72% Regret Living Others’ Expectations - New Research Shows How to Change That

What happens when people find their purpose?

A two-year study uncovers 7 stages of purpose, offering a clear map to help people move from regret to a life of meaning

SEDONA, AZ, UNITED STATES, August 19, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- According to research by Cornell psychology professor Tom Gilovich, 72% of people on their deathbed report the same regret: living a life others expected of them instead of their own.

What if purpose isn’t a mystery, but a map? The nonprofit LightNet in collaboration with the Holomovement has released findings that shed new light on one of life’s most profound questions: How do people discover their true calling? The two year study confirms that regret can be avoided, and purpose lived, through a repeatable process.

The in research study included conversations with leading thinkers such as Robert Edward Grant, Dr. Michael Beckwith, Dr. Bruce Lipton, Richard Rudd and Lynne McTaggart, uncovering a strikingly clear and repeatable pattern that nearly every person follows on the path to authentic purpose.

“We discovered that when people stop chasing what they think they ‘should’ do and instead begin listening to their deeper truth, their lives radically shift. The results have been extraordinary.” says Zenka Caro, founder of LightNet.

The First Four Stages of the Purpose Map

From hundreds of hours of interviews and 32 terabytes of data, LightNet and the Holomovement identified seven stages of purpose discovery. Here’s a look at the first four:

🔺Stage 1: DISRUPTION – When life shakes you. The job loss, the breakup, the diagnosis. Something feels off. Maybe for a long time.
🔺Stage 2: DEEP LISTENING – When you stop pushing and performing and start listening. To your gut. To your soul. To the whisper you’ve been - ignoring.
🔺Stage 3: BELIEF SHIFT – When you realize: this isn’t a phase. It’s who you are. And you start choosing your truth over your comfort.
🔺Stage 4: INSPIRED ACTION – When staying silent isn’t an option. You take the first step, however small—and everything starts moving.

These stages form the foundation of the Purpose Map, a new tool and free quiz designed to help people locate themselves on the journey and take the next step.

“When you have a map, you’re no longer lost,” adds Caro. “You’re simply in a stage.”

Real Results, Real People

Participants in LightNet’s Purpose Lab have reported life-changing breakthroughs:

💠 Writing the book they’d been putting off for 10 years
💠 Walking away from dead-end relationships and finding true love
💠 A sense of profound alignment: “I feel like I’m in a dream. Everything’s aligned.”

The signal gets clear when people begin the “soul conversation.” And when the signal is clear massive synchronicities follow in.

Access the Research & Take the Quiz

The full research findings and the free Purpose Quiz are available now at: www.ourlightnet.org/purposequiz

About LightNet

LightNet is a nonprofit dedicated to accelerating breakthrough research at the intersection of science, spirituality, and human potential. Through community-driven labs and citizen science, LightNet empowers people to discover and live their highest purpose.

About the Holomovement

The Holomovement is a global alliance of organizations and individuals committed to collective transformation, weaving together diverse movements into a unified force for purpose, connection, and planetary regeneration.

Zenka Caro
LightNet
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What happens when you find your purpose.

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