Humiliated at Potbelly (and other cheerful stories of learning humility on the path to living one’s life purpose)

As a child, Segun Olagunju prayed for wisdom, which is the only thing that can explain a 20-something recognizing that if he’s going to make a difference in the world (Nigeria, in particular), he’s going to work backwards from being a 50-something changemaker in 2035. 

Setting out on a 30-year journey to learn business, leadership, French and return to his home country strategically, Segun realizes the path is anything but straight. 

Worse, it’s anything but *forward.* 

Through a series of humbling experiences (“only out of humiliation comes humility,” he says), Segun learns that if you’re pursuing a meaningful purpose in life, these setbacks are minor blips—and even laughable rabbit trails—in a life with a clear direction.

Upon second thought, it makes sense that a life following a North Star will occasionally take you down from mountains that you climbed and through muddy bogs in your way— and this is to say nothing of the inevitable trips and falls that come with going somewhere and doing more than just staying put. 

But how do we even find our North Stars? Segun has wisdom to offer for that as well. As a leadership coach for individuals and organizations, Segun offers a few exercises we can do to find out what might be our purpose in life. We hope you’ll listen and give his tips a try.

You can find the transcript for this episode here. Find transcripts for all episodes here.