"The Purpose Code" by Jordan Grumet MD

Dr. Jordan Grumet is a hospice doctor as well as a podcaster at The Earn & Invest Podcast. He’s also an author whose new book is The Purpose Code, a follow-up Taking Stock: A Hospice Doctor’s Advice on Financial Independence, Building Wealth, and Living a Regret-Free Life, published in 2022.Grumet describes his own battle to find purpose in life, relinquishing a job as a full-time medical doctor in 2014. While he didn’t want to give up being a hospice physician, he got rid of everything else to hold onto those things he enjoyed: encouraging people to find financial independence, podcasting, and writing.You don’t find purpose, you create it, he said, using the example of Julia Child in his book. “(Child) didn’t want to be famous. That was never her goal. She was out with her husband at a French restaurant one day and something burst in her brain. She said this is what I want to do,” said Grumet, noting that Child loved the process of learning about French cooking, a fact that sustained her in the 10 years it took for her first book to be published.“Purpose consists of those activities we engage in that light us up and fulfill us,” said Grumet. There’s even a health benefit: Having a sense of purpose in life leads to health, longevity, and happiness, he said. Grumet makes a distinction between “small p” purpose and “big P” purpose. The “small p” purpose is simpler, smaller, and more understandable—things you can do on an everyday basis. “But when we set goals that we can't meet, it’s frustrating,” he said.Purpose, as consequential as it may be, also can be toxic. Purpose becomes toxic when it goes from ‘little p’ purpose to ‘big P’ purpose,” said Grumet, giving the example of his own love for podcasting. “I love podcasting. When I sit in front of a microphone those are the greatest hours of my life. Even if I lose the audio and never post it. Even if I post it and no one downloads it. This is ‘little p’ purpose for me. It connects me to other people. Those people become my collaborators and friends. This feels like living a good life that makes me happy,” he said.But setting what might be an unrealistic goal even doing something one loves can lead to anxiety, he said. “Let’s say I had success with my podcast. I’m going to put out this goal, this big, huge goal of a million downloads a month,” said Grumet. To try to achieve that, he stated he’d have to go on social media, make TikTok videos, and spend time more marketing the podcast—things Grumet said he doesn’t like doing.As a hospice doctor who’s spoken with many people in their final days, Grumet says he’s never heard anyone say they should have spent more time working or making money. In The Purpose Code, the author cites a long-term study that noted when it came to happiness, it was not money, achievement, career choice, exercise, or a healthy diet that made respondents happy. It was positive social relationships. Those who felt more connected to others lived longer and happier.