Welcome to Lesson 4, where we explore the deeper meaning behind Coming Home to Yourself and challenge the idea that purpose, like love, success, and happiness, comes from outside of us. At (almost) 50, I've come to realize that our real purpose isn't about what we do, it's about who we become.  In this episode, I’ll explore how culture and society shape our need to seek purpose and external validation—and whether that truly serves us. I'll also break down what it means to truly come home to yourself and how to shift from seeking to simply being. Lastly, I’ll share practical ways to start this journey. Coming home to yourself isn’t a one-time event; it’s a lifelong practice. It’s about unlearning the belief that you must be more to be enough. Download this episode’s worksheet at http://andreaowen.com/662! What you’ll hear in this episode: The Search for Purpose: How culture conditions us to seek love, worth, and belonging through achievements, people-pleasing, and validation, yet never truly feel fulfilled. What It Means to Come Home to Yourself: Shifting from seeking to being, reclaiming yourself over self-abandonment, and realizing you are already whole. How to Start Coming Home to Yourself: It starts with unlearning external validation, reclaiming your truth, building self-trust, embracing stillness, rediscovering lost parts of yourself, and choosing wholeness over perfection. Resources from this episode: 🎉 Also, “Hi!,” I’m giving away a copy of one of my books each week on Instagram! 🎉 Private Coaching with Me! Write Your Way Through It Sign up to make sure you don’t miss any of my birthday episodes! Lesson 1: Self-abandonment, codependency, and self-trust Lesson 2: The Four Holy Emotions: How Grief, Terror, Rage, and Shame Unlock Your Power Lesson 3: The Magic of Surrender Book recommendations: I love a good personal development book, and you do too, right? I’ve compiled a list of book recommendations, as mentioned in past episodes. Check out these amazing book recommendations here. Happy reading!   MSN is supported by: We love the sponsors that make our show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: andreaowen.com/sponsors/ Episode link: http://andreaowen.com/662 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices