Have you thought about your mission in life? What if you’re getting clues about it and don’t realize it?

Consider the possibility. Stay open to hints about your mission in life.

Rod Brooks had a life changing experience that led him to think about how his health is linked to the importance of how he spends his time.

Rod is a grandfather who had slowly gained weight as he got older.

“Little by little, inch by inch, and pound by pound, I became that ‘big guy,’” he said. “I don’t really know my highest weight; the scale I used stopped at 325 pounds, and it pegged out.”

A friend introduced him to a nutritional cleansing system after they reconnected at their 40th reunion. After several months of conversation, he and his wife decided to give the program a try.

They both noticed a decrease in their weight, an improvement in their sleep, and more energy.

“I had lost enough weight that pants and shirts were baggy and loose,” he said. “And people started asking me what I was doing and how they could try it.”

Rod and his wife have a large, blended family with seven kids between them, and many grandchildren. When they were on a family vacation, Rod’s oldest son mentioned that he never got to know his grandpa because was only one month old when his grandfather – Rod’s father – passed away.

Rod said the statement led to an “aha” moment. He suddenly realized that three generations of his family never had the opportunity to get to know their grandfathers. It sparked an awareness within him that having a choice of how to spend his time is really important. That was something he didn’t have in his over 30 years as a corporate marketing executive.

“Not just time on the planet but time spent together,” he said.

Rod’s need and desire for time, combined with his quest to stay healthy and build a relationship with his grandchildren, inspired him to create The Grandpa Project. Initially, the project was a mindset but is now evolving into a movement. At the age of 64, Rod is on a mission to help grandpas maximize their time with their grandchildren and to show them a path to healthy aging and vitality.

Rod said he believes that every child deserves to know, learn from, and be loved by their grandpa.

“It’s really not about me and my grandkids; it’s about any grandpa who wants his grandchildren to benefit from a special relationship,” he said. “So that’s when the project flipped, and it became less about me and more about what could I bring to other men my age or the grandchildren of men my age.”

The type of “aha” moment that Rod experienced often happens when you’re open and ready for it. He found his mission in life because of it.

Stay open to hints about your mission in life. They may come along when you least expect them.