A man must discover his purpose. This is something every person must wrestle with at some point if they are to lead a fulfilling life. Your ‘Inside’ or ‘Inner Man’ will be so thankful that you did.

One doesn’t need to look far to see that Western civilisation is in trouble. The cultural malaise gripping Australia is well-documented.

For those of us holding to traditional family values, there has been much handwringing about the situation, and rightly so. After all, what kind of generation leaves a crumbling, decaying culture to those following?

The civilisational outlook may be bleak, but here at Dads4Kids, we’re more interested in solutions than problems. One of the solutions? The reclamation and revitalisation of healthy, original masculinity. Specifically, turning the tide of fatherlessness, which has been our mission since 2002.

Dads4Kids was motivated many years ago by Indigenous elder Pastor Ron Williams when he said, “The greatest need in Australia is the restoration of fatherhood.” Powerful words that are as true today as the day they were spoken by Ps. Ron in Australia’s Parliament House, Canberra. These words ring in our hearts, and they are a clarion call for the men of Australia.

These words are why, each August, we gather like-minded men at the beautiful Tops Conference Centre, at Stanwell Tops in NSW, for the Men’s Leadership Summit. It’s an amazing weekend of fellowship, fun, and encouragement in our vital calling as men.

Finding Your Purpose as a Man

One of the Summit speakers this year is Dads4Kids friend Andrew Gray. Through his excellent podcast The Man Show and weekly Original Masculinity newsletter, Andrew is all about raising the masculine flag for men everywhere.

This past week, he wrote about life purpose, or “the core reason that you were put on the planet.” This is something every person must wrestle with at some point if they are to lead a fulfilling life. Andrew writes:

10 billion other people alive right now (let alone the billions that came before us), and not one of them has, or has had, the exact same appearance or fingerprint as you. Incredible!… Embrace this: You are here for a reason. Your journey as a man matters.

He continues:

I will never forget a moment I experienced about 15 years ago. I was deep in the middle of my career as an executive manager in the not-for-profit sector, and in my mid-30s, I had already spent more than a decade involved in training leaders, public speaking, writing, change management, personnel selection, and team leadership. One day, at the conclusion of a mentoring session with one of my staff members, the light went on full bright on the inside, as I was reflecting on what had been an incredibly insightful and transformative session for them.

After they had left my office and I checked to make sure they were out of earshot, I exclaimed, “I get it now; I’m a coach!”

By this career stage, I had become competent in a broad range of disciplines, but the thing that always stood out the most was the fact that I had become very capable at: 1, Seeing what other people had locked up inside them. 2, Showing them what was possible inside them. And 3, helping them unravel the knots in their thinking to get them empowered and moving on their own unique pathway to purpose.

I finally realised with great clarity the core of who I was made to be: I was put here to be a coach for others! This epiphany set me loose to experience exponential effectiveness in this realm over coming seasons, and I have continued to surge in this regard to this very day!​

I want you to have that same kind of discovery!!!

Andrew’s enthusiasm is infectious. I’ve experienced firsthand his wisdom and expertise in helping men be the best they can be, and he’ll be sharing about this at the 2025 Men’s Leadership Summit. Here’s more from Andrew:

If you have breath in your lungs, then you have a purpose to fulfil in this life. You are not here for nothing!

Every single one of us is uniquely shaped and wired together. We all have one-of-a-kind personality types, giftings, strengths, likes and dislikes, lessons learned, perspectives, and abilities. That one in 10 billion package exists the way it does for a reason.

There are things that you can do, in a way that only you can do! Nobody else can do what your potential makes you capable of doing the way you can do it. You must start believing this about yourself.

Be you! Everyone else is taken. Pursue purpose! Go after it. It is possible for you. Your ‘Inside Man’ will be so thankful that you did.

Lovework

More than ever, the world needs purposeful men who will make a stand for the things that matter. As Andrew Gray encourages us, please don’t neglect your inside man. Spend time thinking about your life purpose and discover what it means for you and your family. One day, your children will thank you.

If you can, we’d love for you to join us at this year’s Men’s Leadership Summit. It’s been life-changing for me, and the weekend is all about making a stand and being encouraged as men. Consider bringing some mates too – I’d love to see you there!

Yours for pursuing purpose,

Nathaniel Marsh

P.S. Registrations for the Men’s Leadership Summit close midnight this Friday, 25 July, 2025. The Dads4Kids team would love for you to join us! If you can, make sure you bring a friend too. Secure your place today!

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Photo by Andrea Piacquadio/Pexels.