Why Defining Your Purpose Matters—Especially in Healthcare
- Santina Wheat
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
When I decided to change jobs, I heard the same refrain over and over again:
“But that doesn’t sound like you.”“Are you sure this will make you happy?”“You’ve been there so long—why leave now?”
People couldn’t understand why I was willing to walk away from a role I had held for years. To them, the job title, the institution, and the stability defined who I was. But what they didn’t see was that I had changed—quietly, slowly, and steadily—while trying my best to stay loyal to expectations that were no longer true to who I was.
For a long time, I had convinced myself that a certain type of job was the only version of success I was allowed to pursue. I chased it, maintained it, and stretched myself thin trying to be the person I believed everyone else needed me to be. But at some point—after months of burnout, emotional exhaustion, and feeling like I was doing everything “right” but still losing myself—I realized something had to shift.
Not the schedule.Not the workflow.Not the clinic template.
Me.
It was time to reassess who I had become, what I wanted, and whether the life I was living was still aligned with my purpose.
The Moment Purpose Became Non-Negotiable
When you reach burnout, you expect the fix to be external: fewer patients, more support, better staffing, a different job. And while external factors absolutely matter, they aren’t the whole story.
One of the most important steps I took to get myself out of burnout was not changing my job—it was redefining my why.
Reconnecting with your purpose isn’t about rewriting your entire identity. For me, it meant rediscovering the version of myself who applied to medical school with determination, hope, and clarity. That part of me still existed. But she was more naïve about how the world worked, didn’t understand how heavy the invisible labor of healthcare could become, and didn’t yet have a family depending on her.
Purpose evolves. That’s not a failure—it’s human.
The purpose you had at 25 will not be the purpose you have at 45.The priorities you held before becoming a parent, leader, or caregiver will naturally shift.And with each shift comes a choice: acknowledge the change and realign, or ignore it and continue drifting.
Why Purpose Is Essential for Sustainability
One of the reasons purpose is the starting point for every single coaching relationship I have is simple:
Without purpose, you’re just surviving.With purpose, you have direction, clarity, and the ability to make decisions that support the life you actually want—rather than the one you feel obligated to maintain.
Healthcare professionals often move through their days checking boxes, completing tasks, responding to crises, and doing what must be done. That may get you through a shift, but it won’t sustain you through a career.
When you don’t know your purpose:
Every decision feels heavy
Every change feels risky
Every “yes” feels required
Every “no” feels selfish
And every day feels like you’re running on fumes without a finish line
Purpose changes that. It gives you:
A filter for what deserves your time
A framework for boundaries
A reason to rest
A direction for your next step
A sense of control when circumstances feel chaotic
Purpose is not a luxury.It’s a stabilizing force.
Purpose vs. Priorities: Why Both Matter
Often, people confuse purpose with priorities. They’re related, but not the same.
Purpose is your bigger “why”—the internal compass that guides the direction of your life.Priorities are the practical expressions of that purpose—the things you choose to make room for, protect, and honor in this season of life.
And yes—your priorities will change.Sometimes your purpose will, too.
That’s not inconsistency. That’s growth.
When I finally gave myself permission to accept that my purpose had shifted—and that my priorities needed to shift with it—it unlocked a level of clarity I hadn’t felt in years. I realized I had been operating out of old definitions of success, old versions of myself, and old expectations that no longer fit the reality of my life or the leader, physician, educator, and parent I had become.
The Cost of Living Without Purpose
When your purpose is unclear, your energy becomes scattered. You say “yes” to everything because you’re not sure what you’re supposed to say “yes” to. You keep doing what you’ve always done because you don’t know what would be better. You try to make everyone around you happy while slowly disconnecting from yourself.
In medicine, this often looks like:
Taking on more roles because you can
Staying in positions because you’ve always been there
Pushing through exhaustion because others depend on you
Leading out of obligation instead of passion
Feeling trapped by a career you once felt called to
That’s when burnout becomes inevitable.
Not because you’re weak.Not because you’re ungrateful.Not because you’re “not cut out for this.”
Because you’ve lost connection with your guiding purpose—and no amount of productivity, resilience training, or “self-care” can compensate for that.
Rediscovering Your Purpose: The First Step Toward Sustainability
When I work with clients, we always start in one place:
What is your purpose in this season of life?
Not ten years ago.Not what your institution says it should be.Not what others expect of you.
Yours.
When you know your purpose:
Decisions become simpler
Boundaries become clearer
Your energy becomes more protected
Your work becomes more meaningful
And your life becomes more aligned
Purpose brings you back to yourself.
Ready to Reconnect With Your Purpose? Start With an Alignment Check.
If you’re feeling lost, stretched thin, or unsure whether your life still reflects what matters most to you, you don’t need another long reflection exercise or complicated framework.
You just need clarity.
That’s exactly why I created the 15-Minute Alignment Check — your fastest way to quickly see where things have drifted and what needs realignment.
This check-up is a strategic self-assessment built around my Four Pillars of Purpose, the same framework I use with my coaching clients. In just a few minutes, you’ll identify:
The exact activities draining you
The responsibilities or habits violating your core values
Where your work and home life are out of sync
And which small adjustments will bring you back into alignment
If you’ve been feeling like something is “off” but can’t name what it is, this is your clarity shortcut.
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