What tugs at our heartstrings? What renews our soul? Sometimes in this hectic, always-on world, we set aside our passions. We forgo the things that make us truly happy and joyful. Perhaps as we completed the reflection and curious questioning something surfaced. A university memory. A moment of clarity. A shared connection to make us smile. These initial points of reference can point us to our passion. Sir Ken Robinson spoke of The Element. I believe these are the elements with a small ‘e’. These elements lead us to our purpose and our passion. These are the values that anchor our lives.

Entrepreneur Jessica Huie beamed when I met her in London on a spring afternoon. Her new book, Purpose, published only weeks earlier, embodied the elements of a growth mindset. Huie's book charts her setbacks and struggles: she was a school dropout and a teenage parent. She also points to her public success: working with celebrities at a top public relations firm, founder of the multicultural greeting card company Color Blind Cards. After a personal epiphany, Huie decided to share her deeply personal story. ‘An incredible convergence happens when you share your message or brand with the world from the authentic space,’ Huie says. ‘Your tribe finds you … Those who believe the same things that you believe and who care about the things you care about.’ Through retreats and workshops, Huie assembles a community and helps people find their voice. From this authentic space comes a community of supportive purpose-driven businesses. How can we find a community that nurtures our passion? What are our passions? Sometimes even after reflective questions and curious conversations, we aren't there yet. We need to find our voice.

This might seem like a tall order. How does our alumni identity contribute to our flourishing selves? Maureen Gaffney, in her aptly titled book, Flourishing, explains: ‘We all know people who seem to be deeply and enjoyably involved in their lives,’ she writes. ‘Some have a single overriding passion – soccer, science, theatre, teaching – that completely absorbs them. Others seem to have the knack of consistently finding many things that give them scope to develop their talents and skills.’