# Making Sense of Purpose: Why You Must Know Yourself First With Suneet Bhatt

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-mindful-living-7027491/making-sense-of-purpose-why-you-must-know-yourself-first-with-suneet-bhatt
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-mindful-living-7027491/making-sense-of-purpose-why-you-must-know-yourself-first-with-suneet-bhatt.md
Podcast: [The Mindful Living](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-mindful-living-7027491)
Published: 2026-07-17T17:05:00+00:00
Episode link: https://the-mindful-living.captivate.fm/episode/making-sense-of-purpose-why-you-must-know-yourself-first-with-suneet-bhatt
Audio file: https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/54f9c183-43a2-4ee6-9ec9-5ad39596cd19.mp3
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Duration seconds: 1772

## Resource

Most of us go looking for purpose out there, in the next role, the next achievement, the next version of ourselves. But what if it was never out there at all? Suneet Bhatt, who teaches purpose at Rutgers University and wrote Making Sense of Purpose, joins Sana to make a quiet but radical case: before you can make sense of your purpose, you have to make sense of yourself. No gurus, no five-step checklist, just a steady light for the path. ABOUT THE GUEST: Suneet Bhatt teaches purpose at Rutgers University and is the founder of My Authentic Story. He is the author of Making Sense of Purpose, a book built on a three-step roadmap of gaining clarity, building momentum, and finding your Kiran, the Sanskrit word for ray of light. KEY TAKEAWAYS: Purpose isn't singular or reserved for the extraordinary. It's accessible, and found through experimentation rather than a single pursuit. Chasing titles, income, or achievement without self-awareness is like grocery shopping while hungry. You'll make decisions from scarcity, not clarity. Happiness isn't a reward for success, it's a precursor to it. Naming what makes you happy first changes how you handle setbacks later. Self-awareness comes from stacking many small reflections, not one big answer. Patterns reveal themselves over time. Purpose can be for now, for a while, or forever. Knowing which one you need today matters more than finding a permanent answer. CONNECT WITH SUNEET: Book: https://makingsenseofpurpose.com Website: https://myauthenticstory.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suneetbhatt Instagram: @suneetonpurpose EPISODE CHAPTERS: (approx.) [00:00] What If Purpose Was Never Out There — an opening reflection [08:56] Meet Suneet Bhatt — purpose professor, author, founder of My Authentic Story [09:33] From Heavy to Ac…

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