Do you eat purpose for breakfast?: the uncharted meetup

What is my purpose in life?

What is the meaning of my work?

Why am I here?

My name is Marina Velikova and these questions have puzzled me throughout my life - from my computing studies and career path to lately my edupreneurship journey.

Until last year, answering "I don't know" made me feel lost and uneasy, igniting a longing for a space where I could freely explore who I am and my purpose alongside others who share the same mindset - without goals, curriculum and deadlines.

My ongoing need and the encounter with two self-driven students - Paco Torres and Rachel K. Zhang - led to the birth of THE I Don't Know MOVEMENT in June 2023.

Without fixed plans and push - in the spirit of the unknown - the movement has been organically growing for nearly an year, bringing people from all walks of life, across diverse backgrounds, occupation and circumstances. It feels as an alternative study for me, where I unpack my biggest growth gift - the peaceful and loving relationship with "I Don't Know".

Now, when I face this answer, I smile and know - yes, I know - that "I Don't Know" is a door inviting me to explore and discover the unknown with curiosity and courage, embracing each new experience with an open heart, an eager mind and patience, so that I can grow authentically.

The surprising trigger

Last autumn, the unknown "sent" me a surprising invite from Tilburg University to offer a workshop for students about purpose. I knew that the standard setup with slides and sitting is not what I did in seeking my purpose, so I aimed for a non-traditional approach.

Though my proposal was received positively, the university decided to proceed with their own plan, while keeping the possibility to involve me later on. In a follow-up, I offered to organize a short 'breakfast' meetup at the canteen as a teaser for the students to take part in their workshop. Again appreciated, but the idea was not realized at the university.

Then I thought:

Why waiting for others to give me the 'stage' to do what my heart desires in the way and with the people that I believe in?

The spirit of the unknown guided me to realize my idea in a month, supported by lovely and heart-led people, giving the birth to the 3-hour hyper-diverse and explorative meetup "Do you eat purpose for breakfast?" on Saturday 27th of January 2024.

What is purpose?

By now, you may ask yourself what is purpose in life?

For me:

Purpose is the guiding light that illuminates my self-sustaining journey, where my passions, strengths and creations, emerging from within, can be fully expressed for my own fulfilling and in service of others.

Seeking to unravel this inner light - as a step, not a finite destination - in connection and co-creation with others is what lies in the heart of our purpose-breakfast event.

The unusual setting of the event - the Cultural Center for Children "Monopole" in Tilburg, Netherlands - invites to immerse in creativity and exploration in activities of own choice, as children do after school at this place, without curriculum and teachers who tell them what, where, how and with whom to do.

But the most special and beautiful element of the event is the people who join - as in THE I Don't Know MOVEMENT, we gather with authentic open-minded people, most new to each other, which invites to tap into the unknown for real.

The positive reactions from the first meetup led to the follow-up editions, where we "taste" our joint purpose-breakfast, cooked with the core ingredients of the child's spirit and the unknown with diverse people.