Episode 206

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Published on:

26th May 2026

Is Your Purpose Like a Pencil or a Diamond?

Carbon is like purpose.

The chemical backbone of all known life, carbon is the fourth most abundant element in the universe and the second most abundant in your body. It forms more compounds than all other elements combined.

Carbon creates diamonds -- and pencils. Both have worth, but not equal value. Our purposes are similar.

In the "You're in the People Business," series, I've used the six essential chemical elements for physical life to demonstrate the six vital elements of the inner life. I've covered:

  1. Empathy (oxygen)
  2. Repair (sulfur)
  3. Expectations (phosphorus)
  4. Curiosity (hydrogen)
  5. Identity (nitrogen)

Today's episode is about Purpose (carbon).

Purpose is a backbone, not a bonus. Purpose is not a luxury but the framework everything else is dependent on. All purposes are not created equal. Some are diamond and others are pencils. The difference is how it's connected — and the pressure it undergoes.

The same is true for people. Purpose forged under pressure, properly connected to others, produces something extraordinary.

Purpose decays by default. We use carbon dating to measure how alive or dead something is. Purpose works the same way — left unattended, it deteriorates. It doesn't grow on its own. It requires intention.

Purpose operates on two levels:

1. Big meaning — the universal "why" that applies to everyone

2. Small meaning — the specific "why" that applies uniquely to you

Purpose isn't required to survive — people survive all the time without it. We keep taking the next step, hitting the next milestone, staying busy. But to truly thrive, purpose is non-negotiable. Its absence is easy to avoid confronting, which is exactly why so many people never do.

This Week's Challenge

• Where has purpose been quietly decaying in your life — in your work, relationships, or sense of self?

• Can you articulate both levels: the big meaning that connects you to others, and the specific meaning that is uniquely yours?

• What pressure in your life might actually be forming something valuable, if you stay connected to purpose through it?

Visit Stephanie Presents for resources, to book speaking engagements, and get the weekly newsletter, Godly Impact.

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About the Podcast

Godly Impact
Grow good intentions into godly impact
You want to be the best possible person, parent, or spouse. Yet sometimes it can be confusing how to do this. The "Godly Impact" podcast helps you grow your good intentions into godly impact. Your good intentions are like seeds that need soil, water, and sunshine. You will cultivate rich soil by learning how God designed people through Biblical principles and modern research. You will discover good insights on how to apply this knowledge to your specific situations.
You have an immeasurable, eternal, and irreplaceable impact. The "Godly Impact" podcast will help you make it count for good. You will appreciate the combination of depth and winsomeness, authority and vulnerability of your host, Stephanie Smith. A wife, mom, mother-in-law, and Nana, Stephanie is a speaker and writer who loves helping others flourish.
Learn more at her website, https://www.stephaniepresents.com/

About your host

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Stephanie Smith

Stephanie knows from experience good intentions aren't enough to be spiritually strong, emotionally healthy, and relationally smart--or to raise kids who are. She shares powerful Scriptural principles and science-backed insights into human behavior to equip people to grow good intentions into godly impact.

Stephanie's authenticity creates immediate connection with audiences both virtual and on the stage, while gracious authority provides clarity and confidence for listeners. Her leadership experience includes being a certified Primal Question coach, Christian school founding board member and teacher, homeschool cooperative founder, and Teen Theater Director.

Stephanie is a wife, mother of five grown sons, mother-in-law of four, and Nana to a growing tribe of awesome grandkids. She is committed to Psalm 17:17-18, proclaiming God's power to generations through wisdom forged in real life.