Finding Purpose in the Shifts of Life

Life has a way of surprising us. When we are young, we often believe we know the path we are supposed to follow. We picture a straight line: school, career, family, retirement. Yet when I look back on my own journey, it is anything but straight. It is a winding road filled with sharp turns, detours, and unexpected landscapes.

I never imagined that I would wear so many different titles in one lifetime—sailor, student chef, banker, cancer survivor, advocate. Each chapter seemed disconnected at the time, but together they form a story that feels like it was always meant to be. That is the strange beauty of life: we rarely understand the purpose behind a change until much later, when we realize how one moment led to the next.

Some people call it fate. Some call it divine direction. I like to think of it as the butterfly effect—the idea that one small action or experience can ripple outward and transform the entire course of our lives.

A Life of Shifting Roles

My first purpose in life was service. I joined the military, believing in the structure, the discipline, and the chance to contribute to something bigger than myself. That chapter did not end the way I expected, but it still shaped me in ways I could never forget. It was a season that tested me, humbled me, and ultimately prepared me for what was to come. The lessons I carried forward—resilience, endurance, and the ability to adapt when life does not go as planned—became the foundation of how I face hardship today.

When that chapter closed, I found myself searching for direction. I took a path many might not expect: culinary school. Food became a language for me. It was creative, joyful, and communal. Cooking was not just about technique but about bringing people together around a table. Even then, I did not realize it was another lesson life was teaching me—that purpose is often found in connection, in nourishing others.

Eventually, I stepped into banking and finance, where I discovered stability and structure again. Most of my career was spent in fraud and disputes, working behind the scenes rather than directly with members. Even though it was back-office work, I found a real sense of purpose in helping people reclaim their money and in stopping bad actors from taking advantage of them. It might sound like a sharp turn from cooking, but finance taught me a different kind of service—protecting people, building trust, and giving them peace of mind in one of the most stressful areas of life. It gave me a career, but more importantly, it gave me connections. I learned people’s stories, and I discovered how much meaning can be found in safeguarding their security.

The Diagnosis That Changed Everything

Then came the chapter I never asked for. Two years ago, I heard the words that would fracture my idea of who I was: You have cancer. Not just any cancer—glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer I had barely heard of before.

In that moment, every title I had held before seemed to fall away. I was no longer the banker, the cook, or the sailor. I was a patient. A survivor. A statistic that felt unbearable.

And yet, as time passed, I began to see that even this chapter had a strange sense of purpose. It was not one I would have chosen, but it was one that began to reshape me in ways I could not ignore. I realized that life was not taking away my purpose but redirecting it.

From Patient to Advocate

I started JohnVsGBM not just as a store but as a mission. What began as a way to cope and create slowly transformed into something bigger—a platform to spread awareness, to advocate for research, and to give a voice to others who felt unseen in this battle.

If you had asked me five years ago if I would ever run an apparel line dedicated to cancer awareness, I would have laughed. But the butterfly effect teaches us that even the smallest decisions—posting about my journey, sharing a design, telling my story—can ripple outward in ways that touch lives we may never even meet.

What started as my fight became our fight. People reached out with their stories. Survivors wore the shirts, caregivers bought the blankets, and strangers told me how much it meant to feel represented. Suddenly, purpose was no longer about what career I had but about what legacy I could leave.

The Meaning in the Shifts

Looking back, I see the thread that ties it all together. The military gave me strength. Cooking taught me creativity and connection. Banking taught me responsibility and trust. Cancer taught me advocacy and urgency.

None of those chapters were wasted. Each one prepared me for the next.

I think many of us resist change because it feels like failure, like starting over. But change is often the only way life can redirect us toward our true purpose. We might not understand it in the moment. We may even resent it. But years later, we see how necessary it was for us to become who we are meant to be.

The Butterfly Effect in Action

The butterfly effect is often explained through science or chaos theory: the idea that a butterfly flapping its wings in one part of the world could eventually set off a tornado in another. In life, I think it means that even the smallest steps matter.

When I chose to share my diagnosis publicly, it felt like a small flutter. Just words on a page. But those words created conversations, which created connections, which created a movement. That movement now supports cancer survivors, caregivers, and advocates all over the country.

The butterfly effect is proof that none of our choices are insignificant. Every conversation, every risk, every new beginning can create ripples that shape lives beyond our own.

Living with Purpose

If there is one thing cancer has taught me, it is that time is not guaranteed. That truth can feel heavy, but it can also be liberating. It means we do not have to wait for the perfect plan to unfold. We can live with purpose today.

Purpose is not always loud. It is not always a career, a business, or a title. Sometimes it is as simple as showing up for someone, creating joy in a small moment, or choosing hope when it feels impossible.

I used to believe purpose was something we found, like a destination waiting at the end of a long road. Now I believe purpose is something we create, moment by moment, through the choices we make and the lives we touch along the way.

Embracing the Next Chapter

I do not know what the next chapter will hold. None of us do. But I do know this: every twist and turn of my journey has taught me that change is not the end, it is a beginning.

If you are in a season of transition—whether it is a new job, a health challenge, or simply feeling lost—I want to remind you that purpose is still ahead of you. The butterfly effect of your choices today may be preparing you for something greater than you can imagine.

Life is not about holding tightly to one identity. It is about letting ourselves be reshaped by the journey, trusting that each chapter adds meaning to the story.

And when we look back, we will see that the purpose was there all along, hidden in the shifts, waiting for us to understand.

✨ Closing Thought: Every life, no matter how unpredictable, is a collection of small ripples. Do not underestimate the power of your own wings.