lingering in the idleness of unemployment, I got to thinking (a dangerous past time, I know). The economy is shit right now, and I'm sure there are a lot of other people in my shoes, sitting around, unemployed, and wandering about their own life purpose. Personally, I read some "What should I be?" books, took a few personality questionnaires, and filled out a couple job placement tests before realizing that none of these told me anything I didn't know already. Just because I have no idea what to do with my life, doesn't mean I lack a strong sense of who I am or what inspires and drives me. I expected the books and quizzes to give me an epiphany stating, "You're a matador", or "You were born to be a taxidermist", but we all know life doesn't work like that and rarely does a genuine ah-hah moment occur.

So how does the ultimate passion and purpose within each person get directed into a meaningful existence? Do you just keep trying new things until something clicks and the cosmos align? I suppose that's all you can do, which kind of sucks if you're a career-vagabond like myself, but eventually after trying everything from comb capper to side walk chalk artist something will hit. And when you ultimately discover that you were destined to be a high-rise window washer, oh what windows you'll wash. What clarity and shine shall grace the world solely because of you and your window washing expertise.

Getting carried away with my fantasy. Ok, the real reason I pose the question about finding a meaningful existence is because I'm desperate to do it myself and want to know how its done. I've decided to question various people from different walks of life on their own journey discovering purpose and passion, and also if they have found it yet. Let it be known, I'm not expecting to find purpose and a meaningful existence through these interactions. An absolutely amazing fiancé, a roof over my head, food in my stomach, and an unrelenting will to find myself has already given me purpose and meaning. I'm just trying to get a job and not be bored, and if asking questions to people who have found that helps, then huzzah!