Living Life On Purpose, With Purpose

“I don’t want to get sick – I want to ski next week.”

That’s what my son told me, with total clarity and conviction, when he got home from school today. He wasn’t pretending to have control over everything. But he was clear on what mattered to him. And he was aligning himself — even his wellbeing — with that purpose.

It struck me in the moment: how rare and powerful it is to live with that kind of intentionality.

As adults, we often overcomplicate things. We bury our desires under responsibility, perfectionism, doubt, or fear of judgment. We get swept up in what’s expected of us — and somewhere along the way, we lose touch with what we actually want.

But purpose doesn’t have to be a grand mission statement. Sometimes, it’s as simple and honest as a child saying, “I want to feel well, because I want to do something I love.”

Purpose is Direction, Not Perfection

When I had my third child, I was faced with an ultimatum at work: choose your career or your family. Like so many mothers, I was pushed into a decision no one should have to make. I stepped away — not because I lacked ambition, but because the system wasn’t built to support both.

I spent the next ten years raising my children full-time. Those years were filled with love, but also identity loss, exhaustion, and the quiet ache of feeling unseen.

Eventually, I retrained as a coach — not just for myself, but to support others navigating the wild, often disorienting transitions life brings: motherhood, career change, burnout, reinvention. I wanted to become the guide I never had.

That’s why I created Coach Your Wild — a creative oasis in the wildness of life. A space to exhale, reflect, reconnect. Not a place for pressure or perfection, but for presence. Because clarity doesn’t come from forcing answers — it comes from making space for them.

3 Small Steps to Live On Purpose

If you’ve lost touch with your sense of purpose, you’re not alone — and you’re not broken. Here are three small but powerful steps to begin reconnecting:

1. Name What You Want

It sounds simple, but many of us struggle to answer this honestly. Start with small truths. What do you crave more of? What excites you? What are you missing?

2. Align Your Energy

Once you know what matters, begin noticing what supports it — and what doesn’t. This could mean setting new boundaries, changing your schedule, or just saying no to things that drain you.

3. Keep It Present

Purpose is not a one-time decision. It’s a practice. Write it down. Say it out loud. Remind yourself often. Let it shape how you move through your days, not just your big life decisions.

Let It Be Simple

Living on purpose doesn’t have to look big or dramatic. It can look like protecting your energy, showing up for your creativity, or saying yes to something that lights you up.

Like my son reminded me — sometimes it’s just about knowing what you want, and honouring it in the choices you make today.

 

I’m Sarah Cretegny, a Personal and Business Development Coach and Collaboration Catalyst. I create brave spaces where creative leaders and their teams – especially those committed to meaningful impact – can reconnect with who they truly are, so they can lead with greater clarity, courage, and purpose, even in uncertain times, and create sustainable impact.

I’m particularly effective when time is limited and the stakes are high. I draw on evidence-based coaching approaches, strengths expertise, and my lived experience of balancing leadership, family life, and international living. I’m deeply passionate about partnering with people to coach their wild, because the world needs more authentic leadership now more than ever.

I am based in Lausanne, Switzerland and coach virtually globally. Find my links: https://linktr.ee/discover.your.wild