The Search for Meaning · Going Public with Ross Mandell

The Search for Meaning

We’ve all wrestled with it: Why the hell am I here? What’s the point of all this?

Well, I'm happy to tell you that you’re not alone. That little voice hits everyone at some point. You could be killing it in business, relationships, whatever, and still feel like you’re floating around on this spinning rock with no GPS.

Here we are, flying 67,000 miles per hour around a sun we don’t even notice, stuck in this loop between birth and death, and somehow expected to just “figure it out.” Well, here’s the truth...

I don’t have the answer. Nobody does. Not the philosophers, not the gurus, not the guys with bestselling books and podcasts who talk about “finding your why.” They've been guessing since the beginning of time.

But here’s what I do know—and yeah, it comes from a damn cowboy movie.

There’s a scene in City Slickers where this grizzled old cowboy, Curly, tells a bunch of clueless city guys the secret to life. They lean in, dying to hear it. And he holds up one finger and says:

"It’s one thing."

That’s it. One thing. The meaning of life? It’s personal. You find that one thing that gives you direction. That anchors you. That makes the chaos make sense. For me? It’s faith. No, not blind religion—I’m talking about the rock-solid belief that there’s a Higher Power looking out for me, even when I’ve been too stubborn, arrogant, or broken to look out for myself.

Trust me, I’ve seen both ends of the spectrum. I’ve lived the highs most people dream about, and I’ve crawled through the kind of lows that’ll break your soul. But through all of it? That one thing—that inner compass, kept me upright. Even when I stumbled. Even when I didn’t understand the plan. Especially when I didn’t understand the plan.

Has that faith been tested? Constantly. Shaken? Absolutely. But it’s still there. It’s still mine.

So, here’s the deal: Your search for meaning isn’t about finding some cosmic truth that fits everyone. It’s about finding what fits you. Your “one thing.” It could be love. It could be service. It could be music, your kids, your mission, or your connection to something bigger.

Whatever it is—grab it. Hold it tight. Make it your foundation. Because when you have that one thing, life doesn’t get easier, but it does get clearer.

And when life throws fire at you—and it will—you’ll be able to walk through it without burning.

So, find your one thing.

And then build everything else around it.

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