The Price of Purpose: When the Calling Won’t Let You Rest
Recently, someone told me that the way we love Bob Marley today is not how Jamaicans loved him back in the day. They said that as peaceful as he was on the international stage, he had a reputation for being a rude boy—a rebel, a man of contradictions.
Quiet as it’s kept, I’ve heard Martin Luther King, Jr. had some skeletons in his closet, too. And Malcolm X? His past was far from pristine. But since we’re out here gossiping, let’s keep it real—my closet got some ghosts of its own. So does yours.
The point is this: If you are out here doing extraordinary things—breaking barriers, busting through glass ceilings, overcoming obstacles, doing the impossible, defying the odds, just out here being superhuman—you’re probably also feeling super...human.
More than the average person, you are probably feeling the weight of the world on your shoulders.
Because purpose? It doesn’t come without pressure.
Lift as we climb
When the Weight of the World is on Your Shoulders
Somewhere between the lifting as you climb and working ten times as hard to get half as much, it all starts to take a toll.
And yet, that calling keeps calling.
That vision, that dream, that pull to change the game won’t let you rest until the mission is accomplished.
Even on the days when you want to quit.
Even on the nights when you drown in self-doubt.
Even when the world claps for you publicly, but behind closed doors, you feel like you’re falling apart.
Purpose is relentless. And if you’re not careful, it will consume you.
And the world? It will judge you. It always does.
It will celebrate your greatness while condemning your coping mechanisms.
It will praise your resilience while ignoring your exhaustion.
It will take and take from you, expecting you to keep pouring, never stopping to ask how you’re holding up.
Because the truth is, the world wants your gifts, but it doesn’t always care about your well-being.
And to make things even harder? It expects you to be perfect while carrying them.
💡 Related Read: The High Cost of Leadership & Mental Health
Coping with Success
The Burden of Being “More” Than Human
Here’s something people don’t talk about enough:
The more extraordinary your purpose, the more human you will feel.
You will get tired.
You will get overwhelmed.
You will crave escape.
And sometimes, that escape will look like:
🥃 Drinking just to take the edge off.
🚬 Smoking just to slow your thoughts down.
🛌 Sexing just to feel something other than pressure.
You might find yourself living a double life—standing in the spotlight by day, wrestling with your demons by night.
And this is where people get real loud with their opinions.
The Respectability Trap
The Respectability Trap & The Limits of Grace
Now I know someone is reading this saying,
"So you’re just not going to say anything about morals and ethics? About good and bad behavior? You’re just going to gloss over the fact that people might be living one way in private and another way in public?"
And to that, I say:
Why do we expect extraordinary people to also be perfect people?
Why do we demand that the same people who carry the weight of the world also carry the burden of being flawless?
That said, let’s be clear about the difference between contradiction and harm.
Being imperfect means making mistakes, struggling with personal challenges, or feeling like you’re living two lives.
Being harmful means intentionally hurting, exploiting, or abusing others—and refusing accountability.
🔥 Bob Marley still changed music and culture forever.
🔥 MLK still moved mountains and redefined civil rights.
🔥 Malcolm X still transformed a generation with his words.
But let’s not confuse them with men like R. Kelly and P. Diddy—people who built entire systems around harming others.
Flawed people can learn, grow, and redeem themselves.
Abusers protect their power, manipulate, and refuse accountability.
We have to stop treating all imperfections the same.
We can hold space for people’s contradictions without excusing harm.
This post isn’t about giving people permission to hurt others.
It’s about creating space for people to be honest about their struggles—so they can grow, heal, and do better.
Because if you don’t even feel safe being honest with yourself about where you are, how will you ever find the space to transform?
💡 Related Read: Soft & Hard: The Power of Holding Both — Why success and struggle don’t cancel each other out.
Burning Shame
So Where Do We Go From Here?
I don’t know who needs to hear this, but:
💡 Give yourself grace.
💡 Let go of the shame.
💡 Find ways to hold yourself up before you collapse.
Because carrying purpose doesn’t mean carrying it alone.
If you don’t take care of yourself, the mission you’re so dedicated to? It will swallow you whole.
Rest. Release. Recalibrate.
And when you’re ready? Keep going.
Because despite it all, the world still needs what only you can bring.
💡 Related Read: Why Great Leaders Struggle with Perfectionism
Your Turn: Let’s Talk About It
💬 Have you ever felt trapped by your own purpose?
💬 How do you deal with the weight of expectations?
💬 What are your healthy (or not-so-healthy) coping mechanisms?
Drop a comment. Let’s have the conversation nobody else is willing to have.
#PurposeAndPressure #TheCostOfGreatness #HumanAndHeroic #WithoutApology #BreakingBarriers
ABOUT THE BLOGGER
Dr. Sagashus Levingston is an author, entrepreneur and PhD holder. She has two fur babies, Maya and Gracie, six children (three boys and three girls), and they all (including her partner) live in Madison, WI. She loves all things business, is committed to reminding moms of their power, and is dedicated to playing her part in closing the wealth gap for people of color and women. She believes that mothering is a practice, like yoga, and she fights daily to manage her chocolate intake. The struggle is real, y’all…and sometimes it’s beautiful.
Follow her on Instagram: @infamous.mothers