Sarah Carson on Finding Purpose in a Fast-Changing World: Why It’s Never Too Late to Begin Again

- Craig Lebrau

In an era where technology, careers, and culture seem to evolve faster than people can keep up, Sarah Carson stands as a quiet counterpoint, proof that meaning doesn’t come from keeping pace but from finding purpose. “The world is changing so fast,” she says. “You need an anchor, something that holds you steady while everything around you shifts.”

For Carson, that anchor has been curiosity and an unrelenting desire to learn. Her life has never followed a straight path. She studied at a well-known business school, built a career in corporate America, became a private investigator, and eventually discovered acting later in life. At every turn, she listened for what she calls the “signals of the universe”, the subtle nudges that suggest a new direction. “I have always believed the universe tries to tell you something,” she says. “You just have to be willing to listen.”

Raised in a family that prized education, her father earned a Ph.D., and her mother, born in 1915, was somewhat of an innovator of her time, having higher education in an era where few women did. Carson learned early that knowledge was both a privilege and a pathway. “Education gives you freedom and adaptability,” she says. “It’s what lets you reinvent yourself when life changes.” That belief became her guiding philosophy, one that carried her through multiple reinventions and ultimately shaped the message she now shares with younger generations.

Her first reinvention came when her corporate ambitions met reality. “I grew up on a farm where you set your own agenda,” she says. “In corporate life, I hated being at the disposal of someone else.” Rather than stay trapped in an environment that didn’t align with her values, Carson made a bold turn toward something unexpected: investigative work. She enrolled in detective school, earned certification as a fraud examiner, and built a career uncovering the truth, a fitting pursuit for someone whose life has always been about asking deeper questions.

That curiosity later led her toward acting, a calling she didn’t anticipate. “People would stop me on the street and say they had seen me in a film I wasn’t in,” she recalls. “Then one actress told me, ‘If you are not an actor, you should be.’” Taking it as a hint from the universe, she went to acting school and found the process deeply fulfilling. “Acting helped me reconnect with emotion,” she says. “After years of corporate life, it was healing to rediscover what I actually felt.”

Now at 80, Carson speaks not about achievement, but about alignment, the inner steadiness that helps a person navigate change with grace. Her philosophy mirrors research showing that a positive attitude can be a key factor in healthy aging. “People often tell me I don’t seem my age,” she says. “I think it’s because I still wake up curious. That energy keeps you young.”

Her reflections extend well beyond personal experience. She worries that, in today’s world of constant distraction, many young people are losing their sense of grounding. “When everything moves at the speed of technology, it’s easy to lose sight of who you are,” she says. “You have to define your purpose, something that keeps you centered and benefits others, not just yourself.”

Carson’s perspective is both timeless and urgent. She believes that purpose is not a luxury; it is essential for survival. It connects people to meaning as they navigate a world of constant reinvention. “Every generation faces uncertainty,” she says. “But the ones who thrive are the ones who stay curious, who keep learning, and who know what matters to them.”

From her point of view, a career that spans academia, business, investigation, and art, Carson embodies her own message. Reinvention, she shows, is not about leaving the past behind but building on it with intention.